About the work
L'Histoire de Manon is a full-length narrative ballet by Sir Kenneth MacMillan, premiered in 1974 by the Royal Ballet in London. The music is drawn from various works by Jules Massenet (but not from his opera Manon), arranged by Leighton Lucas. It is among the great dramatic ballets of the twentieth century.
Plot
In eighteenth-century France, the beautiful young Manon falls in love with the penniless student Des Grieux. But the allure of wealth and luxury, encouraged by her unscrupulous brother Lescaut, tempts her to prefer a wealthy patron over true feeling. Torn between love and greed, Manon is drawn into a maelstrom of betrayal, prostitution, and arrest. Condemned and deported into exile in Louisiana, she finally dies in the swamps, in the arms of the ever-faithful Des Grieux.
Cultural significance
L'Histoire de Manon is famous for its passionate pas de deux, among the most demanding and expressive in the classical repertoire. MacMillan combines virtuoso dance technique with psychological depth and unflinching realism. The ballet belongs to the core repertoire of major companies worldwide and is regarded as a showcase role for ballerinas, demanding dramatic and technical maturity in equal measure.