Composer
Librettists
Based On
the novel L'histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut by Abbé Prévost
Company
San Francisco Opera Association
Location
San Francisco, CA
Venue
War Memorial Opera House
Season
1939
Language
French
Creative/Crew
Cast
Manon Lescaut
Chevalier des Grieux
Lescaut, Manon's cousin
Count des Grieux
Guillot Morfontaine, a roué
De Brétigny, a nobleman
Maid
First Guard
Second Guard
Show Dates
Broadcast
Live broadcast, Act II.
Time and Place
1721; Amiens, Paris, Havre
Scenes
Act I -- Courtyard of an inn, Amiens
Act II -- Boudoir, in Manon's House, Paris
Act III -- Anteroom in Seminary of Saint Sulpice
Act IV -- Gambling Salon, Hotel Transylvanie
Act V -- Road to Havre
Media
Document
SFO_PUB_01_SFO_1939_07_compressed.pdf
(7.31 MB)
Notes
To access the full production program, click the PDF link above.
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October 13 was the season opening night.
10/13/1939, live broadcast, Act II: "Manon, Act II: Bidu Sayao*, Tito Schipa, Richard Bonelli; Gaetano Merola. Opening night of 1939 season. Like the 1938 Chénier broadcast, this preserved Manon is a tremendous early memento of opera on the air. This was also the occasion of Sayao’s debut (filling in last minute for Mafalda Favero who couldn’t leave Italy due to the War). Sayao would become a beloved artist at San Francisco Opera."