Customer Reviews

Giacomo Puccini: Manon Lescaut

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There are not many Manon Lescaut good recordings available. Among those, only Levine (DECCA 92) and Serafin (EMI 57) get close to this one, which is arguably the best of them all. Technically perfect, Bruson's Lescaut is the best of the discography. First, his voice is of a great quality, and he uses it with experience and fantasy. You will barely hear such a perfect 'Sei splendida e lucente' like here, and few times you will ever listen to the phrasing of third act so perfectly sung like here, so precisely and with perfect accentuation. Freni and Domingo may not be the perfect couple, but each of them, in their own way, show very attractive approaches to their roles. Freni's sensuality and lirycism relates very well to the Manon of the first two acts. Also, her voice has no limits, and she actually makes no mistakes at all. However, in acts 3 and 4, we miss some tension, more depth of communication. Everything is very well put together, but her role has deeper meanings, as Calas, Olivero or Kabaivanska, other sopranos who interpreted this role, showed. Domingo is well known around the world because his Des Grieux role, joyful at the beginning, desperate at the end. His high pitch, one of Domingo's best qualities, is perfectly used in here. However, he lacks the sincere fire of Björling or Rucker. Sinopoli conducts in detail a very difficult music like this Puccini's opera, showing some genius moments. The orchestra sometimes is too much over the singers, but is overall a very well companion.
By the way, this $85 is an Import CD. I can't find it right now, but a couple of weeks ago I found the same recording here on Amazon for $25. Nobody should spend $85 for a double CD that can be found for a regular price ... In the meantime, you can use the link on top right that says Used and New. While I am writing this review, you can get it new for $27.
Bottomline: This is the best Manon Lescaut recording available, despite some weaknesses. Thanks for reading!
P.S. If you find my review helpful, vote YES (It does not mean you agree. It just means you found it helpful). You can read all my other reviews if you wish to. I modestly write them to help people form an opinion about movies, music and books, but if nobody reads them (if you don't vote I do not know if you did) there is no point in writing them.

This is the GREATEST recording of this wonderful opera, my favorite Puccini. Domingo said, in his biography, that this is the most melodic of all Puccini operas and, indeed, it probably is! The casting is very luxurious.
Mirella Freni was born to play Manon Lescaut and her performances of the lighter Massenet Manon earlier in her career gives her more understanding of the character than anyone else. Her singing is delicate in the opening act, very sweet, and creamy of voice. In the following acts, she vividly responds to the changing character, always developing and growing stronger and stronger until the very dramatic death scene. She really tears up the scene, verismo style and I have one hell of a time listening to it. In my mind, she only had one rival in "voice-acting" and that woman is Beverly Sills. Freni (and Sills) also offer one of the best soprano chest registers that I have ever heard. The dramatic love duet with Domingo gives me shivers.....probably the sexiest piece of composing and singing in all of opera. The following two acts are absolutely heart breaking. Freni gives so much (as does Domingo) that you wonder how she could possibly finish this sort of performance with any voice left. This is truly a magnificent achievement.
Domingo is thrilling in the role of Des Grieux. Like Freni, he was Massenet's hero before he took on this most difficult of Puccini tenor parts. His singing is glorious. Occasional high notes are not always totally comfortable but always thrillingly projected. He is also warm and delicate in the first act, highly provocative and, like Freni, progresses in strength to the end of the work with intensity and drama that, similarly, makes me wonder how he can sustain that level and end in fresh voice!!!!! He is, on high notes, a bit drowned by Freni's voice. Anyone who thinks she has a smaller voice should listen to this. Her top is HUGE and she does not bottom out like the undramatic Te Kanawa. She sings with deep chest tones to match Domingo's ample lower register. I heard her and Domingo in Fedora in Washington D.C and both voices were huge, but Freni's a size larger. She has paced her roles well and developed them as her voice developed. She emerged to be a great spinto-dramatic soprano, having sung almost the entire mainstream, non-Germanic opera throughout her career.
As for Bruson, he is magnificent as Lescaut. He may not project youth as much as Croft in Freni's other recording, but the voice is sheer vocal velvet, the most beautiful baritone voice I have ever heard. It is dark, voluptuous and dramatic. I love this guy! It is sheer luxury to have Fassbaender singing the madrigal in the second act.
As conductor, the late Sinopoli is superlative. His reading is, at time, slower than his rivals, but he brings out the intensity of the score more than any. He knows exactly how to time the drama (as in Tosca) and he pulls breathtaking playing from his orchestra. The Intermezzo is my all time favorite.....perfectly played and judged.
My only qualm is the recording style, not one of the best....at a low volume and sounding rather muffled.
Time to talk turkey: This is the best Manon Lescaut and I doubt anyone will rival it at any time soon. Buy and love it. This is one of my top-two favorite recordings ever. Viva Freni!

Recordings are not issued forever (unfortunately) so when you see one you like, my advice is to get it. I was here on amazon not very long ago & this recording wasn't even available.

Freni is in top form here as Manon. She sounds yummy & sumptuous. Yet she is also desparate & impassioned in the final acts. She has another ML available, but this one is better for a couple of reasons.

Domingo is an ardent Des Grieux- even though his top notes sound forced & pinched at times. Overall, he sounds as good as he ever did in this recording and there is no doubting his sincere committment to the role.

