Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Manon Lescaut, opera: Act 1. Ave, sera gentile
2. Manon Lescaut, opera: Act 1. L'amor?... l'amor?!
3. Manon Lescaut, opera: Act 1. Tra voi, belle, brune e bionde
4. Manon Lescaut, opera: Act 1. Ma bravo!
5. Manon Lescaut, opera: Act 1. Discendono, vediam!
6. Manon Lescaut, opera: Act 1. Cortese damigella
7. Manon Lescaut, opera: Act 1. Donna non vidi mai
8. Manon Lescaut, opera: Act 1. La tua ventura ci rassciura
9. Manon Lescaut, opera: Act 1. La tua Proserpina
10. Manon Lescaut, opera: Act 1. Vedete? Io son fedele
11. Manon Lescaut, opera: Act 1. Non c'è più vino?
12. Manon Lescaut, opera: Act 1. Di sedur la sorellina è il momento
13. Manon Lescaut, opera: Act 2. Dispettosetto questo riccio!
14. Manon Lescaut, opera: Act 2. In quelle trine morbide
15. Manon Lescaut, opera: Act 2. Poiché tu vuoi saper
16. Manon Lescaut, opera: Act 2. Che seffi son costor?... Sulla vetta tu del monte
17. Manon Lescaut, opera: Act 2. Paga costor!
18. Manon Lescaut, opera: Act 2. Minuetto
19. Manon Lescaut, opera: Act 2. Oh, sarò la più bella!
20. Manon Lescaut, opera: Act 2. Ah!... Affé, madamigella
21. Manon Lescaut, opera: Act 2. Senti, di qui partiamo... Ah! Manon, mi tradisce
22. Manon Lescaut, opera: Act 2. Lescaut?!... Tu qui?!

Disc 2:

1. Manon Lescaut, opera: Intermezzo
2. Manon Lescaut, opera: Act 3. Ansia eterna, crudel
3. Manon Lescaut, opera: Act 3. ... e Kate rispose al Re
4. Manon Lescaut, opera: Act 3. All'armi! All'armi!
5. Manon Lescaut, opera: Act 3. Rosetta!
6. Manon Lescaut, opera: Act 3. Presto! In fila!
7. Manon Lescaut, opera: Act 4. Tutta su me ti posa
8. Manon Lescaut, opera: Act 4. Manon, senti, amor mio
9. Manon Lescaut, opera: Act 4. Sei tu che piangi?
10. Manon Lescaut, opera: Act 4. Sola, perduta, abbandonata
11. Manon Lescaut, opera: Act 4. Fra le tue braccia amore

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #122868 in Music
• Released on: 1993-09-14
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: .69 pounds

Customer Reviews

magnificently powerful
Here we have one of those (rather rare) recordings with a whole cast of stars managing to make a performance just as magnificent as one would expect.

James Levine conducts a white hot and blood red performance that still is warm in the more quite and poetic parts, caught in exceptionally clear and vivid sound by the engineers. And his singers definately has the skill to follow him. Both main caracters are far too old to be able to make a believable stageperformance, but you hear little of that fact on this record. Freni's voice is still as great as in many of her much older recordings: both warm, tender and powerful when so called for. Her last aria sola, perduta... shows no signs of wear in the voice. Her des Grieux in Pavarotti is, if possible, even better. I've not always been very fond of him, but this is truely great - he has a almost vulgar power combined with passionate and very thought through singing that perfectly matches des Grieux's caracter. And the mix of Freni and Pavarotti, under the support of Levine, is stunning. I havn't ever heard such a magnificently heartbreaking last act (the desert scene).

All the other singers catch up with them - Dwayne Croft superbly so as Lescaut, with a firm and full tone. Having Taddei, Bartoli and Vargas in minor roles is pure luxury. The choir and orchestra of the Met also are splendidly good.

This version also is believable, though recorded in a studio, probably because both conductor and lead singers have done it many times before on stage. This recording is a pure puccinian drama caught at its best. There really are no weak part in the whole production, which definately is the case in almost all rivalling versions. Although I love Jussi Björling's des Grieux (on RCA), possibly even more than Pavarotti's, this recording has both better sound and better over all qualities.

Don't hesitate - Highly recommended!

Levine's best recording
This is by far Levine's best recording, and probably the best overall recording of Manon Lescaut. Levine manages to match sense and sensibility, and the singers are just perfecly casted. Mirella Freni (despite her age) is still the greatest soprano of our time, and Pavarotti sings the way everybody wants him to sing, although some too open vowels sound a little kitsch. Listen closely to Bartoli's wonderful "cameo" and Taddei's clumsy Geronte.

Two great Puccini singers caught too late
A lot of wind is blowing thorugh the reviews here. Dissecting every detail of this Manon Lescaut seems like overkill, and calling it "magnificent" or "Levine's best recording, ever" sounds fatuous. Decca made this recording in 1993 for the sake of capturing Pavarotti in one of his best Puccini roles. There's no doubt that he was masterful in their Madama Butterfly and La Boheme, and despite advancing years one hears how good his Des Grieux must have been in his prime. But the voice is frayed, and the tenor's earlier ability to offer nuance has become sadly coarsened.

As for Freni, who gave a great interpretation of Manon for Sinopoli on DG, she was successful in doing remakes of Tosca and Butterfly that depended on artistry to disguise vocal wear and tear. She's moderately successful here, too, although being a seductress, Manon should sound as fresh and gleaming as possible. Levine, his orchestra, and Decca's engineering are all first-rate.

In the end, this set can't be called anything less than accomplished, but it captures two great Puccini singers too far past their prime.