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A stupendous Manon at the Royal Opera

Massenet's Manon had been absent from the Royal Opera repertoire for nearly two decades. It was great to see it returning to Covent Garden with a fantastic production by Laurent Pelly and a strong cast. The set design by Chantal Thomas was set in fin de siècle but could have been mistaken by Jonathan Miller - kind of geometric and monochrome.



Anna Netrebko was the glamorous / tragic Manon whose vocal colours and strength effectively conveyed the full range of emotions of her character. She was well matched by Vittorio Grigolo as des Grieux - whose voice had a wonderful tenorial ring, sang with real emotions and complete with handsome looks. The two brought the house down at the end of the evening. Pappano was his usual self - ensuring a tight and responsive sound from the pit. Go see it!




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