L'histoire de Manon

Several operas—by Auber, Massenet, and Puccini—have been based on L'Abbé Prévost's 1731 novel L'Histoire du Chevalier Des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut, centering on a beautiful young French woman named Manon who becomes an object of desire for both the handsome Chevalier Des Grieux and a wealthy, elderly man (here called Monsieur De Morfontaine), with Manon's brother Lescaut urging the latter to court his sister for his own selfish reasons. But this is a 2015 performance of British choreographer Kenneth MacMillan's ballet—which he adapted from the book in 1974—staged by the Paris Opera Ballet, where the work entered the repertoire in 1990, and it also serves to showcase the final performance of Aurélie Dupont with the company. MacMillan set the story to pieces by Massenet, drawing from various compositions rather than his opera Manon, and Martin Yates, who re-orchestrated the whole score in 2011, conducts authoritatively here, bringing out the full richness of the music. This is an opulent mounting, with elegant sets and sumptuous costumes, and the dancing is first-rate, with Roberto Bolle (Des Grieux), Stéphane Bullion (Lescaut), and Benjamin Pech (Morfontaine) all accompanying Dupont with aplomb. She, however, is clearly the star, and the prolonged standing ovation she receives during the curtain calls is evidence of the audience's deep affection. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.1 and PCM stereo on Blu-ray, extras include an interview with Dupont. Highly recommended. (F. Swietek)