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A staging by Àlex Ollé originating at the Frankfurt Opera
"Manon is a heroine I believe in, and therefore, she cannot fail to win the audience's heart. Why can't there be two operas about Manon? A woman like Manon can have more than one lover."
Giacomo Puccini
Manon Lescaut, an opera in four acts premiered in 1893 at the Teatro Regio in Turin, is based on the work L’histoire du chevalier des Grieux et Manon Lescaut (1731) by Abbé Prévost, which also inspired the opera Manon by Jules Massenet. “Manon is a heroine I believe in, and therefore, she cannot fail to win the audience's heart. Why can't there be two operas about Manon? A woman like Manon can have more than one lover,” Puccini himself wrote to his publisher.
Manon Lescaut was his third opera and the one that marked his first major success. It earned him lasting fame and marked the beginning of a fruitful collaboration with librettists Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, with whom he would write three masterpieces: La bohème (1896), Tosca (1900), and Madama Butterfly (1904).
When Manon meets the young student Des Grieux, they fall in love and run away together, but when the old Geronte offers Manon a life of wealth and luxury, she pauses and chooses that life of pleasures. Unable to forget Des Grieux, they try to escape together, but before they can flee, Geronte has Manon arrested. They escape again, unknowingly heading toward doom. Manon collapses from exhaustion and dies in Des Grieux's arms, telling him she loves him. All efforts have been in vain.
The score, sumptuous and rich in colors, is characterized by youthful vitality and filled with glorious melodies: from the passionate duet of Des Grieux and Manon, “Vedete? io son fedele,” to the overwhelming desolation of Manon’s final aria, “Sola, perduta, abbandonata,” including “Donna non vidi mai” in Act I and “In quelle trine morbide” in Act II.
Àlex Ollé's staging originates from the Frankfurt Opera. In the introductory videos, we see Manon and her brother Lescaut crossing a border fence as illegal immigrants. The harassment she suffers due to her beauty and physical allure leads to abuse and exploitation. With Lluc Castells’ urban costumes and Alfons Flores’ set design, Ollé moves these characters, torn between love and doubts over virtue and pleasure, through a bus station, a pole-dance club where Manon is the star, or claustrophobic cells as a prelude to deportation. The constant presence of giant letters spelling LOVE serves as a reminder of this unpredictable romantic passion as the opera's guiding thread.
Asmik Grigorian, one of today’s finest sopranos, will star in a remarkable vocal and dramatic performance. Innocent and vulnerable, the Manon that Ollé envisions for Grigorian expresses, together with American tenor Joshua Guerrero, both frivolity and steadfast passion with intensity. A true highlight of the Gran Teatre del Liceu’s season.
Dramma lirico in four acts.
Libretto by Domenico Oliva and Luigi Illica with contributions from Marco Praga, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Giacomo Puccini, Giulio Ricordi, and Giuseppe Adami, based on the work L’histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut by Antoine François Prévost.
- World premiere: 01/02/1893 at the Teatro Regio in Turin
- Barcelona premiere: 05/04/1896 at the Gran Teatre del Liceu
- Last performance at the Liceu: 22/06/2018
- Total performances at the Liceu: 72
With the collaboration of:
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Special sessions
March 20: Breathing the Opera – Mindfulness session
March 29: Live audio description service
19 d'abril: Estrena digital a la plataforma Liceu OPERA+
- First act 38 min
- Quick change 1 min 30 sec
- Second act 42 min
- Pause 30 min
- Intermezzo 6 min
- Third act 18 min
- Act four 23 min
Artistic profile
- Stage direction
- Àlex Ollé
- Set design
- Alfons Flores
- Costume design
- Lluc Castells
- Lighting revival
- Joachim Klein
- Video artist
- Emmanuel Carlier
- Assistant to the Stage Director
- Raúl Vázquez and Yannis Herrera
- Assistant to Lighting
- Jann Hartmann
- Sea Video
- Beatriz Mínguez de Molina
- Assistant Conductor
- Luis Toro Araya
- Musical Assistant Coaches
- Véronique Werklé, Vanessa Garcia, Carlos Sanchis Aguirre, David-Huy Nguyen-Phong and Jaume Tribó
- Production
- Oper Frankfurt
- Cor del Gran Teatre del Liceu
- Director Pablo Assante
- Orquestra Simfònica del Gran Teatre del Liceu
- Director Josep Pons
Cast
Cast change
- The mezzo-soprano Carmen Artaza will not be able to sing the role of “A Musician” due to a scheduling conflict. The role will be assumed by Mercedes Gancedo.
- The tenor Ivan Gyngazov will ultimately take on all performances of the role of Renato Des Grieux, replacing Joshua Guerrero, who will be unable to participate due to throat irritation.
Get ready for ‘Manon Lescaut’
Ciutat de Clàssica
Each season, Barcelona hosts more than 1,100 concerts and operas performed by the most important international conductors, orchestras, singers, and soloists, in the three great temples of classical music in Barcelona: the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the Palau de la Música Catalana, and L’Auditori de Barcelona.
Manon Lescaut by Giacomo Puccini is part of the Ciutat de Clàssica 2026 programme.
Special sessions
Breathing the Opera
“Breathing Opera” is a 30-minute guided session led by coach Mònica Arús, with a soundscape by music therapist Núria Andorrà. We will practice simple breathing, relaxation, and mindfulness exercises to enter a state of calm and openness that helps us enjoy the performance with presence and awareness.
Friday, March 20
6:30 pm
Buy the full experience here: mindfulness session + opera performance.
Liceu OPERA+
Liceu OPERA+ subscribers will be able to enjoy the live broadcast of Manon Lescaut by Giacomo Puccini from the Liceu, with stage direction by Àlex Ollé and conducted by maestro Josep Pons.
Once edited, the performance will be available on demand for all subscribers.
Sunday, 19 April: Digital premiere
Audiodescription
Live audio description is available for one performance of each staged opera, providing narration of key visual elements for blind and visually impaired audience members.
The service has two parts: an audio introduction fifteen minutes before the performance begins, and live audio description during the show.
LiveVoice App
To listen to the audio description, simply click on “Audiodescripció al Liceu” or open the LiveVoice app and enter the code: 075177.
Sunday, March 29
5 pm