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40-511: Prior to Massenet's work, Halévy ( Manon Lescaut , ballet, 1830) and Auber ( Manon Lescaut , opéra comique, 1856) had used the subject for musical stage works. Massenet also wrote a one-act sequel to Manon , Le portrait de Manon (1894), involving the Chevalier des Grieux as an older man. The composer worked at the score of Manon at his country home outside Paris and also at a house at The Hague once occupied by Prévost himself. Manon

80-458: A better future. After the two visitors depart, Manon appears to vacillate between accepting de Brétigny's offer and warning des Grieux. When her lover goes out to post his letter, her farewell to the humble domesticity she has shared (" Adieu, notre petite table ") makes clear she has decided to go with de Brétigny. Unaware of her change of heart, des Grieux returns and conveys his more modest vision of their future happiness (" En fermant les yeux ",

120-502: A leading Parisian salonnière . Amongst the guests at her soirées was the young Marcel Proust , who used her as one of the models for the Duchesse de Guermantes in his epic In Search of Lost Time . Halévy's brother was the writer and historian Léon Halévy , who wrote an early biography of his brother and was the father of Ludovic Halévy , librettist of many French operas, including Bizet's Carmen and Jacques Offenbach 's Orpheus in

160-599: A nobleman, has just arrived, in the company of Guillot, an aging rake who is the Minister of Finance, along with three flirtatious young actresses. While the innkeeper is serving dinner to the party, the townspeople collect to witness the arrival of the coach from Arras . Among them is Lescaut, a guardsman, who tells his comrades that he plans to meet a kinswoman. The coach appears, and among the crowd Lescaut quickly identifies his fragile young cousin, Manon, who appears to be somewhat confused (" Je suis encor tout étourdie ") since this

200-509: A remarkable recovery after his death and became a talented sculptor (she was 20 years younger than he.) In 1869, their daughter Geneviève married the composer Georges Bizet , who had been one of Halévy's pupils at the Conservatoire. After Bizet's death and an alliance with Élie-Miriam Delaborde , the son of Charles-Valentin Alkan , Geneviève married a banker with Rothschild connections and became

240-600: A retinue of admirers. She sings about her new situation (" Je marche sur tous les chemins "), following it with a gavotte (" Obéissons quand leur voix appelle ") on the joys of love and youth. Des Grieux's father, the Comte, greets de Brétigny and Manon overhears that her former lover is Chevalier no longer, but Abbé , having entered the seminary of Saint-Sulpice. Approaching the Comte, Manon tries to discover whether his son still loves her. Guillot then attempts to win Manon over by bringing

280-467: A scene and accompanied by de Brétigny, who is masquerading as a fellow-guardsman. But his concern for offended family honor is only camouflage for his alliance with his friend. Trying to prove his honorable intentions, des Grieux shows Lescaut the letter to his father. Meanwhile, de Brétigny warns Manon that des Grieux is going to be abducted that evening, on the orders of his father, and offers her his protection and wealth, trying to persuade her to move on to

320-493: Is Massenet's most popular and enduring opera and, having "quickly conquered the world's stages", it has maintained an important place in the repertory since its creation. It is the quintessential example of the charm and vitality of the music and culture of the Parisian Belle Époque . In 1893 an opera by Giacomo Puccini entitled Manon Lescaut , and based on the same novel was premiered and has also become popular. The opera

360-401: Is her first journey, one which is taking her to the convent. Manon is accosted by the opportunistic Guillot, who tells her that he has a carriage waiting, in which they can leave together. His heavy-handed seduction is undermined by the return of Lescaut, who then lectures the young woman (" Regardez-moi bien dans les yeux ") on proper behavior. He leaves her unattended once more and she admires

400-638: Is one of the oldest parks in Paris, created in 1616 by Queen Marie de' Medici . The further extension of the garden between Place du Canada to Place d'Alma is called the Cours Albert Premier . Queen Marie de' Medici, nostalgic for the gardens of her native Florence , created the Cours-la-Reine not long after she began making the Luxembourg Garden (1612–1630). At the time it was outside of Paris, on

