Metamorfózy Manon
Metamorphoses of Manon

Summary/Abstract: The author is in his study dealing with opera fates of a tale which was published as the seventh part of memories of abbe Prévost Manon Lescaut(Histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut). It is interesting that the story of Manon and her knight did not specially impressed dramatists, on the contrary – it has landed and up to these days is seated on the throne of musical theatre stages. The very first event was a ballet by Fromenthal Halévy, after it Scribe wrote a libretto for a composer Daniel Auber for an opera (1856), but until now the story has been alive in the opera stage mainly thanks to Massenet´s Manon (1884) and Puccini Manon Lescaut (1893). The author is studying the diff eremce in approach to the topic and is comparing the artistic adaptation of the same inspiration by two great personalities. He is characterizing in detail both works of art, and subsequently is dealing with their theatrical fate – while alongside with Slovak stagings – he is not neglecting a wider European space, and is describing meaningful stagings of Puccini opera abroad (director Robert Carsen made a production of Manon Lescaut over the course of a few years on Royal Flamisch Opera in Antverps, in Vienna State Opera), or the production of Massenet´s Manon in Bratislava (1980) is becoming more familiar with the backround of Vienna staging by Jean- Pierre Ponell from 1983 ( with the Slovak singer Edita Gruber in the main role), or the Paris staging by Gilbert Deflo (with Reneé Fleming) from 2001. A traditionally and contemporary true staging of Manon was att emped in the theatre of Milan Teatro alla Scala also by a director Nicolas Joėl in 2006. The fact that Manon can be produced also by using other means than pieta is proven by two stagings from 2007: one is from Vienna (directed by Andrej Serban), one from Berlin (directed by Vincent Paterson). In both cases it is about the so called updated understanding – meaning transferring the period closer to current times.

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