Boulevard Solitutde is a Lyrisches Drama (lyric drama) or
opera in one act by
Hans Werner Henze to a
German libretto by
Grete Weil after the play by
Walter Jockisch, in its turn a modern telling of
François Prévost's
Manon Lescaut. The premiere was on February 17, 1952 at the
Landestheater,
Hanover. It was performed for the first time in the
United States at the
Santa Fe Opera in 1967.
Henze’s first work of real note, the opera stands out for its use of strong jazz influence from a composer who had hitherto been associated with
twelve tone technique. The piece is a reworking of the Manon Lescaut story, already adapted operatically by
Auber,
Massenet and
Puccini, into a contemporary framework.
Although not part of the core operatic repertoire,
Boulevard Solitude continues to be performed and is popular with audiences, with a London revival in
2000 going on to sell heavily despite much negative critical reception and attacks from the
tabloid press.
Roles
Synopsis
- Scene 1: The waiting room of a busy train station in a large French city.
The student Armand des Grieux meets a young woman by the name of Manon Lescaut, who is being brought to boarding school in Lausana by her brother. Armand instantly falls in love with Manon, and the two run off to
Paris together.
- Scene 2: An attic in Paris.
The two live together happily, although in poverty, in an attic room. Armand has been cut off by his father on account of his...
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