We are offered hope that she might choose to return to loving des Grieux unselfishly, but fate intervenes. A vivacious, robust and earthy production from English National Opera , Massenet s suave and sensuous melodies give Manon a well-deserved reputation as being his masterpiece. Set in an arena, Manon s rise and fall take place in public, where cast, chorus and audience become spectators, commentators and participants in her life s choices, desires and eventual demise. Including the moving chorus of the Hebrew Slaves, the powerful Anvil Chorus and excerpts from the great Requiem , as well as a selection of famous arias from La Traviata, Rigoletto and II Trovatore . Everything in this world is in jest.
Man is born a jester.
Every mortal laughs at everybody else. But he that laughs last, laughs the best. Departing from the usual tragic opera finale, these closing lines capture the spirit of Verdi s last opera, Falstaff . Wine, women and song, together with the wisdom of old age, inspired Verdi to turn to Shakespeare s rollicking rogue, Sir John Falstaff. The story is a comic blend of debauchery, jealousy, young love, deception and revenge by the two merry wives , Alice Ford and Meg Page.