Puccini: Manon Lescaut
Jonas Kaufmann (Des Grieux), Kristine Opolais (Manon Lescaut), Christopher Maltman (Lescaut), Maurizio Muraro (Gerontes) & Benjamin Hulett (Edmondo)
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House & Royal Opera House Chorus, Antonio Pappano (conductor) & Jonathan Kent (director)
Kaufmann is a gloriously ardent Des Grieux, recklessly embarking upon an emotional journey almost as distressing as that of the heroine herself. Kristine Opolais matches him in a performance...
Puccini: Manon Lescaut
Jonas Kaufmann (Des Grieux), Kristine Opolais (Manon Lescaut), Christopher Maltman (Lescaut), Maurizio Muraro (Gerontes) & Benjamin Hulett (Edmondo)
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House & Royal Opera House Chorus, Antonio Pappano (conductor) & Jonathan Kent (director)
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Kaufmann is a gloriously ardent Des Grieux, recklessly embarking upon an emotional journey almost as distressing as that of the heroine herself. Kristine Opolais matches him in a performance...
About
'From the moment Kaufmann and Opolais embark – with infinite delicacy - on their emotional journey, it becomes clear that this is a vocal marriage made in heaven. His warmly burnished sound is balanced by the exquisitely-nuanced purity of hers, and they are supported by a performance in the pit, under Antonio Pappano, of rare refinement.' THE INDEPENDENT
'Exhibiting qualities from each of the Three Tenors — Pavarotti's gleaming tone, Carreras's good looks, Domingo's dramatic presence — Jonas Kaufmann is justifiably lauded as the outstanding tenor of our day. In Jonathan Kent's new production of Puccini's Manon Lescaut he delivers a thrilling performance that satisfies both musically and theatrically.' LONDON EVENING STANDARD
'Antonio Pappano has few peers today as a Puccini conductor, and gives the score a tremendous sense of vivid theatricality' THE GUARDIAN
Contents and tracklist
- Jonas Kaufmann (Des Grieux), Kristine Opolais (Manon Lescaut), Christopher Maltman (Lescaut), Maurizio Muraro (Gerontes) & Benjamin Hulett (Edmondo)
- Orchestra of the Royal Opera House & Royal Opera House Chorus
- Antonio Pappano (conductor) & Jonathan Kent (director)
Spotlight on this release
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Trailer -
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Jonathan Kent on Manon Lescaut -
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Jonas Kaufmann and Kristīne Opolais rehearse Manon Lescaut -
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Donna non vidi mai
Awards and reviews
December 2015
Kaufmann is a gloriously ardent Des Grieux, recklessly embarking upon an emotional journey almost as distressing as that of the heroine herself. Kristine Opolais matches him in a performance that combines tenderness with wilfulness and a kind of doomed personal integrity exemplified in her vocal line. And Pappano brings his customary sense of style to the music.
November 2015
do not pass up the chance to see the power and achievement of Jonas Kaufmann and Kristine Opolais in the lead roles. Even in this day and age, to see (and hear) such uninhibited physical master of stage parts in opera is not so common - and everyone from the artists themselves to the director, designers and video director should be prasied…around them the support is terrifically sharp, the well-placed chorus included
March 2016
It is hard to imagine a more visually compelling pair in this opera, and experiencing their steamy love scenes in the detail that disc provides is probably more salacious than seeing them in a large theatre. [Opolais] her singing is highly communicative thanks to her capacity for colouring and the way she stresses certain words. Her ‘Sola, perduta, abandonata’ is charged with the conflicting emotions of a woman about to die. Kaufmann is magnificent in every respect, from his lighthearted yet sincere ‘Tra voi belle’, as he wonders whether there is a girl right for him, to his overwhelming ‘Vedi son io che piango’, sung as Manon lies dying. Antonio Pappano leads a vibrant and impassioned performance.
