Russian tenor Sergey Polyakov was an excellent Des Grieux, singing with rounded Italianate tone and making the most of his set pieces. Her ‘Sola, perduta, abbandonata’ was deeply moving but she glittered convincingly in the first acts as well. A great actress, her beautiful soprano can express all the multiple feelings of this great role. In the title role Lithuanian soprano Asmik Grigorian returned after her successes as Madama Butterfly and Fedora, and she was superb in every respect. None of the soloists from the original production had survived for the reprise. The well-known intermezzo – played between the third and fourth acts in this case – was sensitively shaped, giving the protagonists space for a heartrending final act. I experienced Roland Böer’s conducting as rather aggressive 12 years ago, but Marc Soustrot kept a lower profile. The members of the chorus have a great deal of acting to do, both collectively and individually. The first two acts are sprawling with much decorative posturing and little drama, but Knut Hendriksen has managed to fill out the action with plenty of bustling business and the performance never feels longwinded. It has been said before that this opera has obvious dramaturgical weaknesses.
The first two acts are extravagantly luxurious, while the third act, at the harbour in Le Havre is grey and chilly and the final act in the desert in America is barren: only sand, sand, sand and a blazing sun that slowly sinks beyond the horizon and finally disappears when Manon Lescaut dies. It features 18th-century costumes, but the sets are more timeless. The production has stood the test of time admirably. The reprise premiere was the 89th performance on home turf. The first dates back to 1929 and ran until 1960. This production was originally performed in 2005 (see review) and was only the second production of Manon Lescaut at the Royal Opera. (GF) William Davis Lind (Edmondo) & Chorus (c) Markus Gårder
Sweden Puccini, Manon Lescaut : Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Swedish Opera / Marc Soustrot (conductor), Royal Opera Stockholm.
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