MANON LESCAUT

In the organizer's words:

A scandalous novel by Abbé Prévost from 18th century Paris tells the story of the "amour fou" of the young noble Chevalier Des Grieux and the bourgeois girl Manon Lescaut. Both violate morals and the law in the name of love and become the most famous lovers of their time. Manon is torn between a passionate love and her desire for a life of wealth and security. On her way to the convent, her brother sets her up with a rich man, but she runs away with her lover. In the house of the rich Geronte, to whom she returns, she is only considered an attraction, but it is difficult for her to decide in favor of the loving Des Grieux and leave everything behind. During an escape attempt, she is arrested as a thief and sentenced to exile in the American colonies. Des Grieux, who tries in vain to save her, follows her into exile, where their journey together finally ends in the desert. A tragic love story in which love finds no place to unfold. The year 1893 marks a turning point for Italian opera: 80-year-old Giuseppe Verdi retires from the stage with his last opera FALSTAFF. At the same time, there is no longer any doubt as to who his successor will be: With MANON LESCAUT, Giacomo Puccini experienced his first worldwide success and created a new Italian opera that reflected the attitude to life of the time: the emotions are great and torn, the forms are free, the acts follow one another episodically and obey only the laws of passion. Puccini pays homage to the 18th century in the score, but the fascination that Richard Wagner's music exerted on him can be felt particularly vividly in this opera. A wealth of color, dramatic expressiveness and expressive cantilenas make MANON LESCAUT a very special Italian opera, with the most demanding tenor role Puccini ever wrote. The new General Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada opens his first season at the helm of the Gürzenich Orchestra with this premiere. Carlos Wagner, a director of international renown, presents MANON LESCAUT for the first time in Cologne.