440-541: Is overcome, and their voices join in an impassioned avowal of love. A gaming salon at the Hôtel de Transylvanie Lescaut and Guillot are among the gamblers, and the three young actresses are prepared to attach themselves to any winner. Manon arrives with des Grieux who declares his total love: (" Manon! Manon! Sphinx étonnant "). He is persuaded to gamble, in hopes of gaining the wealth she craves. He plays at cards with Guillot and continually wins, as Guillot doubles and redoubles

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480-615: Is probable, however, that this aria was inserted only at the request of the great tenor Adolphe Nourrit , who premiered the role and may have suggested the aria's text. La Juive is one of the grandest of grand operas , with major choruses, a spectacular procession in Act I and impressive celebrations in Act III. It culminates with the heroine plunging into a vat of boiling water in Act V. Mahler admired it greatly, stating: "I am absolutely overwhelmed by this wonderful, majestic work. I regard it as one of

520-594: The Conservatoire de Paris at the age of nine or ten (accounts differ), in 1809, becoming a pupil and later protégé of Cherubini . After two second-place attempts, he won the Prix de Rome in 1819: his cantata subject was Herminie . As he had to delay his departure to Rome because of the death of his mother, he was able to accept the first commission that brought him to public attention: a Marche Funèbre et De Profundis en Hébreu for three part choir, tenor and orchestra, which

560-548: The Grand Palais , to host the 1947 International Exhibition on Urbanism and Housing . The Cours la Reine is 6,800 square meters in area, and the Cours Albert Premier occupies 4950 square meters. They are currently planted with long rows of chestnut trees. The park contains several statues. One of King Albert I on horseback by Armand Matial (1938) and another of Simon Bolivar , as well as one by Antoine Bourdelle of

600-558: The "Dream Song"). Going outside to investigate an apparent disturbance, he is seized and hustled away, leaving Manon to voice her regrets. Scene 1: Paris, the promenade of the Cours-la-Reine on a feast-day Among the throng of holiday-makers and vendors of all kinds are Lescaut and Guillot, the latter still flirting with the young actresses, while Lescaut expresses the joys of gambling (" À quoi bon l'économie? "). De Brétigny arrives, soon joined by Manon, now sumptuously dressed and with

640-701: The Avenue des Champs-Élysėes, it formed one of the paths radiating out of the Place de la Concorde, like the three alleys radiating from the Palace of Versailles . After World War I , the park was divided into two, and the part between Place du Canada and Place d'Alma was renamed Cours Albert Premier, after the King of the Belgians , France's staunch ally during the War. In 1947 it was used, along with

680-547: The Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz , who was exiled to Paris, and finally an equestrian statue of Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette by Paul Wayland Bartlett (1908), which was moved here when the space in front of the Louvre was remodeled. The Cours-la-Reine is the setting for the first scene of Act III of Jules Massenet 's Manon . 40 Cours-la-Reine was the home and workshop of Rene Lalique from 1902 until his death in 1945 at

720-675: The US, the Academy of Music in New York presented the opera later the same year, on 23 December. At the Royal Opera House in London it was first presented 19 May 1891. The Metropolitan Opera gave its first staging on 16 January 1895, and Manon has subsequently often been performed there. Anna Netrebko starred in a new production directed by Laurent Pelly , a co-production with the Royal Opera House , which

760-581: The Underworld . Léon was also the father, by his mistress Lucinde Paradol, of the politician Lucien-Anatole Prévost-Paradol . [REDACTED] Category Cours-la-Reine The Cours-la-Reine , also spelled Cours la Reine (without hyphens), is a public park and garden promenade located along the River Seine , between the Place de la Concorde and the Place du Canada, in the 8th arrondissement of Paris . It

800-558: The ballet dancers of the Académie Royale de Musique, which she had expressed a desire to see. However Manon is seized by the desire to see des Grieux once more, and admits, to Guillot's annoyance when asked, that she paid no attention to the dancers. She hurries off to Saint-Sulpice. Scene 2: Saint-Sulpice From the chapel, the congregation is leaving, enthusiastic over the sermon of the new abbé (" Quelle éloquence! "). Des Grieux enters, in clerical garb, and his father adds his voice to

