Puccini - Manon Lescaut (OPERA)

Manon Lescaut  (Opera)  Two CD Boxed Set

By Puccini , 

Performers: Mirella Freni, Luciano Pavarotti, Dwayne Croft, Giuseppe Taddei, Ramon Vargas, et al

Conductor: James Levine

Composer: Giacomo Puccini

Very Good Condition

REVIEWED: Manon Lescaut, featuring Mirella Freni, Luciano Pavarotti, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by James Levine. Decca

Many years ago, when I was a teenager in the1970s studying piano in Dallas, Maria Callas and Giuseppe Di Stefano made a stop there in their (in)famous farewell tour. I didn't have any background in opera because no one in my family did. But my piano teacher thought I ought to hear it, so she gave me a ticket and an LP of the two singing duets exerted from various full length recordings. On side two was most of the last act of Tosca, and an 8 minute chunk from Manon Lescaut. The recital was, in retrospect, both exciting and sad. But the record was something else. I wore that LP out. That Christmas, my grandparents gave me three full length opera box sets, including the complete Manon Lescaut in stereo with Freni, conducted by Sinopoli. I wore that out too, but never replaced it. So recently, I found myself looking for a good stereo recording, and chose this based on my earlier experience with the GLORIOUS La Boheme and Butterfly, under Karajan. I thought I couldn't go wrong.

Philistine that I am, the first thing I did on receiving it was to play the 2nd half of Act II. That's when I realized: I should have read the reviews. This is, evidently, a recording made when both stars were nearing the end of their careers. Pavarotti's voice is dry and tight, at times almost hoarse. He growls rather than sings. Very unpleasant. Freni isn't any better. Her vocal comfort zone, by this stage in her career, had shrunk so that her bottoms sounded scratchy and her notes above the staff sound wild and out of control. It is not a pleasant sound. And with these two down, who cares about the rest of the cast and conductor?

So pass on this one, but I'm not giving up on Freni. The Sinopoli recording, mentioned above, is winging its way to me even as I type. Cheers.

Tracklist

Disc 1

1     Puccini: Manon Lescaut / Act 1 - Ave, sera gentile

by Ramón Vargas & Metropolitan Opera Chorus & Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & James Levine

4:24                       

2     Puccini: Manon Lescaut / Act 1 - L'amor?! L'amor?!

by Luciano Pavarotti & Ramón Vargas & Metropolitan Opera Chorus & Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & James Levine

0:58                       

3     Puccini: Manon Lescaut / Act 1 - Tra voi belle, brune e bionde

by Luciano Pavarotti & Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & James Levine

1:10                       

4     Puccini: Manon Lescaut / Act 1 - Ma bravo!

by Ramón Vargas & Metropolitan Opera Chorus & Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & James Levine

1:48                       

5     Puccini: Manon Lescaut / Act 1 - Discendono, vediam!

by Ramón Vargas & Dwayne Croft & Luciano Pavarotti & Federico Davia & Giuseppe Taddei & Metropolitan Opera Chorus & Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & James Levine

2:01                       

6     Puccini: Manon Lescaut / Act 1 - Cortese damigella

by Luciano Pavarotti & Mirella Freni & Dwayne Croft & Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & James Levine

3:46                       

7     Puccini: Manon Lescaut / Act 1 - Donna non vidi mai

by Luciano Pavarotti & Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & James Levine

2:11                       

8     Puccini: Manon Lescaut / Act 1 - La tua ventura ci rassicura

by Ramón Vargas & Giuseppe Taddei & Dwayne Croft & Federico Davia & Metropolitan Opera Chorus & Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & James Levine

5:45                       

9     Puccini: Manon Lescaut / Act 1 - La tua Proserpina

by Ramón Vargas & Luciano Pavarotti & Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & James Levine

2:00                       

10   Puccini: Manon Lescaut / Act 1 - Vedete? Io son fedele

by Mirella Freni & Luciano Pavarotti & Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & James Levine

3:56                       

11   Puccini: Manon Lescaut / Act 1 - Non c'è più vino?

by Dwayne Croft & Luciano Pavarotti & Mirella Freni & Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & James Levine

