Manon is an “opéra comique” in five acts by the famous French composer Jules Massenet. The French libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille; and it based on the 1731 novel L’histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut by the Abbé Prévost. It was first performed in Paris on January 19, 1884.
Manon is Massenet’s most popular and enduring opera and, having “quickly conquered the world’s stages”,[3] it has maintained an important place in the repertory since its creation. It is the quintessential example of the charm and vitality of the music and culture of the Parisian Belle Époque. We are showing the 2001 production at the Opera National de Paris featuring outstanding performances by Renee Fleming and Marcelo Alvarez. Christopher Purdy hosting. 2001 164 min

Related DVD Carmen by Bizet

Christopher Purdy, from classical WOSU returns to once again host our Summer Opera on Film series. We start with Rigoletto, an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s’amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed in Venice in 1851.
Rigoletto is considered by many to be among Verdi’s mid career operatic masterpieces, and Its tragic story revolves around the licentious Duke of Mantua, his hunch-backed court jester Rigoletto, and Rigoletto’s beautiful daughter Gilda. Rigoletto is a staple of the standard operatic repertoire and one of most-performed operas worldwide.
We will be showing an exhilarating production from the Opernhaus Zurich, featuring great performances by Leo Nucci ,Elena Mosuc and Piotr Beczala. 2008 128 Min.

Related DVD Aida by Giusepe Verdi

The Book to Screen series concludes with “The Dead,” the final work by the legendary director John Huston. It tells the story of a husband and wife who have just enjoyed a Christmas dinner at the house of the husband’s aunt. Soon after dinner the couple starts tackling some prickly marital issues which result in an epiphany for both of them. Huston had a passion for classic literature, and this is a wonderful adaptation of the classic short story by James Joyce. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards, and is placed on Roger Ebert’s Great Movies list. Steve Hunt will present. (1987, 85 min., PG)

Our book to screen series continue with Atonement, based on Ian McEwan’s best seller novel by the same name. Atonement is a beautiful and sensitive adaptation of the novel and achieved critical and commercial success at its release in 2007. The story is narrated by Briony Tallis, an author in search of atonement for an act she committed as a young girl. In the summer of 1935, significant events unfold in the mansion of a wealthy British family. Events that spark the mischievous 13-year-old Briony vivid imagination resulting in a lie, accusing her older sister’s lover of a crime he did not commit, that irrevocably and permanently changed the lives of everyone involved. (2007, 127 min., R)