840-495: The chorus of praise, but tries to dissuade his son from this new life, so that he can perpetuate the family name (" Epouse quelque brave fille "). He leaves, having failed to shake his son's resolve and, alone, des Grieux relives memories of Manon (" Ah! Fuyez, douce image "). As he prays, Manon herself appears, to implore his forgiveness for her faithlessness. Furiously, he attempts to reject her, but when (in " N'est-ce plus ma main? ") she recalls their past intimacies, his resistance

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880-595: The convent and des Grieux's to his home, are swiftly abandoned, as they decide to flee together (" Nous vivrons à Paris "). But there are hints of incompatible aspirations: while he returns, over and again, to "tous les deux" (together), the phrase she fondly repeats is, "à Paris". Making good use of the carriage provided by the disappointed Guillot, the lovers escape. Manon and des Grieux's apartment in Paris With little hope, des Grieux writes to his father, imploring permission to marry Manon. Lescaut enters intent on creating

920-408: The end of all joy, des Grieux swearing to defend her, and the rest expressing consternation and horror, the arrested pair are led away. A desolate spot near the road to Le Havre Convicted as a woman of ill-fame, Manon has been condemned to be deported. Des Grieux, freed by his father's intervention, and a penitent Lescaut, now his ally, wait to waylay the convoy in which Manon is being marched to

960-678: The greatest operas ever created". Other admirers included Wagner , who wrote an enthusiastic review of Halévy's grand operas for the German press in 1841 (Wagner never showed towards Halévy the anti-Jewish animus that was so notorious a feature of his writings on Meyerbeer and Mendelssohn ). Halévy was elected to the Institut de France in 1836, but after La Juive , his real successes were relatively few, although at least three operas, L'Éclair , La reine de Chypre and Charles VI received some critical and popular acclaim. Heine commented that Halévy

1000-497: The heat from his stove was suffocating. His wretched wife has crammed his house with bric-a-brac and old furniture, and this new craze will end by driving him to a lunatic asylum. He has changed and looks much older, like a man who is being dragged on against his will. How can he possibly do serious work in this confusion? His new position at the Academy must take up a great deal of his time and make it more and more difficult for him to find

1040-601: The mediocre reception of L'artisan , at the Opéra-Comique in 1827, Halévy moved on to be chorus master at the Opéra . The same year he became professor of harmony and accompaniment at the Conservatoire de Paris, where he was professor of counterpoint and fugue in 1833 and of composition in 1840. He had many notable students. See: List of music students by teacher: G to J#Fromental Halévy . With his opera La Juive , in 1835, Halévy attained not only his first major triumph, but gave

1080-455: The past can exist again but Manon, now calm, knows that it is too late. With the words " Et c'est là l'histoire de Manon Lescaut ", she dies. Notes Sources Fromental Hal%C3%A9vy Jacques-François-Fromental-Élie Halévy , usually known as Fromental Halévy ( French: [fʁɔmɑ̃tal alevi] ; 27 May 1799 – 17 March 1862), was a French composer. He is known today largely for his opera La Juive . Halévy

1120-496: The peace and quiet he needs for his work. Left that inferno as quickly as possible. The breath of the streets seemed positively delicious. Halévy's cantata Prométhée enchaîné was premiered in 1849 at the Paris Conservatoire and is generally considered the first mainstream western orchestral composition to use quarter tones . Halévy died in retirement at Nice in 1862, aged 62, leaving his last opera Noé unfinished. It

1160-419: The port. A detachment of soldiers arrives with their prisoners. The would-be rescuers recognize the hopelessness of attacking so strong an escort, but Lescaut succeeds in bribing their sergeant to allow Manon to stay behind till evening. The convoy moves on, and a sick and exhausted Manon falls to the ground at des Grieux's feet. In his arms, near delirium, she relives their former happiness. Des Grieux tells her

1200-572: The role of Manon was described by Sills as "the French Isolde ". As famous interpreters of Des Grieux, Kobbé lists Edmond Clément , Enrico Caruso , Beniamino Gigli , Tito Schipa and Ferruccio Tagliavini ; Wolff also lists Gaston Micheletti, Adolphe Maréchal , Charles Fontaine and Libero de Luca . Within a year of its Paris premiere, Manon was given its UK premiere in January 1885, in Liverpool; in

