Manon Manon Manon – Torino: Auber, Massenet, Puccini

[Wheesht]

For the first time in Italy,Teatro Regio, Torino, presents three productions of Manon operas by three different composers: Auber, Massenet, Puccini in 21 performances in October 2024. 

[Alan Howe]

Only Auber's Manon Lescaut is unsung, of course. Nevertheless this is interesting programming.

[Wheesht]

It was of course the Auber that triggered my post.

[John Boyer]

That is interesting programming. I am reminded of attending the 2007 Glimmerglass season, when they did four different Orpheuses: Monteverdi, Gluck, Offenbach, and Glass. Of course, none of these are unsung, but I'm glad that Torino managed to work one in.

But they missed an opportunity. Two years before the Orpheus season, Glimmerglass did Massenet's seldom performed Portrait of Manon, his one act sequel to the original. That would have been a good choice for the Manon alignment

[Alan Howe]

Mind you, who really knows Massenet's great opera these days? A much subtler score than Puccini's early belter. And what cast could we muster to do it justice? It's only had a handful of decent recordings, the last (and possibly best) back in 2000 with Gheorghiu and Alagna under Pappano. An opera once familiar and with a performing tradition is now cast adrift, virtually unknown except for a few highlights. But then, the performing traditions of much of 19th century opera, whether French, German, Italian or Russian (to name the main ones), have faded with the disappearance of singers trained in those traditions, leaving very few capable of mastering the roles involved. Yes, Bru Zane are doing a sterling job in the French repertoire, mostly with lesser-known works and excellent production values, but are there performances to match the great ones from the past? Historic recordings - and even ones from the days of LPs - suggest otherwise.