Le portrait de Manon
Encyclopedia
Le portrait de Manon is an opera in one act by Jules Massenet
to a French libretto
by Georges Boyer. It is a sequel to Massenet's 1884 opera Manon
, widely regarded to be his masterpiece. Le portrait de Manon, however, hardly achieved even a fraction of the original's acclaim and is rarely performed today. The opera was first performed at the Opéra Comique
in Paris on 8 May 1894. After its premiere the work was performed at La Monnaie
in November 1894 and the Teatro del Fondo
in Naples
in December 1894. The work received its United States premiere at The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on 13 December 1897. The Opéra Comique revived the opera in 1900 and it was mounted at the Théâtre Lyrique in September 1922, after which the work fell out of the performance repertory. After a more than 60-year absence from the stage, Le portrait de Manon was mounted at La Fenice
on 13 April 1985. Four years later the Opéra de Monte-Carlo
staged the work. The opera was most recently revived by the Glimmerglass Opera
in 2005.
Tiberge enters and tries to persuade his old friend Des Grieux to allow young love to run its course; left alone Aurore and Jean are in despair. Jean tries to snatch a kiss from the girl but in the chase knocks the chest and the portrait of Manon falls out. They admire the face of the portrait. After Tiberge has called Aurore away, Des Grieux lectures Jean again and dismisses him. But now Aurore appears wearing the dress which Manon wore on her first meeting with Des Grieux in Amiens. When Tiberge reveals that Aurore is in fact the niece of Manon - the daughter of her brother Lescaut - Des Grieux yields and consents to Jean's marriage.
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...
to a French libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by Georges Boyer. It is a sequel to Massenet's 1884 opera Manon
Manon
Manon is an opéra comique in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on the 1731 novel L’histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut by the Abbé Prévost...
, widely regarded to be his masterpiece. Le portrait de Manon, however, hardly achieved even a fraction of the original's acclaim and is rarely performed today. The opera was first performed at the Opéra Comique
Opera Comique
The Opera Comique was a 19th-century theatre constructed in Westminster, London, between Wych Street and Holywell Street with entrances on the East Strand. It opened in 1870 and was demolished in 1902, to make way for the construction of the Aldwych and Kingsway...
in Paris on 8 May 1894. After its premiere the work was performed at La Monnaie
La Monnaie
Le Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie , or the Koninklijke Muntschouwburg is a theatre in Brussels, Belgium....
in November 1894 and the Teatro del Fondo
Teatro del Fondo
The Teatro del Fondo is a theatre in Naples, now known as the Teatro Mercadante. Together with the Teatro San Carlo, it was originally one of the two royal opera houses of the 18th and 19th-century city....
in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
in December 1894. The work received its United States premiere at The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on 13 December 1897. The Opéra Comique revived the opera in 1900 and it was mounted at the Théâtre Lyrique in September 1922, after which the work fell out of the performance repertory. After a more than 60-year absence from the stage, Le portrait de Manon was mounted at La Fenice
La Fenice
Teatro La Fenice is an opera house in Venice, Italy. It is one of the most famous theatres in Europe, the site of many famous operatic premieres. Its name reflects its role in permitting an opera company to "rise from the ashes" despite losing the use of two theatres...
on 13 April 1985. Four years later the Opéra de Monte-Carlo
Opéra de Monte-Carlo
The Opéra de Monte-Carlo is an opera house located in the principality of Monaco.With the lack of cultural diversions available in Monaco in the 1870s, Prince Charles III, along with the Société des Bains de Mer, decided on the construction of an opera house. Initially, it was Charles III's...
staged the work. The opera was most recently revived by the Glimmerglass Opera
Glimmerglass Opera
Glimmerglass Festival is an opera company which was founded in 1975 by Peter Macris and presents an annual season of operas at the Alice Busch Opera Theater on Otsego Lake eight miles north of Cooperstown, New York, United States.The summer-only season usually consists of four operas performed in...
in 2005.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 8 May 1894 (Conductor: Jules Danbé Jules Danbé Jules Danbé was a French conductor, mainly of opera, born in Caen on 16 November 1840, and died 30 October 1905. Trained as a violinist, he was a pupil of Girard and Savard, in 1859 winning a first prize for violin... ) |
|---|---|---|
| Des Grieux | 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... |
Lucien Fugère Lucien Fugère Lucien Fugère was a French baritone, particularly associated with the French repertory and Mozart roles, he enjoyed an exceptionally long career, singing into his 80s.- Life and career :... |
| Tiberge | 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... |
Pierre Grivot Pierre Grivot Pierre-Antonin-François Grivot, born Paris in 1834 , died 1912, was a French singer and actor who enjoyed a long career in Paris, in both operetta and opéra comique. His wife was the actress and singer Laurence Grivot.-Life and career:... |
| Jean | mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above... |
Suzanne Elven |
| Aurore | 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... |
Jeanne [Marie-Sophie] Laisné |
Synopsis
The opera opens with a chorus of peasants singing outside the home of the Chevalier Des Grieux; they remind him of his own happier days and he looks at his miniature portrait of Manon. His nephew Jean arrives for a history lesson but tells Des Grieux that he is in love with Aurore. Des Grieux believes that the young girl is unworthy of Jean having neither noble birth nor money.Tiberge enters and tries to persuade his old friend Des Grieux to allow young love to run its course; left alone Aurore and Jean are in despair. Jean tries to snatch a kiss from the girl but in the chase knocks the chest and the portrait of Manon falls out. They admire the face of the portrait. After Tiberge has called Aurore away, Des Grieux lectures Jean again and dismisses him. But now Aurore appears wearing the dress which Manon wore on her first meeting with Des Grieux in Amiens. When Tiberge reveals that Aurore is in fact the niece of Manon - the daughter of her brother Lescaut - Des Grieux yields and consents to Jean's marriage.