Search - Massenet, Freni, Pavarotti :: Manon

Magnificent Singing makes flaws minor

J Overdijkink | the Netherlands | 03/11/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Five stars for the singers, but one deduction (only one!) for the cuts and the language (which are relitively a very minor drawback, only). Mirella Freni and Pavarotti are in their youthfull prime and on top of the world. In two words: absolutely FANTASTIC. Take the incredibly long, sustained note in unison, at the end of Manon and Des Grieux's first act duet ('a parigi, andrem'). What power and what excellent voices! That one certainly gives me goosebumps.
The whole performance is filled with thrilling moments like these (The very x-rated church scene in act three is wild!), making this recording very much unmissible for any lover of Freni and Pavarotti.
Peter Maag's conducting of the La Scala forces is very dramatic and powerfull. The fact it is a live recording no doubt contributes to the splendidly dramatic performance. Of course, if you only go for authenticity (which I very much advocate), this package is not for you. First, it's in Italian, not the original french, which can at times sound awkward (as translated opera's tend to do). Second, it is brutely cut. The cuts in the first act are still rather conventional, even by todays standards (it is generally acknowledged that the first act is too long for it's own dramatic good). On the other hand, the ommision of half of the third act is terrible, that act now consists only of the church scene.
This La Scala production had compressed the five act work to four, taking the last two acts together. Amazon.com advertises this cd as having five acts. Once the cuts are made, it is indeed only a matter of name-giving. But I repeat, all this is certainly outweighed by the musical performance, which is of very high quality and will thrill you!
So, if you really want to hear stupendous singing from a magnificent cast and you do not mind the cuts and frequent frantic applause and cheering from an audience going mad, buy this cd! It is a bargain. (Buy the original french and complete version as well!)"

Great Manons On Record: Mirella Freni

Rudy Avila | Lennox, Ca United States | 08/16/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm on a Manon kick and I have enjoyed a few sopranos in the role as well as disliked others. I still think Beverly Sills does it the best, but I really enjoyed Mirella Freni in the role. Her Italianate portrayal does not take away from the dramatic spirit of the heroine. She is passionate, she is strong in her performance. Opposite her radiant and moving Manon is the world famous Luciano Pavoratti as Des Grieux. Everyone knows that for a time Pavoratti and Freni were a tenor and soprano force not to be reckoned with and as the lovers on this recording they are on fire. True, this recording is heavily cut and that's always a bummer. But on the bright side, it's a live performance in which Pavoratti and Freni are both in the best shape of their vocal careers and did one hell of a Manon that night. From the beginning when Manon and Des Grieux meet and sing that first love duet to the tragic death-scene, it's one great journey I dont mind taking along.



Truthfully, the role of Manon in the Massenet masterpiece is quite difficult to sing for a soprano. She must aptly portray a heroine who undergoes a journey from innocence to worldly experience, who feels passionately about love and is ambitious, lusty and money-loving. All these characteristics should be evident in a performance whose vocal style is essentially lyric with a degree of dramatic thrusts. Very few sopranos succeed in the role of Manon, often minimizing her complexity by sinigng her as a flirty operetta-type heroine who just happens to die at the end of the opera. Still another interpretation is that she's like the French opera version of Violetta in Verdi's Italian opera La Traviata. Manon is neither of these. She stands alone as an engaging, complicated woman who is quite torn between purity, Provincial innocence, Parisian cosmopolitan attitudes, love, greed, regret, passion, despair. She is the embodiment of the 18th century heroine much written in such works as well of course Prevost's novel Manon Lescaut of which this is based but also Les Liasons Dangereuse (Dangerous Liasions). Manon was also an attractive figure in opera. Puccini composed a successful Italian version Manon Lescaut. Other fine Manons on my list that should also be on yours are - Beverly Sills, Victoria De Los Angeles, Angela Gheorghiu and Renee Fleming."