A politically charged new Manon in Prague

Ghiulnara Raileanu (Manon)

Lukáš Bařák (Lescaut) and Ghiulnara Raileanu (Manon)

Martin Šrejma (Edmondo) and Milen Božkov (Des Grieux)

Ghiulnara Raileanu (Manon) and Milen Božkov (Des Grieux)

By Frank Kuznik, 29 March 2025

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“Italian conductor Simone Di Felice worked wonders with the State Opera Orchestra”

Reviewed at State Opera (Státní opera), Prague on 27 March 2025

Puccini, Manon Lescaut

Prague State Opera

Simone Di Felice, Conductor

Sláva Daubnerová, Director

Alexandre Corazzola, Set Designer

Tereza Kopecká, Costume Designer

Daniel Tesař, Lighting Designer

Prague State Opera Orchestra

Prague State Opera Chorus

Dominik Lukács Žižka, Video

Ghiulnara Raileanu, Manon Lescaut

Petra Šimková-Alvarez, Manon Lescaut

Peter Berger, Chevalier des Grieux

Milen Bozhkov, Chevalier des Grieux

Lukáš Bařák, Lescaut

Csaba Kotlár, Lescaut

Jiří Sulženko, Geronte di Ravoir

František Zahradníček, Geronte di Ravoir

Martin Šrejma, Edmondo

Daniel Matoušek, Edmondo

Ivo Hrachovec, Innkeeper, Sergeant of archers

Roman Vocel, Innkeeper, Sergeant of archers

Michaela Zajmi, Musician

Kateřina Jalovcová, Musician

Josef Moravec, Dancing master, Lamplighter

Vít Šantora, Dancing master, Lamplighter

Prague National Theatre Opera Ballet

Parsifal reconsidered: A provocative improvisation in Prague

Frank Kuznik, 26th March

Timo Riihonen and Ester Pavlů stand out in a strong cast which carries Andreas Homoki's revised version of Wagner's final opera.

****1

Calixto Bieito’s Idomeneo runs out of time in Prague

Frank Kuznik, 28th September

At the Prague State Opera, Calixto Brieito relocates Mozart's opera seria to modern times, with disastrous results.

***11

Reimann's Lear makes for a dark season finale at Prague State Opera

Frank Kuznik, 7th June

Aribert Reimann's Lear takes no prisoners in a disturbing portrayal of a world gone awry, but Barbora Horáková's scattergun direction adds to the confusion.

***11

A rambunctious Platée revival in Prague

Frank Kuznik, 23rd November

SKUTR's daring direction and Václav Luks's early music expertise combine to bring new vitality to a Baroque classic.

*****

To the apocalypse and beyond: Le Grand Macabre in Prague

David Karlin, 14th June

Nigel Lowery’s new production at Prague State Opera is a gusher of ideas, starting as slapstick but profoundly moving by the end.

****1

Nabucco in Prague: handsome but over-ambitious

Frank Kuznik, 21st March

Andriy Yurkevych leads a rousing musical performance, but this visually impressive Nabucco tries to hard to be relevant and misses the mark.

***11

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Frank Kuznik

Frank Kuznik is the former Editor-in-Chief and Culture Editor of The Prague Post, Central Europe’s premier English-language weekly newspaper. He currently divides his time between Prague and his hometown in the US, Cleveland, where he covers northeast Ohio's dynamic classical music scene. In Prague he is an habitué of the Rudolfinum, National Theater, State Opera and other storied classical music venues, and an unabashed fan of Czech music.