Manon Lescaut Donna non vidi mai ( Jonas Kaufmann, The Royal Opera)

Jonas Kaufmann as Des Grieux sings Donna non vidi mai from Act I of Jonathan Kent s production of Giacomo Puccini s Manon Lescaut, The Royal Opera, 2014. Find out more at Puccinis publisher tried to prevent him from adapting Abbé Prévosts LHistoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut Massenet had already created a highly successful opera based on the novel. But Puccini was not to be dissuaded, claiming a woman like Manon can have more than one lover. Despite a troubled gestation (five librettists were engaged in the project), the premiere of Manon Lescaut in 1893 was Puccinis first major triumph a hit with critics and the public alike. Puccinis sumptuous, richlycoloured score is characterized by youthful vitality and filled with glorious melodies. Des Grieux expresses his passion for Manon in the Act I aria Vedete io son fedele, lively dances evoke Manons luxurious life in Paris in Act II, while in the impassi