L'histoire de Manon by Kenneth MacMillan, music by Massenet
Teatro alla Scala Ballet Company
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
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