1:42                       

12   Puccini: Manon Lescaut / Act 1 - Di sedur la sorellina è il momento

by Giuseppe Taddei & Federico Davia & Ramón Vargas & Dwayne Croft & Metropolitan Opera Chorus & Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & James Levine

4:17                       

13   Puccini: Manon Lescaut / Act 2 - Dispettosetto questo riccio!

by Mirella Freni & Dwayne Croft & Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & James Levine

5:32                       

14   Puccini: Manon Lescaut / Act 2 - In quelle trine morbide

by Mirella Freni & Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & James Levine

2:31                       

15   Puccini: Manon Lescaut / Act 2 - Poichè tu vuoi saper?

by Dwayne Croft & Mirella Freni & Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & James Levine

3:08                       

16   Puccini: Manon Lescaut / Act 2 - Che ceffi son costor? ... Sulla vetta tu del monte

by James Levine & Dwayne Croft & Mirella Freni & Cecilia Bartoli & Metropolitan Opera Chorus & Metropolitan Opera Orchestra

2:12                       

17   Puccini: Manon Lescaut / Act 2 - Paga costor!

by Mirella Freni & Dwayne Croft & Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & James Levine

1:14                       

18   Puccini: Manon Lescaut / Act 2 - Minuetto

by Anthony Laciura & Giuseppe Taddei & Mirella Freni & Metropolitan Opera Chorus & Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & James Levine

8:22                       

19   Puccini: Manon Lescaut / Act 2 - Oh, sarò la più bella!...Tu, tu, amore tu

by Mirella Freni & Luciano Pavarotti & Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & James Levine

8:04                       

20   Puccini: Manon Lescaut / Act 2 - Ah! Affé, madamigella

by Mirella Freni & Giuseppe Taddei & Luciano Pavarotti & Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & James Levine

2:15                       

21   Puccini: Manon Lescaut / Act 2 - Senti, di qui partiamo ... Ah, Manon mi tradisce

by Luciano Pavarotti & Mirella Freni & Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & James Levine

3:31                       

22   Puccini: Manon Lescaut / Act 2 - Lescaut? Tu qui?

by Luciano Pavarotti & Mirella Freni & Dwayne Croft & James Courtney & Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & James Levine

3:32                       

Disc 2

1     Puccini: Manon Lescaut / Act 2 - Intermezzo

by Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & James Levine

5:15                       

2     Puccini: Manon Lescaut / Act 3 - Ansia eterna, crudel

by Luciano Pavarotti & Dwayne Croft & Mirella Freni & Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & James Levine

4:37                       

3     Puccini: Manon Lescaut / Act 3 - ... e Kate ripose al Re

by Paul Groves & Luciano Pavarotti & Mirella Freni & Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & James Levine

2:59                       

4     Puccini: Manon Lescaut / Act 3 - All'armi! All'armi!

by Dwayne Croft & Luciano Pavarotti & Mirella Freni & James Courtney & Federico Davia & Metropolitan Opera Chorus & Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & James Levine

1:46                       

5     Puccini: Manon Lescaut / Act 3 - Rosetta!

by James Courtney & Dwayne Croft & Mirella Freni & Luciano Pavarotti & Metropolitan Opera Chorus & Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & James Levine

3:50                       

6     Puccini: Manon Lescaut / Act 3 - Presto! In fila!

by James Courtney & Luciano Pavarotti & Federico Davia & Metropolitan Opera Chorus & Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & James Levine

3:28                       

7     Puccini: Manon Lescaut / Act 4 - Tutta su me ti posa

by Luciano Pavarotti & Mirella Freni & Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & James Levine

3:05                       

8     Puccini: Manon Lescaut / Act 4 - Manon, senti, amor mio

by Luciano Pavarotti & Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & James Levine

1:58                       

9     Puccini: Manon Lescaut / Act 4 - Sei tu che piangi?

by Mirella Freni & Luciano Pavarotti & Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & James Levine

5:35                       

10   Puccini: Manon Lescaut / Act 4 - Sola, perduta, abbandonata

by Mirella Freni & Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & James Levine

4:46                       

11   Puccini: Manon Lescaut / Act 4 - Fra le tue braccie, amore

by Mirella Freni & Luciano Pavarotti & Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & James Levine

7:39                       

Product details