Revisiting Prévost’s 1731 novel Histoire du Chevalier des Grieux, et de Manon Lescaut not even a decade after Massenet’s well-liked opera from the identical materials, Puccini discovered his first nice success within the 1893 premiere of his Manon Lescaut. It’s a type of a gritty reboot of Massenet’s Manon, meting out with that work’s pageantry and extra expansive plotting in favor of lean, bare-knuckled verismo.
The night time belonged to the formidable duo of Corrine Winters and Joshua Guerrero because the ill-fated lovers. These two mid-career American artists, each the identical age, are maybe much less acquainted to U.S. audiences than they need to be, however have usually appeared within the largest European homes. Each are additionally making Met debuts within the close to future, hopefully an indicator of extra stateside actions to come back.
Winters made a persuasive position debut as Manon right here, her dark-hued soprano revealing layers of depth as she rose to the half’s diversified vocal calls for. An inviting, lined sound and deliberate method characterised Act I’s convent-bound Manon (although she will get over these objections to a Chevalier meet-up awfully quick), opening up a bit in her duet with des Grieux however nonetheless the convincing novice. For the start of Act II, she launched a richer, extra polished sound, commensurate with Manon’s upgraded circumstances, although her run at “In quelle trine morbide” nonetheless felt a bit routine, together with some tentative excessive notes.
Winters’s actual breakout started mid-Act with des Grieux’s illicit arrival in her boudoir and their subsequent duet, delivering an pressing core sound and unmitigated vocal glamour in her appeals to des Grieux. Act III confirmed off Winters’s substantial vocal reserves, with explosive excessive notes hovering over the gang scenes on the port of Le Havre as Manon’s exile is confirmed.
For Act IV’s well-known dénouement within the Louisiana desert (regardless of the supertitles’s makes an attempt so as to add a swamp), the leads sang the ultimate scene with out scores to permit for extra intensive blocking. Winters’s “Sola, perduta, abbandonata” cemented the completeness of her assumption, bringing a steely focus and lavish sound to Manon’s sorrow and bitterness, adopted up with a sequence of finely deployed pity-inducing results in her dying throes.
Guerrero’s brawny Chevalier des Grieux made clear why this has been a profitable position for him, with appearances in Vienna and Munich in recent times. This was purple meat vocalism of a excessive order, Guerrero’s large sound and reversion results conveying a personality simply pushed to the bounds of ardour. His des Grieux was a person beneath fixed duress, and he established a taut, pressed sound that might blossom excitingly into an enormous open higher register seamlessly prolonged from the remainder of the voice.
Highlights included the primary large thrills of the night time in a beneficiant Act I “Donna non vidi mai,” black angst in his Act II exasperation with Manon’s inconstant affections, and poured-on energy for his large assertion of sacrifice in Act III. One solely needs Guerrero had added a bit extra selection to the considerably relentless sonic image; softer results had been underwhelming within the few events when he tried to alter issues up.
Baritone Levi Hernandez led a robust supporting forged as Manon’s irascible brother Lescaut, bringing an clever remedy to Lescaut’s exposition duties and emphasizing relatable creep charisma over boorishness. Andrew Bidlack was a delicate and sweet-voiced Edmondo in Act I, whereas Gene Galvin had a very good stage presence and comedian instincts for Geronte however missed some vocal authority.
Maestro Antony Walker provided loads of one-night solely magic on the rostrum right here, as soon as once more making the case for the live performance opera format. Puccini’s rating bounced together with a way of vitality and goal, with Walker constructing thrilling climaxes for the ends of Act II and III, in addition to presiding over a heartstring-tugging intermezzo. Maybe probably the most rewarding characteristic of Walker’s management, nonetheless, was the diploma of collaboration he achieved with the soloists on this singer pushed work, negotiating fine-grained pacing and efficient dramatic beats with Winters and Guerrero.
The crack WCO orchestra assembled for these reveals performed with their traditional sense of dedication and provided positive particular person contributions in locations just like the intermezzo’s string solos. If there are occasional passages the place the band solely will get to about 80 or 90 p.c of what Walker is searching for, the musical concepts are clear sufficient that the impact shouldn’t be totally misplaced. WCO’s refrain offered sturdy assist all through with nimble dealing with of the gang scenes and a focus to the textual content.
Pictures: Daniel Schwartz
