The premieres of Giacomo Puccini’s Manon Lescaut and Hans Werner Henze’s Boulevard Solitudedirected by Mariusz Treliński and designed by Boris Kudlička took place on 26 and 27 February 2014 at the Welsh National Opera in Cardiff.
Puccini’s opera was a co-production with the Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera and La Monnaie in Brussels. The Polish premiere of Manon Lescaut was presented on 23 October 2012, with a cast that included Amanda Echalaz, Thiago Arancam and Mikołaj Zalasiński in the leading roles. The conductor was Patrick Fournillier. Don’s miss the gallery of pictures from this production and the trailer from the Welsh National Opera’s performance.
The librettos of Hans Werner Henze’s and Puccini’s operas have the same source: the 18th-century novel by Antoine Prévost, L’histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut. However, the story in Henze’s work is set in post-war Europe. The composer combines different musical styles: jazz, Romantic 19th-century opera music and contemporary 20th-century music. Be sure to watch the trailer from the Welsh National Opera’s performance.
