Manon / Beverly Sills, Gedda, Souzay, Bacquier; Rudel

Jules Massenet (Artist), New Philharmonia Orchestra (Artist), Ambrosian Opera Chorus (Artist), Julius Rudel (Artist), Beverly Sills (Artist), Nicolai Gedda (Artist), Gérard Souzay (Artist), Gabriel Bacquier (Artist), Nico Castel (Artist), Patricia Kern (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 3
• Label: Angel Records
• ASIN: B000002SGP
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #69,695 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Manon, opera in 5 acts: Prélude to Act 1

2. Manon, opera in 5 acts: Act 1: Holŕ! Hé! Monsieur L'hotelier?

3. Manon, opera in 5 acts: Act 1: Hors D'oeuvre De Choix!

4. Manon, opera in 5 acts: Act 1: Entendez-vous La Cloche...Allez Ŕ L'auberge Voisine les Voilŕ!

5. Manon, opera in 5 acts: Act 1: Je Suis Encor Tout Étourdie

6. Manon, opera in 5 acts: Act 1: Partez! On Sonne!

See all 14 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Manon, opera in 5 acts: Act 3: Entr'acte

2. Manon, opera in 5 acts: Act 3: Voyez Mules Ŕ Fleurettes!

3. Manon, opera in 5 acts: Act 3: Ŕ Quoi Bon L'économie...Bonjour, Poussette!

4. Manon, opera in 5 acts: Act 3: Voici Les Élégantes!...Suis-je Gentille Ainsi?

5. Manon, opera in 5 acts: Act 3: Je Marche Sur Tous Le Chemins

6. Manon, opera in 5 acts: Act 3: Obéissons Quand Leur Voix Appelle

See all 15 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. Manon, opera in 5 acts: Act 4: Faites Vos Jeux, Messieurs!...Le Joueur Sans Prude

2. Manon, opera in 5 acts: Act 4: Mais Qui Donc Nous Arrive...Manon! Sphinx Étonnant

3. Manon, opera in 5 acts: Act 4: Un Mot, S'il Vous Plaît...Ce Bruit de L'or

4. Manon, opera in 5 acts: Act 4: Au Jeu! Au Jeu!

5. Manon, opera in 5 acts: Act 4:Oui, Je Viens T'arracher Ŕ La Honte

6. Manon, opera in 5 acts: Act 5: Manon! Pauvre Manon!...Capitaine, Ô Gué

See all 10 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Opera- Beautiful Performance, February 5, 2000

By 

Tracy L. Powell (Bangkok, Thailand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Manon / Beverly Sills, Gedda, Souzay, Bacquier; Rudel (Audio CD)

Jules Massenet's Manon contains some of the most touching and beautiful melodies in all of opera. And Beverly Sills and Nicolai Gedda make these melodies seem all the more beautiful. Sills is exceptional as Manon- a role she has performed all over the world. When we are first introduced to Manon, Sills' lovely lyric voice perfectly portrays Manon as the sheltered, innocent, yet inquisitive girl that she is. Later on the more experienced Manon is also convincingly sung by Sills. Nicolai Gedda may not have been a young man when this recording was made (1970) but he certainly wasn't too long in the tooth. No matter his age he sounds absoutely like the young, passionate lover Des Grieux. The other cast members also bring out the most in their characters, including Gabriel Bacquier as Le Comte des Grieux and Gerard Souzay as Lescaut.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beverly Sills In An Unforgettable Performance, August 17, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Manon / Beverly Sills, Gedda, Souzay, Bacquier; Rudel (Audio CD)

Beverly Sill's vocal talents were full of variety. She was just at home in the Italian bel canto operas of Donizetti as she was in the French operas (she sang as the three heroines of Offenbach's Tales Of Hoffman and in the other Massenet opera Thais). Jules Massenet composed fine French operas at a time when the "grand opera" style was diminishing in popularity. He even composed a successful "grand opera" himself, despite the already antiquated form when he composed "Le Cid". French opera is made up of beautiful melodies, romantic duets, elegant arias, dramatic ensembles and choruses, and a melodramatic plot. "Manon" (pronounced ma- no) is based on the novel by Andre Prevost, generally regarded as the first French novel. Manon deals with a flaky, seductive and materialistic young woman who falls for a handsome but dangerous man only to marry another for the sake of money. Eventually, she is reunited with her old and true love and dies in his arms. The melodrama is enhanced by fine music of many subtle tones- romance without being too buttery (and if it is too sentimental so what ? It's opera!) and the waltz-like, festive atmosphere of Paris, especially the glittering casinos are gorgeously expressed. Manon and Des Grieux join the ranks of the great opera lovers- at times this even resonates with touches of Verdi's La Traviata (another opera which Beverly Sills successfully mastered).

Back to Beverly Sills. Beverly's Manon is considered her finest hour, second only to her towering portrayal of Queen Elizabeth in "Roberto Devereaux" which landed her a cover in Time Magazine in 1971. Manon was a role Beverly Sills flourished in with easy grace and great singing prowess. The role calls for lyric soprano, some coloratura and a lot of romantic dramatic styling. She sings French so easily and without flaw that one would think Beverly is not American but a native French lady. According to Sills, Manon was one of those operas she dedicated herself to singing with gusto. She recalls having to cook for her family and then singing Manon, stating it was the longest day of her life. She loved the theatre and found a great vehicle for expression through opera. Beverly made opera accessible to everyone, even those who would'nt be caught dead in an opera house. She made opera seem fun and very American, despite the continuing prejudice that opera is high-class foreign entertainment. Beverly's French diction is superb. It is rhythmic, flowing and highly musical. Her voice far exceeds that of Joan Sutherland and in acting ability she matches the drama diva Maria Callas. Beverly Sills will always be America's greatest soprano. Now in her seventies, she works for the Metropolitan Opera as chairman. When Manon was first released on LP in the 80's, fans of Beverly were buying the LP's and even bootlegs with as much enthusiasm and fervor as raving fans of The Grateful Dead. America embraces opera and its as American baseball and Church. Opera is now a household name. And all thanks to the first class human being Beverly Sills.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sparkling Manon, June 21, 2001

By 

Michel (Montreal, Quebec) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Manon / Beverly Sills, Gedda, Souzay, Bacquier; Rudel (Audio CD)

Some singers, it seems, are born to sing together. Beverly Sills and Nicolai Gedda are amongst them. Their voices blend together beautifully and they are on the same artistic wave-lenght. Sill s silvery soprano is ideal for Manon. She paints a complete portrait, from girlish awe to manipulative seductress, and her superd technique allows her to shine in the more showy passages. Gedda, as des Grieux, is elegant, refined, and quite smitten by his Manon. Their first act duet - Nous vivrons tous les deux a Paris - is delightful and revealing of their character, her frivolity, his idealism. They get excellent support from Gerard Souzay and Gabriel Bacquier. The comprimarios, important in this opera, are also very well done. Chorus and orchestra are excellent and Julius Rudel s conducting lively. My only little complaint about this brilliant set is the boomy sound.