Manon

Young Des Grieux falls in love with Manon, destined for the convent by her family. They flee together and discover Paris, its libertines and its dizziness. Will their passion endure?

 “I am only weakness and fragility” admits Manon. “Amazing sphinx, true siren” marvels Des Grieux. Refinement and calculation, sincerity and corruption: the eternal feminine invented at the dawn of the Enlightenment fascinated the nineteenth century. Massenet’s loving pen produced a character of an overwhelming sensuality from Prévost’s creation. And the composer devised a vertiginous social tableau around the heroine in a total musical work.

 This major title of our repertoire returns to the Salle Favart – whose doors open on the statue of Manon – in a poignant production. Let’s turn our backs on the fêtes galantes and take another look at the fate of this girl who likes pleasure and embodies it.

 This beautiful and uncompromising production is directed by Olivier Py and conducted by Marc Minkowski. Such a project also required an outstanding Manon: Patricia Petibon!