Royal Opera House Music Director Antonio Pappano recently hosted an Insights event to introduce the music of Puccini’s Manon Lescaut. The opera opens on 17 June, with Antonio at the podium for all seven performances.
Antonio picks out different themes in the piece and works through extracts with singers Benjamin Hulett (Edmondo) and Duncan Rock (Lescaut), and pianist Richard Hetherington.
He describes how Puccini uses different musical devices to create a picture of youth and ebullience in the prelude, going on to look at the searching, sorrowful intermezzo between Acts Two and Three.
‘The story [of Manon Lescaut] is very clear. It speaks a lot about our world today and the emptiness and superficiality of it. I’m not saying it’s Puccini’s Anna Nicole, but there are certain things in common.’
Watch the trailer for Jonathan Kent’s new production:
Manon Lescaut runs from 17 June-7 July. Limited tickets are available. The production will be screened live in cinemas across the world on 24 June. Find a screening near you.
The production is generously supported by Rolex, with generous philanthropic support from Mrs Susan A Olde OBE, Lord and Lady Laidlaw, Mrs Philip Kan, Marina Kulishova, Mrs Trevor Swete, Quentin Holland, Mercedes T. Bass, Bruce Kovner, the American Friends of Covent Garden and The Manon Lescaut Production Syndicate.