Jules Massenet’s opera portraying the tragic love story of Manon and the Chevalier des Grieux is Manon.
Manon premiered at the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 19 January 1884. The libretto, by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, is based on Abbé Prévost’s 1731 novel Histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut. The plot follows the pleasure-loving Manon as she moves between the young des Grieux and the wealthy world of Parisian society.
The opera is known for its shifting settings and contrasting musical styles, from the lively arrival at the Cours-la-Reine to the intimate “꿈” aria “En fermant les yeux” and Manon’s “Gavotte.” Its final act ends with Manon’s death after the couple’s failed attempt to flee.
Puccini later created his own opera, Manon Lescaut, from the same literary source. The two operas are separate works, with different librettists, musical languages, and dramatic emphases, although both center on the same doomed heroine.