Massenet: Manon

Available for over a year

Building a Library surveys recordings of Massenet's Manon to make a recommendation. Based on the 1731 novel L'histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut by the Abbé Prévost, Manon is probably still Massenet's most popular opera. It was first performed at the Opéra-Comique in Paris in 1884, and it has never been out of the repertory since its creation. It is full of charm and vitality with a complex central character who develops from the ingenue of Act 1 to someone altogether more manipulative at the end of the drama. Recommended Recording: Angela Gheorghiu (Manon); Roberto Alagna (Chevalier des Grieux) Orchestre Symphonique de la Monnaie; Antonio Pappano (conductor) Warner Classics 4563892 (3 CDs) Other Recommended Recordings: Below are other recordings that Flora also liked, although we can’t guarantee availability. Victoria De Los Angeles (Manon); Henri Legay (Chevalier des Grieux) Orchestre du Théâtre national de l’Opéra-Comique; Pierre Monteux (conductor) TESTAMENT SBT3203 (3 CDs). Also on Naxos 8111268-70 and EMI 7635492. Germaine Feraldy (Manon); Joseph Rogatchewsky (Chevalier des Grieux) Orchestre de l’Opéra-Comique de Paris; Elie Cohen (conductor) Classical Collector FDC22001. Also on Naxos 8110203-04. Anna Netrebko (Manon); Rolando Villazón (Chevalier des Grieux) Staatsopernchor and Staatskapelle Berlin, Daniel Barenboim (conductor) DG 0734431 (2 DVDs)