The Met Presents a Spectacular ‘Manon’

The Met Presents a Spectacular ‘Manon’
Barry Bassis
Updated:

NEW YORK—Sometimes in the opera house, everything clicks. The stars were certainly aligned for the current production of Massenet’s “Manon” at the Metropolitan Opera. The audience sensed right from the beginning that it was experiencing something special, even in a house that regularly presents the world’s leading singers.

The character of Manon is quite demanding, requiring a singer-actress to make the transition from innocent teenager to young lover to worldly courtesan/temptress and finally dying prisoner. German soprano Diana Damrau made all of these shifts credible and, as one might expect, her singing was glorious.

As her lover, tenor Vittorio Grigolo was also in his element. With his matinee idol looks and opulent tone, he was visually and vocally ideal for the part of des Grieux.

Manon (Diana Damrau) after she is lured into a life of pleasure. (Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera)
Manon (Diana Damrau) after she is lured into a life of pleasure. Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera
Barry Bassis
Barry Bassis
Author
Barry has been a music, theater, and travel writer for over a decade for various publications, including Epoch Times. He is a voting member of the Drama Desk and the Outer Critics Circle, two organizations of theater critics that give awards at the end of each season. He has also been a member of NATJA (North American Travel Journalists Association)