|
 e
 ortrait
de
 anon
Opéra-comique en 1 acte
Libretto by Georges Boyer
Music by Jules Massenet
First Performance:
Opéra-Comique, Paris, May 8, 1894
First Cast:
|
Le Chevalier Des
Grieux, baritone |
Lucien Fugère
|
|
Tiberge, tenor |
Grivot |
|
Jean,
mezzo-soprano |
Elven
|
|
Aurore, soprano |
Marie-Sophie
Laisné |
|
Conductor |
Jules Danbé
|
As the curtain
rises on De Grieux’s work room. He listens to a chorus of townpeople
praise the morning. De Grieux hears the voice of Aurore, the
step-daughter of his friend and neighbor, Tiberge. He tries to continue
working, but the music brings back the memory of his youth and his
suffering.
De Grieux’s nephew, Jean, the Vicomte de Mortcerf, arrives for his
daily history lesson. He reads a passage on the righteousness of Scipio
Africanus, who considered duty above love of a woman. But innocently,
Jean is not convinced. He continues to confess his love for Aurore and
asks his uncle to consent their marriage.
Seeing the similarities between their love and his affair with Manon,
De Griuex refuses to consider the match. Even with the arrival of
Tiberge, their argument continues and De Grieux storms off at the sight
of the young couple.
Tiberge leaves the couple alone, and they sing of their death. Only
in death can they be united! They go through all possible manners of
death and reject them all. They then dream of what their life would be
together. During these amorous wishes they knock off a box from De
Grieux’s work table. From the box comes a little portrait of a
beautiful lady. They admire her image.
Tiberge returns and sees the portrait and gets an idea. He takes
Aurore off and leave the young man puzzled. With the return of his
uncle, Jean is ordered to leave the house that evening. After Jean has
gone off, De Grieux returns to the work at hand.
As night falls, a song is heard and what does De Grieux see, but the
image of Manon, just as she appeared to him at Amiens. As she comes
close, he cannot help but notice the similarity to his lost Manon. As
she begins to leave, De Grieux stops her. As he stands in her presence,
Tiberge and Jean rush in with lanterns and deception is revealed.
Aurore’s resemblance to Manon is not an accident. Many years ago,
Manon’s brother came to Tiberge and asked him to take care of Lescaut’s
only child before he died. When De Grieux remembers the joy of his love
for Manon, he cannot stand in the way of Jean and Aurore’s happiness.
1894, English
Introduction:
The authors
Massenet around 1894
The performers
Fugère as De Grieux
Laisné as Aurore
Sets & Costumes
Other graphics
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Last updated
March 17, 2008 |