1240-432: The three fashionably-dressed actresses, but reproaches herself (" Voyons, Manon "), unconvincingly vowing to rid herself of all worldly visions. Des Grieux, traveling home to see his father, catches sight of Manon, and instantly falls in love. When he approaches, she is charmed by his chivalrous address (" Et je sais votre nom "), and their exchange rapidly becomes a mutual avowal of love. Both their planned journeys, hers to

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1280-421: The wager. As Manon exults, Guillot accuses des Grieux of cheating. Des Grieux denies the charge and Guillot leaves, returning shortly with the police, to whom he denounces des Grieux as a cheat and Manon as dissolute. The elder des Grieux enters, and tells his son that, while he will intercede on his behalf, he will do nothing to save Manon. In a big ensemble, with Guillot exulting over his revenge, Manon lamenting

1320-421: The way to Chaillot , through fields and marshes. The Queen built ornamental gates at either end of the kilometer and a half long garden and planted four rows of elm trees, with a wide lane in the middle. It became a popular meeting place for the nobility, where young aristocrats looked for husbands and wives of equal rank. The garden was rebuilt in 1723, and the banks of the river were walled in 1769. Along with

1360-474: The world a work that was to be one of the cornerstones of the French repertory for a century, with the role of Eléazar one of the great favorites of tenors such as Enrico Caruso . The opera's most famous aria is Eléazar's "Rachel, quand du Seigneur". Its orchestral ritornello is the one quotation from Halévy that Berlioz included in his Treatise on Instrumentation , for its unusual duet for two cors anglais . It

1400-547: Was a mainstay of the Opéra-Comique in Paris, reaching its 1,000th performance there in 1919, its 1,500th in 1931 and 2,000th in 1952. The first Manon was Marie Heilbron ; other noted interpreters include Sibyl Sanderson (Massenet's personal favorite), Fanny Heldy , Lucrezia Bori , Amelita Galli-Curci , Bidu Sayão , Victoria de los Ángeles , Anna Moffo , Beverly Sills , Edita Gruberová , Renée Fleming , Anna Netrebko , and Natalie Dessay . Due to its heavy vocal demands,

1440-460: Was an artist, but "without the slightest spark of genius". He became, however, a leading bureaucrat of the arts, becoming Secretary of the Académie des Beaux-Arts and presiding over committees to determine the standard pitch of orchestral A , to award prizes for operettas, etc. The artist Eugène Delacroix described Halévy's decline in his diaries (5 February 1855): I went on to Halévy's house, where

1480-526: Was born in Paris, son of the cantor Élie Halfon Halévy , who was the secretary of the Jewish community of Paris and a writer and teacher of Hebrew, and a French Jewish mother. The name Fromental (meaning 'oat grass'), by which he was generally known, reflects his birth on the day dedicated to that plant: 7 Prairial in the French Revolutionary calendar , which was still operative at that time. He entered

1520-632: Was commissioned by the Consistoire Israélite du Département de la Seine , for a public service in memory of the assassinated duc de Berry , performed on 24 March 1820. Later, his brother Léon recalled that the De Profundis , "infused with religious fervor, created a sensation, and attracted interest to the young laureate of the institute". Halévy was chorus master at the Théâtre Italien , while he struggled to get an opera performed. Despite

1560-438: Was completed by his former student Georges Bizet , but was not performed until ten years after Bizet's own death. Halévy wrote some forty operas in all, including: Halévy also wrote for the ballet , provided incidental music for a French version of Aeschylus 's Prometheus Bound , and wrote cantatas. Halévy's wife, Léonie (sister of Eugénie Foa ) who had experienced serious mental problems during their marriage, underwent

1600-745: Was simulcast in HD on 7 April 2012. The San Francisco Opera gave the opera many stagings beginning on 29 September 1924. In the 1980s a piano score was discovered where spoken dialogue was set as recitative by Massenet, possibly for the Italian premiere; this version was performed at the Opéra de Saint-Etienne as part of the 2009 Massenet Festival . Today, Manon is frequently performed. The ballet L'histoire de Manon by Kenneth MacMillan , although using music entirely written by Massenet, does not include any from Manon . The courtyard of an inn at Amiens De Brétigny,

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