A new production from the Met.

Puccini‘s first successful opera enthrals the audience with its rapidly developing action. It is the work of an opera composer through and through, in which tension is sustained throughout via dramatic plot twists, sudden changes in mood, and soaring, incandescent passions. The two main roles are taken by a true dream team on both the singing and acting level: Jonas Kaufmannn , the leading tenor of his generation, is a captivating personality in both talent and looks, while his Latvian-born partner Kristine Opolais earned worldwide fame singing lead female roles in Puccini operas. It was Opolais who, having sung the title role in Madama Butterfly at the Metropolitan, stepped in at the last minute the very next day to sing the role of Mimi in La Bohème.
British director Richard Eyre places the action of Manon Lescaut in German-occupied France during World War II, in the spirit of the film noir style emphasising ambivalent morality and sexual motivations. He achieves this so brilliantly, with such minute attention to detail and consistency, that the viewer almost forgets that they are watching a late 19th century adaptation of an 18th century novel being brought to life on stage. The conductor for this performance, a co-production with the Baden-Baden Festival, is Fabio Luisi, the holder of leading positions at two bastions of the opera world. The Italian conductor is both principal conductor of the Metropolitan Opera and general music director of the Zurich Opera.

Presented by: Müpa Budapest