English National Ballet has released Kenneth MacMillan’s romantic tragedy Manon on its Ballet on Demand streaming service.
The story follows the young and naïve Manon who is torn between two lives: privilege and opulence with the wealthy Monsieur GM or innocent love with the penniless student Des Grieux. Aristocrats and beggars, courtesans and harlots fill the stage as the audience is taken from a gambling den in 18th-century Paris to a desolate Louisiana swamp.
This archive recording made at the Manchester Opera House in 2018 features Alina Cojocaru in the title role alongside Joseph Caley as Des Grieux with Jules Massenet’s music performed by the English National Ballet Philharmonic.