Boulevard Solitude
Libretto by Grete Weil
Scenario by Walter Jockisch
(English by Norman Platt)
Year of composition 1951
Duration 82 minutes
World premiere
World premiere 17. february 1952
Hannover · Landestheater
Production Walter Jockisch
Choreography Otto Krüger
Stage and costume design Jean-Pierre Ponnelle
Conductor Johannes Schüler
Comment
In 1974 Jean-Pierre Ponnelle and Grete Weil made some changes to the libretto for a production at the Bayerische Staatsoper. These amendments were incorporated by the pub- lishers into the hire material and the new editions of the piano reduction and libretto. For a production by the Hessischer Rundfunk in 1952, I extended Pantomime No. 6 (at the end of the 2nd scene) with an aria. This aria is available on request from the publishers. I used it in my 1954 productions of “Boulevard” in Naples and Rome.
Hans Werner Henze
Cast
| Manon Lescaut | soprano leggero | |
| Armand des Grieux | tenore lirico | a student |
| Lilaque père | tenore buffo | a wealthy cavalier |
| Lescaut | baritono lirico | Manon’s brother |
| Francis | baritono | a friend of Armand |
| Lilaque fils | basso | |
| danzatori | two cocaine addicts | |
| ballerino | cigarette boy | |
| ballerina | flower girl | |
| danzatori e mimi | paper boys, beggars, tarts, policemen, male and female students, travellers |
Instrumentation
| 2 Flauti | 2° anche Ottavino |
| 1 Oboe | |
| 1 Corno inglese | |
| 1 Clarinetto | |
| 1 Clarinetto basso | |
| 2 Fagotti | |
| 4 Corni | |
| 4 Trombe jazz | |
| 3 Tromboni | |
| 1 Tuba | |
| Timpani | |
| Percussione | Triangolo |
| Arpa | |
| Pianoforte | |
| Mandolino | |
| Archi |