''L'histoire de Manon'', generally referred to as ''Manon'', is a
ballet
Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...
choreographed by
Kenneth MacMillan
Sir Kenneth MacMillan (11 December 192929 October 1992) was a British ballet dancer and choreographer who was artistic director of the Royal Ballet in London between 1970 and 1977, and its principal choreographer from 1977 until his death. Ea ...
to music by
Jules Massenet
Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet (; 12 May 1842 – 13 August 1912) was a French composer of the Romantic era best known for his operas, of which he wrote more than thirty. The two most frequently staged are '' Manon'' (1884) and ''Werther' ...
and based on the 1731 novel ''
Manon Lescaut
''The Story of the Chevalier des Grieux and Manon Lescaut'' ( ) is a novel by Antoine François Prévost. Published in 1731, it is the seventh and final volume of ''Mémoires et aventures d'un homme de qualité'' (''Memoirs and Adventures of a Ma ...
'' by
Abbé Prévost
Antoine François Prévost d'Exiles ( , , ; 1 April 169725 November 1763), usually known simply as the Abbé Prévost, was a French priest, author, and novelist.
Life and works
He was born at Hesdin, Artois, and first appears with the full nam ...
. The ballet was first performed by
The Royal Ballet
The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in ...
in London in 1974 with
Antoinette Sibley
Dame Antoinette Sibley (born 27 February 1939) is a British prima ballerina. She joined the Royal Ballet from the Royal Ballet School in 1956 and became a soloist in 1960. She was celebrated for her partnership with Anthony Dowell. After her reti ...
and
Anthony Dowell
Sir Anthony James Dowell (born 16 February 1943) is a retired British ballet dancer and a former artistic director of the Royal Ballet. He is widely recognized as one of the great ''danseurs nobles'' of the twentieth century.
Early life and trai ...
in the leading roles. It continues to be performed and recognised internationally.
Background
Kenneth MacMillan had been thinking about choreographing a ballet about the story of Manon Lescaut for some time. Three years into his artistic directorship of The Royal Ballet, he wanted to create a large-scale operatic ballet that would provide exciting roles both for the company's principal dancers and the ''
corps de ballet
In ballet, the ''corps de ballet'' (; French for "body of the ballet") is the group of dancers who are not principal dancers or soloists. They are a permanent part of the ballet company and often work as a backdrop for the principal dancers.
...
''.
[Parry, p. 428]
On the last night of the company's summer season in 1973, MacMillan left a copy of Prévost's novel in
Antoinette Sibley
Dame Antoinette Sibley (born 27 February 1939) is a British prima ballerina. She joined the Royal Ballet from the Royal Ballet School in 1956 and became a soloist in 1960. She was celebrated for her partnership with Anthony Dowell. After her reti ...
's dressing room, with a note informing her that it would "come in handy for March 7, '74". As the copy of ''Manon Lescaut'' was in a double volume with the novella
''Carmen'' by Prosper Mérimée, Sibley asked
Anthony Dowell
Sir Anthony James Dowell (born 16 February 1943) is a retired British ballet dancer and a former artistic director of the Royal Ballet. He is widely recognized as one of the great ''danseurs nobles'' of the twentieth century.
Early life and trai ...
to find out which story was to be turned into a ballet, while she performed onstage in ''
The Sleeping Beauty''.
MacMillan began choreographing ''Manon'' during the 1973–74 season. He left the title character open to differing dancer interpretations, but was himself sympathetic to her poverty, believing that it was her desire to escape this that underpinned her decisions.
[
MacMillan used the designs of Nicholas Georgiadis, which reflected the "precarious division between opulence and degradation" with "the stench of poverty ever-present". The ballet's narrative structure is based on that of MacMillan's earlier ''Romeo and Juliet'', with hero and heroine meeting each other as young innocents and their love being revealed through a series of '']pas de deux
In ballet, a pas de deux (French language, French, literally "step of two") is a dance duet in which two dancers, typically a male and a female, perform ballet steps together. The pas de deux is characteristic of classical ballet and can be fo ...
