Opera

Puccini's Manon Lescaut

Richard Eyre (stage director), Sir Simon Rattle (conductor) — With Eva-Maria Westbroek (Manon Lescaut) and Massimo Giordano (Des Grieux)

Live
Certain chapters are not available.
Thank you for your understanding.

Cast

Richard Eyre — Stage director

Rob Howell — Assistant stage director

Fotini Dimou — Costume designer

Peter Mumford — Lighting

Sara Erde — Choreographer

Eva-Maria Westbroek — Manon Lescaut

Massimo Giordano — Renato Des Grieux

Lester Lynch — Lescaut

Liang Li — Geronte di Ravoir

Bogdan Mihai — Edmondo

Magdalena Kožená — Singer

Reinhard Dorn — Landlord, naval captain

Philharmonia Chor Wien

Walter Zeh — Chorus director

Berliner Philharmoniker

Program notes

Revisit Puccini's classic Manon Lescaut in a superb staging from the 2014 Baden-Baden Festival! This beloved opera, inspired by the novel of the same name by the Abbé Prévost, has been taken up time and again by the greatest stage directors of every era who can't help but fall for the tragic title character's passionate love story. Sir Richard Eyre's memorable mise en scène is complemented here by the superb Berliner Philharmoniker under Sir Simon Rattle!

Eyre has chosen to transpose the opera's action to France under the German occupation, modernizing numerous elements of the libretto by Ricordi and Giacosa with the help of Robert Howell's remarkable set design and Peter Mumford's admirable lighting work. The renowned Eva-Maria Westbroek steps admirably into the title role, having perfected her performance even further following a celebrated run in Brussels. In the pit, Sir Simon and the Berliner Phil breathe new life into the music, bringing out unheard nuances and amplifying the drama of Puccini's timeless score.

This is just one of hundreds of stunning operas available on medici.tv, the web's leading classical music streaming platform!

A closer look: featured composers

Further listening: featured works

Appears in

More info