Boulevard Solitude
Encyclopedia
Boulevard Solitutde is a Lyrisches Drama (lyric drama) or opera
in one act by Hans Werner Henze
to a German
libretto by Grete Weil after the play by Walter Jockisch, in its turn a modern telling of François Prévost
's Manon Lescaut
. The premiere was on February 17, 1952 at the Landestheater, Hanover
. It was performed for the first time in the United States
at the Santa Fe Opera
in 1967.
Henze’s first work of real note, the opera stands out for its use of strong jazz influence from a composer who had hitherto been associated with twelve tone technique. The piece is a reworking of the Manon Lescaut story, already adapted operatically by Auber
, Massenet
and Puccini
, into a contemporary framework.
Although not part of the core operatic repertoire, Boulevard Solitude continues to be performed and is popular with audiences, with a London revival in 2000 going on to sell heavily despite much negative critical reception and attacks from the tabloid press.
The student Armand des Grieux meets a young woman by the name of Manon Lescaut, who is being brought to boarding school in Lausana by her brother. Armand instantly falls in love with Manon, and the two run off to Paris
together.
The two live together happily, although in poverty, in an attic room. Armand has been cut off by his father on account of his dissolute lifestyle, and is forced to ask his friend Francis for money. However, Manon’s brother reappears during Armand's absence and convinces her to visit an admirer of hers, the wealthy older man Lilaque Sr.
Manon becomes Lilaque Sr.’s mistress, but remains in love with Armand. Her brother appears and begs her for money. When she refuses him saying that she has none, he breaks into Lilaque Sr.’s safe. However Lilaque discovers them and evicts Manon.
Sometime later, Armand, Francis, and some other students are studying the work of the Roman poet Catullus
. Armand is still in love with Manon but this love is fading. Francis tells Armand about Manon’s robbing Lilaque and her expulsion from his house, but Armand doesn’t believe it. Francis leaves angrily and Manon enters. Manon and Armand read a poem that revives their love.
Manon and Armand are together again. Armand is addicted to drugs in order to try to forget the past. Lescaut (Manon’s brother) brings him cocaine
in a bar and asks for Manon, who he wishes to procure
for Lilaque Jr. When Manon arrives Armand gets angry with Lescaut and Lalique Jr. Manon tries to calm him and then leaves with the two men. Armand receives the message that Manon wishes to see him the next day, when Lilaque leaves. Armand is left confused.
Armand and Manon are together in Lilaque Jr.’s bedroom. Manon is satisfied with the new situation of being under the protection of Lilaque Jr. but Armand is nostalgic for the past in which he still lives. Lescaut appears and warns Armand that he should leave before the servants find him. Armand cuts a picture out of its frame in order to sell it, but is discovered by a servant who reports the incident to Lilaque Sr. who calls the police. Lescaut fights with Lilaque Sr. until Manon shoots the old man with a revolver
that had been pressed into her hand by her brother. As Lescaut and Armand flee, Manon is arrested.
Armand arrives hoping to see his former lover before she is imprisoned. The scene ends with musical numbers from the life of the couple.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
in one act by Hans Werner Henze
Hans Werner Henze
Hans Werner Henze is a German composer of prodigious output best known for "his consistent cultivation of music for the theatre throughout his life"...
to a German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
libretto by Grete Weil after the play by Walter Jockisch, in its turn a modern telling of François Prévost
Antoine François Prévost
Antoine François Prévost , usually known simply as the Abbé Prévost, was a French author and novelist.- Life and works :...
's Manon Lescaut
Manon Lescaut
Manon Lescaut is a short novel by French author Abbé Prévost. Published in 1731, it is the seventh and final volume of Mémoires et aventures d'un homme de qualité . It was controversial in its time and was banned in France upon publication...
. The premiere was on February 17, 1952 at the Landestheater, Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
. It was performed for the first time in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
at the Santa Fe Opera
Santa Fe Opera
The Santa Fe Opera is an American opera company, located north of Santa Fe in the U.S. state of New Mexico, headquartered on a former guest ranch of .-General history:...
in 1967.
