Manon: Massenet

Manon, Jules Massenet, starring Natalie Dessay and Rolando Villazon  ★★★★★
Manon is the story of the slow destruction of the life of a young lady. It is a story that also has been done for the opera by Puccini as Manon Lescaut, though Massenet definitely has a more convincing storyline and more delightful music in this opera. The staging for this production is somewhat austere, though a similar recent production utilized an off stage-1950’s Los Angeles theme structure. Dessay commanded this opera with superb vocal control as well as near-perfect acting. This opera is a definite must for the opera-lover, and this version would certainly fit among the top performances to date.