The Met’s Live in HD series - Manon

A take on the quintessentially French tale of the beautiful young woman who is incapable of forsaking both love and luxury, Massenet’s Manon features one of the truly unforgettable, irresistible, and archetypal female characters in opera. While the story is firmly set in class and gender issues of the past, the character of Manon herself is timeless, convincing, and familiar.

Jules Massenet (1842–1912), a popular French composer in his day, was noted for his operas, songs, and oratorios. While Manon has held a steady place in the repertory, in recent decades, several of his other operas, especially Werther (1892) and Thaïs (1894), have been performed more frequently. 

The setting is in and around Paris, with familiar landmarks such as the church of St. Sulpice forming important reference points. The opera was originally set in the early 18th century, but the Met’s current production by Laurent Pelly places the story in the late 19th century, the Belle Époque period when Manon was written (premiere: the Opéra Comique,1884).

Massenet’s sensual and enchanting score captures the drama with deft craftsmanship, expressive vocal and orchestral writing, and an almost unparalleled level of sensuality. There is no shortage of passion.

Exhilarating soprano Lisette Oropesa is the irresistible Manon, the tragic beauty who yearns for the finer things in life. Tenor Michael Fabiano is the besotted Chevalier des Grieux, whose desperate love for Manon proves their undoing. Maurizio Benini conducts.