''.
Critical responses to the opening night performance were mixed. ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' newspaper stated, "Basically, Manon is a slut and Des Grieux is a fool and they move in the most unsavoury company", while the ''Morning Star
Morning Star, morning star, or Morningstar may refer to:
Astronomy
* Morning star, most commonly used as a name for the planet Venus when it appears in the east before sunrise
** See also Venus in culture
* Morning star, a name for the star Siri ...
'' described the ballet as "an appalling waste of the lovely Antoinette Sibley, who is reduced to a nasty little diamond digger". The opening night audience gave the ballet a standing ovation.
Synopsis
Act I – Paris
Scene 1 – ''The courtyard of an inn near Paris''
The courtyard at the inn is frequented by actresses, gentlemen and the demimonde
is French for "half-world". The term derives from a play called , by Alexandre Dumas , published in 1855. The play dealt with the way that prostitution at that time threatened the institution of marriage. The was the world occupied by elite me ...
from Paris. Among them are des Grieux, a young student, the wealthy Monsieur GM, and Lescaut, who is there to meet his sister Manon on her way to enter a convent. A coach arrives bringing Manon and an old gentleman who has been very much attracted to her. Lescaut notices this and takes the gentleman into the inn to come to an arrangement with him over Manon. Manon remains outside and meets des Grieux. They fall in love and decide to escape to Paris with the help of the money that she has stolen from the old gentleman. Lescaut and the old gentleman come out of the inn, having made a bargain, and to their dismay see that Manon has disappeared. Monsieur GM tells Lescaut that he too is interested in Manon and because of this wealth Lescaut promises to find Manon and persuade her to accept GM.
Scene 2 – ''Des Grieux's lodgings in Paris''
Des Grieux is writing a letter to his father but Manon interrupts by declaring her love for him. Des Grieux goes to post the letter and in his absence Lescaut arrives with Monsieur GM. Manon yields to GM's advances and when des Grieux returns, Lescaut persuades him that there will be great wealth for all of them if he, des Grieux, will sanction the liaison between Manon and GM.
Act II
Scene 1 – ''A party at the hotel particulier of Madame''
Manon arrives at the party given by Monsieur GM and is clearly torn between the wealth of her companion and her love for des Grieux, who is also there with Lescaut. Des Grieux tries to persuade Manon to leave with him but she tells him that the time is not right and only will be when he takes more of Monsieur GM's money at cards. Des Grieux is caught cheating and he and Manon rush away.
Scene 2 – ''Des Grieux's lodgings''
Manon and des Grieux once again declare their love for one another but Monsieur GM arrives with the police and Manon is arrested as a prostitute. In the ensuing struggle Lescaut is killed.
Act III – New Orleans
Scene 1 – ''The port''
The gaoler of the penal colony awaits the arrival of the convicts from France. Manon has been deported to America as a prostitute and des Grieux has followed her there by pretending to be her husband. The gaoler now turns his interest towards Manon.
Scene 2 – ''The gaoler's room''
The gaoler has arrested Manon but offers her rewards in the hope that she will desert des Grieux and live with him. Des Grieux, however, breaks in and kills the gaoler.
Scene 3 – ''The swamp''
Manon and des Grieux have escaped into the swamp of Louisiana. All her former ambitions of wealth and splendour have been renounced for her love for des Grieux. While eluding their pursuers, Manon collapses and dies in his arms.
Music in ''L'histoire de Manon''
MacMillan chose not to use music from Massenet's opera ''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. It was first ...