Renato Bruson is perfect as Manon's brother. His voice is like molten chocolate! :) In the scene after her 2nd act aria where he has a duet with Freni, the singing is wonderful! You feel his concern for his sister & her situation. You can feel her love for Des Grieux. They are believable & they sound great together.

Giuseppe Sinopoli has long been criticized with his irregular conducting tempi. Well, he's right on the money in this one. This is almost a Karajan-like performance of conducting. The orchestra, not a back seat player here, but a vital part of the music- as it should be. The Intermezzo here is the best & most passionate I've ever heard.

Get it while you still can. This is a wonderful version of Puccini's passionate Manon Lescaut. You'll be swept away with the singing & conducting- the best ML I've ever heard.

This early 80's recording from Deutsche Grammophone dare never get out of print. It is by far the most dramatic and powerfully moving version of Puccini's first operatic masterpiece Manon Lescaut. It stars Placido Domingo, Mirella Freni, Renato Bruson, Kurt Rydl and in the lesser role of a musician Brigitte Fasbaender. The New Philharmonia is conducted by Sinopoli. First of all, this is a very beautiful and dramatic opera, and the cast is first-rate, singing their respective parts with unrivaled technical mastership and dramatic abilities. Placido Domingo and Mirella Freni as the lovers Manon and Des Grieux suffuse their singing with a measure of beautiful Puccini lyricism and verisimo power. They give strong performances and to me, they never falter. There is an earlier recording of Manon Lescaut in which Freni is paired with Pavarotti, the more constant tenor-soprano pair. But this recording far outshines that one because Domingo and Freni are in better shape and give it their all. By the finale, I was in tears. Domingo is passionate, tormented and Freni is dramatic, full of despair. Their voices escalate to such an unbelievable height of glory it's breathtaking. If you're a fan of Mirella Freni and Placido Domingo, this is by far their best collaboration.

Manon Lescaut was the second opera by Puccini that I heard. Once I heard the sprightly energy of the opening bars I fell in love with the opera. This was the composer's third opera and his first triumph. Like his subsequent operas, Manon is characterized by ravishing melodies, descriptive of the emotions of the characters.

The casting of this recording is magical with Mirella Freni as Manon and Placido Domingo as De Grieux. Both Freni and Domingo sing with passion and bring their characters to life. Ms. Freni is particularly remarkable in the final act as lays dying in a foreign land projecting her anguish and sadness at leaving Des Grieux. The supporting roles are also marvelously sung with Renato Bruson as Manon's brother and Kurt Rydl as the jealous Geronte. The recording is also distinguished by Brigitte Fassbaender in the small role of Un Musico.

Giuseppe Sinopoli has been criticized for stretching tempos (notably in his recording of Cavalleria Rusticana) but here there is no argument that he is beautifully on tempo and makes the most of Puccini's beautiful score. For me, this is the Manon Lescaut that I had been searching for: passionate and beautifully sung. I could not recommend it highly enough.

I purchased this CD set about four months ago; the first time I played I though the first disk was kind of drony. The second disk was much more intense, but I did not know what it was all about. I was able to fully appreciate after listening to it a few times and thoroughly reading the libretto and then some more. The 4th act puts Des Grieux and Manon abruptly in the wilderness after they both got on the ship to Louisiana. Further reading explained that Des Grieux thought he had killed a man who was accosting Manon, thus they both escaped into the wilderness.
The story itself is gripping and heart-breaking, but hearing Freni and Domingo sing, especially the most intense parts, for example, "No! Pazzo Son!" (Domingo), when Des Grieux watches his beloved Manon led away in chains and can no longer restrain himself and tries to rescue her, later he breaks down and begs for mercy and to be let into the ship to accompany Manon. The climax is Mirella's "Sola, perduta, abbandonata". I've heard this song with Renata Scotto and Maria Callas and I have to say that I like it best with Mirella Feni; in particular, Freni's "tutto e finito" is unequaled; while Scotto and Callas give the song a tone of sadness Freni gives it a tone of fear and despair, which is what any person, especially a woman who was accustomed to luxuries and comforts, would feel if lost in the wilderness and is staring death in the face.
In summary, Domingo and Freni can convey all these feelings through their voices like very few can, one can almost break into sobs; this is a magnificent performance by Freni and Domingo (my favorite duo), this would be another jewel in the collection of any opera lover.

Manon Lescaut

Giacomo Puccini - Music
Marco Praga, Dominico Oliva, Giulio Ricordi, Luigi Illica, Giuseppe Giacosa / Abbe Prevost - libretto

Giuseppe Sinopoli
Philharmonia Orchestra
Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

(Deutsche Grammophon - Digital recording 1984)

This Opera is based on the 1731 novel L'histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut by the Abbé Prévost.

This is a wonderful performance of Manon Lescaut. Five Stars

I have no issues with the singing, there are excellent singers here and this is a great opera. The late Giussepe Sinopoli was an excellent conductor. My problem is with the recording which is of low volume. Yes, you can crank up the volume but the recording also suffers from 1980's Digititis. It literally sticks pins and needles in my ears! I wish DG would remaster this recording. Three stars due to the recording. Five stars for the singing and conductintg.