''Le portrait de Manon'' is an

opéra comique ''Opéra comique'' (; plural: ''opéras comiques'') is a genre of French opera that contains spoken dialogue and arias. It emerged from the popular ''opéras comiques en vaudevilles'' of the Théâtre de la foire, Fair Theatres of St Germain and S ...

in one act by

Jules Massenet Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet (; 12 May 1842 – 13 August 1912) was a French composer of the Romantic music, Romantic era best known for his operas, of which he wrote more than thirty. The two most frequently staged are ''Manon'' (1884 ...

to a French

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

Georges Boyer Georges may refer to: Places *Georges River, New South Wales, Australia *Georges Quay (Dublin) *Georges Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania Other uses *Georges (name) * ''Georges'' (novel), a novel by Alexandre Dumas * "Georges" (song), a 1977 ...

. It is related to Massenet's 1884 opera ''

Manon ''Manon'' () is an ''opéra comique'' in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on the 1731 novel '' L'histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut'' by the Abbé Prévost. It was f ...

'', widely regarded to be his masterpiece. However ''Le portrait de Manon'' is rarely performed today.

Performance history

The opera was first performed at the

Opéra Comique ''Opéra comique'' (; plural: ''opéras comiques'') is a genre of French opera that contains spoken dialogue and arias. It emerged from the popular ''opéras comiques en vaudevilles'' of the Théâtre de la foire, Fair Theatres of St Germain and S ...

in Paris on 8 May 1894. After its premiere the work was performed at

La Monnaie The Royal Theatre of La Monnaie (, ; , ; both translating as the "Royal Theatre of the Mint") is an opera house in central Brussels, Belgium. The National Opera of Belgium, a federal institution, takes the name of this theatre in which it is ho ...

in November 1894 and the

Teatro del Fondo The Teatro Mercadante, earlier known as Teatro del Fondo, is a theatre in Naples, Italy. It is located on Piazza del Municipio, Naples, Piazza del Municipio #1, with the front facing the west side of Castel Nuovo, Naples, Castel Nuovo and near th ...

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

in December 1894. The work received its United States premiere at the

French Opera House The French Opera House, or ''Théâtre de l'Opéra'', was an opera house in New Orleans. It was one of the city's landmarks from its opening in 1859 until it was destroyed by fire in 1919. It stood in the French Quarter at the uptown lake co ...

in New Orleans in 1895. It was also produced at

The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel The Waldorf Astoria New York is a luxury hotel and condominium residence in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York. The structure, at 301 Park Avenue between 49th and 50th Street (Manhattan), 50th Streets, is a 47-story ...

on 13 December 1897. The Opéra Comique revived the opera in 1900 and it was mounted at the Théâtre Lyrique in September 1922,Irvine D. ''Massenet: a chronicle of his life and times.'' Amadeus Press, Portland, 1997 after which the work fell out of the performance repertory. After a more than 60-year absence from the stage, ''Le portrait de Manon'' was mounted at

La Fenice Teatro La Fenice (; "The Phoenix Theatre") is a historic opera house in Venice, Italy. It is one of "the most famous and renowned landmarks in the history of Italian theatre" and in the history of opera as a whole. Especially in the 19th cen ...

on 13 April 1985. Four years later the

Opéra de Monte-Carlo The Opéra de Monte-Carlo is an opera house which is part of the Monte Carlo Casino located in the Monaco, Principality of Monaco. With the lack of cultural diversions available in Monaco in the 1870s, Charles III, Prince of Monaco, Prince Charl ...

staged the work. The opera was most recently revived by the

Glimmerglass Opera The Glimmerglass Festival (formerly known as Glimmerglass Opera) is an American opera company. Founded in 1975 by Peter Macris, the Glimmerglass Festival presents an annual season of operas at the Alice Busch Opera Theater on Otsego Lake nort ...

in 2005. In 2014 "kultur.theater.musik" produced the first performance in German (as '' Das Bildnis der Manon'') at the 'Sommeroper im Amthof' festival in Feldkirchen, Carinthia, and in other theatres in Lower Austria.

Roles

Synopsis

The opera opens with a chorus of peasants singing outside the home of the Chevalier Des Grieux. They remind him of his own happier days and he looks at his miniature portrait of Manon. His nephew Jean arrives for a history lesson but tells Des Grieux that he is in love with Aurore. Des Grieux believes that the young girl, who is neither of noble birth nor rich, is unworthy of Jean. Tiberge tries to persuade his old friend Des Grieux to allow young love to run its course. Aurore and Jean are in despair. Jean tries to snatch a kiss from her but in the process knocks against a chest and the portrait of Manon falls out and the pair admire the portrait. Tiberge calls Aurore away. Des Grieux lectures Jean again and sends him away. Aurore appears wearing the dress that Manon wore when she first met Des Grieux in

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; , or ) is a city and Communes of France, commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in the region ...

. Tiberge reveals that Aurore is the niece of Manon, the daughter of her brother Lescaut. Des Grieux yields to his arguments and consents to Jean's marriage to Aurore.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Portrait De Manon, Le Operas by Jules Massenet French-language operas Operas One-act operas 1894 operas Opera world premieres at the Opéra-Comique