'', instead selecting other well-known pieces by the same composer such as ''Elegie'' and '' Méditation''. The music, originally arranged and partially orchestrated by the British composer Leighton Lucas
Leighton Lucas (5 January 1903 – 1 November 1982) was an English composer and conductor. Born into a musical family (his father, Clarence Lucas, was also a noted composer and his mother Clara Asher-Lucas a concert pianist), he began his career ...
and re-orchestrated by the conductor Martin Yates
Martin Yates (born 1 July 1958, London) is a British conductor. After attending Kimbolton School (1969–1974), he studied at the Royal College of Music and Trinity College of Music, London, where his teachers included Bernard Keeffe (conducti ...
in 2011, draws on thirteen operas and two oratorios as well as Massenet's orchestral suites, various mélodie A ''mélodie'' () is a form of French art song, arising in the mid-19th century. It is comparable to the German ''Lied''. A ''chanson'', by contrast, is a folk or popular French song.
The literal meaning of the word in the French language is "melod ...
s and piano works.
Act I
* "Le dernier sommeil de la Vierge" from ''La Vierge
''La Vierge'' is an oratorio (''légende sacrée'') in four scenes by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Charles Grandmougin. It was first performed at the Opéra in Paris on May 22, 1880.
The oratorio is a recounting of the story of the V ...
''
* "Entr'acte: Manola" from ''Chérubin
''Chérubin'' is an opera (''comédie chantée'') in three acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Francis de Croisset and Henri Cain after de Croisset's play of the same name. It was first performed at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo on 14 F ...
''
* Aubade: "Vive amour" from ''Chérubin''
* "Scènes dramatiques: Scène finale" (second theme)
* "Scènes pittoresques: Marche"
* "Scènes dramatiques: Prélude et Divertissement" (second theme)
* Overture to ''Le Cid
''Le Cid'' is a five-act French tragicomedy written by Pierre Corneille, first performed in December 1636 at the Théâtre du Marais in Paris and published the same year. It is based on Guillén de Castro's play ''Las Mocedades del Cid''. Castro' ...
''
* "Crépuscule" (song)
* "Entr'acte: Idylle" from ''Grisélidis
''Grisélidis'' is an opera (described as a ' conte lyrique') in three acts and a prologue by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Armand Silvestre and Eugène Morand. It is based on the play by the same authors first performed at the Comédi ...
''
* "Scènes dramatiques: Prélude et Divertissement" (third theme)
* Ballet: No. 4 (Allegretto) from ''Thaïs
Thaïs or Thais ( el, Θαΐς; flourished 4th century BC) was a famous Greek ''hetaira'' who accompanied Alexander the Great on his campaigns. Likely from Athens, she is most famous for instigating the burning of Persepolis. At the time, Thaï ...
''
* "Lament d'Ariane" from '' Ariane''
* "Élégie" from ''Les Érinnyes
''Les Érinnyes'' (The Erinyes) is a French language verse drama written by Leconte de Lisle and premièred at the Théâtre de l'Odéon in 1873. It is in the style of a Greek tragedy, in two acts: ''Klytaimnestra'' (Clytemnestra) and ''Ores ...
''
* "Les moulins" from ''Don Quichotte
''Don Quichotte'' (''Don Quixote'') is an opera in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Caïn. It was first performed on 19 February 1910 at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo.
Massenet's ''comédie-héroïque'', like many dramatize ...
''
* "Marche des Princesses" from ''Cendrillon
''Cendrillon'' (''Cinderella'') is an opera—described as a "fairy tale"—in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Caïn based on Perrault's 1698 version of the Cinderella fairy tale.
It had its premiere performance on 24 ...
''
* "Le sommeil de Cendrillon" from ''Cendrillon''
* "Ouvre tes yeux bleus" (song)
* "Les filles de noblesse" from ''Cendrillon''
* ''Valse très lente'' (piano work, later orchestrated by Massenet)
* "Scènes dramatiques: Prélude et Divertissement" (first theme)
Act II
* "Scènes alsaciennes: Au cabaret"
* "Danses: Chaldéennes" from ''Cléopâtre
''Cléopâtre'' is an opera in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Louis Payen. It was first performed at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo on 23 February 1914, nearly two years after Massenet's death.
''Cléopâtre'' is one of three ope ...
