The Story of "Manon"

On Monday, October 30, from 9:30 am to Noon, Bob Weinman will partner with Vistas Lifelong Learning to offer a class introducing the story of Manon at the Goleta Library (500 N. Fairview Ave, Goleta).

This tale began as a novel written in the early 18th century by the French writer Abbé Prévost; Manon and the Chevalier des Grieux meet as teenagers in provincial France. They fall madly in love with each other and run away to Paris, where Manon is seduced by the glamor of city life and the pleasures of wealth and must choose between her love for Des Grieux and her budding ambition.

The story was a sensation and quickly became the basis for a long line of interpretations, including opera, drama, ballet, film, and even several TV series. Of its many incarnations, the opera Manon by composer Jules Massenet is arguably the greatest.

Bob will explore the opera and how the centuries-old story has been retold as the sensibilities of its audience shift across generations. The talk will serve as an introduction to Opera Santa Barbara’s performances of the opera on November 3 & 5.

Bob Weinman received a B.S. degree from Cornell University in 1960, and a Ph.D. in Nuclear Physics from the California Institute of Technology in 1966. He worked as a rocket scientist for the Northrop Grumman Corporation until he retired in 1993. He is a guest lecturer for The Music Academy of the West and is a member of Opera Santa Barbara’s board of directors.

Community partner: Vistas Lifelong Learning