Henze’s first work of real note, the opera stands out for its use of strong jazz influence from a composer who had hitherto been associated with twelve tone technique. The piece is a reworking of the Manon Lescaut story, already adapted operatically by Auber
Daniel Auber
Daniel François Esprit Auber was a French composer.-Biography:The son of a Paris print-seller, Auber was born in Caen in Normandy. Though his father expected him to continue in the print-selling business, he also allowed his son to learn how to play several musical instruments...
, Massenet
Jules Massenet
Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet was a French composer best known for his operas. His compositions were very popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and he ranks as one of the greatest melodists of his era. Soon after his death, Massenet's style went out of fashion, and many of his operas...
and Puccini
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
, into a contemporary framework.
Although not part of the core operatic repertoire, Boulevard Solitude continues to be performed and is popular with audiences, with a London revival in 2000 going on to sell heavily despite much negative critical reception and attacks from the tabloid press.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, February 17, 1952 (Conductor: Johannes Schüler) |
|---|---|---|
| Manon Lescaut | high soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
Sigrid Klaus |
| Armand des Grieux, a student | lyric tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... |
Walter Buckow |
| Lescaut, Manon's brother | baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or... |
|
| Francis, Armand's friend | baritone | |
| Lilaque, père, a rich old gentleman | high buffo tenor | |
| Lilaque, fils | baritone | |
| A prostitute | dancer | |
| Servant to Lilaque, fils | mime | |
| Two drug addicts | dancers | |
| A cigarette boy | dancer | |
| Newspaper sellers, beggars, whores, police, students, travellers | ||
Synopsis
- Scene 1: The waiting room of a busy trainTrainA train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
station in a large French city.
The student Armand des Grieux meets a young woman by the name of Manon Lescaut, who is being brought to boarding school in Lausana by her brother. Armand instantly falls in love with Manon, and the two run off to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
together.
- Scene 2: An atticAtticAn attic is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building . Attic is generally the American/Canadian reference to it...
in Paris.
The two live together happily, although in poverty, in an attic room. Armand has been cut off by his father on account of his dissolute lifestyle, and is forced to ask his friend Francis for money. However, Manon’s brother reappears during Armand's absence and convinces her to visit an admirer of hers, the wealthy older man Lilaque Sr.
- Scene 3: An elegant room in Lilaque’s house.
Manon becomes Lilaque Sr.’s mistress, but remains in love with Armand. Her brother appears and begs her for money. When she refuses him saying that she has none, he breaks into Lilaque Sr.’s safe. However Lilaque discovers them and evicts Manon.
- Scene 4: The library of the university.
Sometime later, Armand, Francis, and some other students are studying the work of the Roman poet Catullus
Catullus
Gaius Valerius Catullus was a Latin poet of the Republican period. His surviving works are still read widely, and continue to influence poetry and other forms of art.-Biography:...
. Armand is still in love with Manon but this love is fading. Francis tells Armand about Manon’s robbing Lilaque and her expulsion from his house, but Armand doesn’t believe it. Francis leaves angrily and Manon enters. Manon and Armand read a poem that revives their love.
- Scene 5: In a bar.
Manon and Armand are together again. Armand is addicted to drugs in order to try to forget the past. Lescaut (Manon’s brother) brings him cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
in a bar and asks for Manon, who he wishes to procure
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
for Lilaque Jr. When Manon arrives Armand gets angry with Lescaut and Lalique Jr. Manon tries to calm him and then leaves with the two men. Armand receives the message that Manon wishes to see him the next day, when Lilaque leaves. Armand is left confused.
- Scene 6: The apartment of Lilaque Jr.
Armand and Manon are together in Lilaque Jr.’s bedroom. Manon is satisfied with the new situation of being under the protection of Lilaque Jr. but Armand is nostalgic for the past in which he still lives. Lescaut appears and warns Armand that he should leave before the servants find him. Armand cuts a picture out of its frame in order to sell it, but is discovered by a servant who reports the incident to Lilaque Sr. who calls the police. Lescaut fights with Lilaque Sr. until Manon shoots the old man with a revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
that had been pressed into her hand by her brother. As Lescaut and Armand flee, Manon is arrested.
- Scene 7: The exterior of a prison.
Armand arrives hoping to see his former lover before she is imprisoned. The scene ends with musical numbers from the life of the couple.
Sources
- Matthew Bowden, The Rough Guide to Opera, Rough Guides, London, 2002, ISBN 1-85828-749-9.
- Opera-Guide.ch synopsis