Puccini - Manon Lescaut / Sinopoli, Domingo, Te Kanawa, Allen, Royal Opera Covent Garden
by Brian Large
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Forbes Robinson, Kiri Te Kanawa, Plácido Domingo, Robin Leggate, Thomas AllenDirector: Brian Large
Brand: Kultur
Writer: Abbé Prévost
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: Classical, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 129 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-11-18
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Kultur Video
Movie Reviews of Puccini - Manon Lescaut / Sinopoli, Domingo, Te Kanawa, Allen, Royal Opera Covent Garden
Movie Review: Great Opera
Summary: 5 Stars
Manon Lescaut is one of those operas that has all the elements to be a classic. Beautiful music, poignant story and a tragic end. And of course, it is Puccini's! true that it is not his best one. But not because he was not done his best but because he was still walking towards his perfection in style that would achieve later with Tosca or Turandot.
The story based on a novel by I'Abbe Prevost, was a popular example of the moral novels of the XVIIIth. A young girl who in her way to the convent scapes kidnapping by an old noble, with the help of her ambitious brother, and run away with a young poet. To be later the lover of that old aristocrat till her love appears again. In revenge she is imprisioned and sent to the French colony of Florida. Des Grieux, her lover, follow her and she ends tragically in the swamps of Florida.
So with this dramatic story Puccini creates a beautiful opera. A beauty that starts since the first act to get its peak in the third and ends in that dramatic end. Sinopoli was a wonderful director. His conducting was powerful and energetic, but , when is required also tender. Only watching him is an spectacle by itself. The way the orchestra plays the prelude is one of those that make you cry, literally.
And about the singers I think the cast is excellent. Ok, I admit I always like Placido Domingo, even when I should not. But here he is perfect. He has the voice, the looks, the manners to be the perfect Des Grieux. . When he sings "Donna non vidi mai" you suddenly understand why people like opera. Listing to him is a pleasure.
About Kiri Te Kanawa I am sure that although those who think she is a light soprano must admit she sings here beautifully. How she changes from the first act to the end is something that only she could have done. About her flawless, well I consider that a matter of opinion. She shows an splendid technique and evidently she is not Callas. But who is? Her clarity, and emotion is something to be considered. It is not that she was worse or better , they have different ways to approach to the character. And I find her Manon still the best.,above Ms Fleming's, Ms Frenni's or whoever. Because here she had found the perfect balance between performing and singing and that is always something difficult to accomplish.
This production is perfect. I admit I prefer classic productions for this kind of operas. Everything is perfect although I guess that the edition of this dvd it is not as good as it should. I remember watching this opera live from the Covent Garden on tv and the coulours were a little bit stronger. But even with that I think it is a dvd that a good opera aficionado should have or even if you are not. It is easy to fall under the spell of opera after watching this production.
More Puccini - Manon Lescaut / Sinopoli, Domingo, Te Kanawa, Allen, Royal Opera Covent Garden reviews:
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Summary of Puccini - Manon Lescaut / Sinopoli, Domingo, Te Kanawa, Allen, Royal Opera Covent Garden
"Manon", wrote Puccini to his publisher Giulio Ricordi in 1889, "is a heroine I believe in and therefore she cannot fail to win the heart of the public." This turned out to be a truly prophetic statement since none of Puccini?s other world successes were received on their first nights as rapturously as Manon Lescaut. The popularity of Puccini?s great masterpiece has never waned and the highly acclaimed Götz Friedrich production at Covent Garden was hailed as an operatic milestone. Two of the world?s leading stars--Kiri Te Kanawa and Placido Domingo--head a strong cast conducted by the brilliant Italian conductor Giuseppe Sinopoli. Sung in Italian with English subtitles.Placido Domingo and Kiri Te Kanawa were in top form vocally when this performance was recorded in 1984; Sinopoli's conducting is energetic and stylistically distinctive, and the staging strikes the proper notes of elegance in the early scenes and pathos in the tragic conclusion. This is not the only good video recording of Puccini's first masterpiece, but it ranks with the best.
Manon Lescaut is the story of a beautiful young woman who goes astray en route to a convent and drifts into life of self-indulgence, sexual exploitation, and crime, leading to her death as a convict, a story full of operatic situations. It inspired two operas in the standard repertoire, Puccini's and Massenet's earlier Manon. Puccini took a big risk going mano a mano with Massenet, but it worked; he did not eclipse Massenet, but this work gave his career a major boost. This production shows why it has captivated so many audiences. --Joe McLellan
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