Ballet

L'histoire de Manon by Kenneth MacMillan, music by Massenet

Teatro alla Scala Ballet Company

Live
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Cast

Kenneth MacMillan — Choreographer

Martin Yates — Arranger, Orchestrater

Nicholas Georgiadis — Set designer, costume designer

Nicoletta Manni — Manon

Reece Clarke — Des Grieux

Nicola Del Freo — Dancer

Gabriele Corrado — Dancer

Martina Arduino — Dancer

Francesca Podini — Dancer

Gioacchino Starace — Dancer

Domenico Di Cristo — Dancer

Massimo dalla Mora — Dancer

Corpo di ballo del Teatro alla Scala

Orchestra del Teatro Alla Scala

Paul Connelly — Conductor

Program notes

Based on Abbé Prévost’s eighteenth-century novel, L’histoire de Manon is a breathtaking ballet choreographed by Kenneth MacMillan and first performed by The Royal Ballet in 1974. MacMillan instills new life into the title protagonist (performed by the sublime Nicoletta Manni), one of the earliest literary examples of the femme fatale —a victim yet engineer of her own tragic fate, who leads herself and her young suitor Des Grieux (Reece Clarke) to a turbulent fall from grace. This whirlwind story is beautifully depicted through dance, from the opening pas de deux to extreme lifts symbolizing Manon’s fatal fever, all underscored by Massenet’s most well-known compositions. Watch the tale unfold in the glorious setting of Milan’s legendary La Scala: a poignant exploration of passion, loss, and betrayal awaits…

Photo © Marco Brescia & Rudy Amisano / Teatro alla Scala

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