''
* "Crépuscule" (song)
* "Danses: Scythes" from ''Cléopâtre''
* "Chanson de Capri" (song)
* "Scènes pittoresques: Air de ballet"
* Nocturne from ''La Navarraise
''La Navarraise'' (, "The Woman of Navarre") is an opera in two acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Jules Claretie and Henri Cain, based on Claretie's short story ''La cigarette'' (1890). It was first performed at Covent Garden in ...
''
* "Divertissement: Valse" from ''Le roi de Lahore
''Le roi de Lahore'' ("The king of Lahore") is an opera in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Louis Gallet. It was first performed at the Palais Garnier in Paris on 27 April 1877 in costumes designed by Eugène Lacoste and setti ...
''
* "Élégie" from ''Les Érinnyes''
* "Valse des esprits" from ''Grisélidis''
* Prélude to Part Two of ''Ève Ève is a French given name, the counterpart to the English name Eve and the Latinate Eva. Notable people with this name include: People
* Ève Angeli, French musician
* Ève Bazaiba, a member of the Movement of the Liberation of the Congo
* Èv ...
''
* Aria: "Il partit au printemps" from ''Grisélidis''
Act III
* Introduction to Act One of ''Don Quichotte''
* Chanson: "En Avignon, pays d'amour" from ''Grisélidis''
* "Crépuscule" (song)
* "Malédiction" from ''Ève''
* Improvisation No.3 from 7 Improvisations for Piano
* Introduction to Act One of ''Don Quichotte''
* "Aria de Pandolfe" from ''Cendrillon''
* Aria: "Il partit au printemps" from ''Grisélidis''
* "Valse des esprits" from ''Grisélidis''
* "Élégie" from ''Les Érinnyes''
* "L'extase de la Vierge" from ''La Vierge''
Original cast
Antoinette Sibley and Anthony Dowell were selected by MacMillan to create the roles of Manon and Des Grieux. The first performance was at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden on 7 March 1974, with the following cast:
* Antoinette Sibley
Dame Antoinette Sibley (born 27 February 1939) is a British prima ballerina. She joined the Royal Ballet from the Royal Ballet School in 1956 and became a soloist in 1960. She was celebrated for her partnership with Anthony Dowell. After her reti ...
– Manon
* Anthony Dowell
Sir Anthony James Dowell (born 16 February 1943) is a retired British ballet dancer and a former artistic director of the Royal Ballet. He is widely recognized as one of the great ''danseurs nobles'' of the twentieth century.
Early life and trai ...
– Des Grieux
* David Wall – Lescaut
* Monica Mason
Dame Monica Mason (born 6 September 1941) is a former ballet dancer, teacher, and artistic director of The Royal Ballet. In more than fifty years with the company, she established a reputation as a versatile performer, a skilled rehearsal dire ...
– Lescaut's mistress
* Derek Rencher
Derek Rencher (6 June 1932 – 20 December 2014) was a British ballet dancer. A commanding figure among Royal Ballet character dancers for more than four decades, he was probably the most prolific performer in the company's history.
Early life a ...
– Monsieur GM
* David Drew – Gaoler
Jennifer Penney
Jennifer Penney (born 1946) is a Canadian ballerina and a former principal dancer with the Royal Ballet.
Jennifer Penney was born in 1946 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She studied there with Gweneth Lloyd and Betty Farrally, and then at ...
and Wayne Eagling
Wayne Eagling (born 27 November 1950) is a Canadian ballet dancer, now retired. After more than twenty years as a popular member of The Royal Ballet in London, he became well known as an international choreographer and company director.
Early li ...
led the second cast late in the month.[Percival, John. "Manon", ''The Times'', 14 March 1974, p. 15]
Notes
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Histoire De Manon, L'
Ballets by Kenneth MacMillan
Ballets to the music of Jules Massenet
1974 ballet premieres
Ballets created for The Royal Ballet
Adaptations of works by Antoine François Prévost
Ballets based on literature