Manon Lescaut at the Movies

I'm very glad I went to see Manon Lescaut at the movies.  Seeing it up close and personal made the entire production make more sense.  The YT film reviewed here also has no subtitles.  I posted the above picture because this scared me to death.  They are flailing away on the edge of a set where they could easily fall and kill themselves.  The theatrical tension was upstaged by the real tension.

I actually think this production is excellent.  In the now ubiquitous interviews it was discussed why this opera is seldom performed.  The answer seemed true:  it requires the perfect operatic couple.  It has found them in Jonas Kaufmann and Kristīne Opolais.  The camera closeups gave us vivid insight into Manon's ever vacillating moods which reflected beautifully in Kristine's face. 

We also got to see the soft porn aspects of the second scene up close and personal.  Opolais is a very game performer is all I can say.

All in all this is a new level of achievement for filming of an opera.

I am here because of my artistic infatuation with Herr Kaufmann.  Waiting for the opera to begin I was reminded of a German song I have only heard once:  Ich möchte noch einmal verliebt sein.  I would like once again to fall in love.  This is a song of a certain age, an age when one does not so easily fall in love any more.  Opera brings us the semblance of love.  We may imagine love in the feigning of it.  I want to thank both the stars of this opera for the masterful semblance of passion.  It was simply wonderful.
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