MANON LESCAUT

“MANON LESCAUT : Puccini
Original Air Date: 03/29/1980
Cast: Levine; Scotto, Domingo, Elvira, Capecchi
Media: SID.18390636 Tags: Archive; 2018, Levine, Domingo, Puccini
This performance is also available on video in MOoD. As an audio only performance, it ranks behind the two Bjorling broadcasts (1949 with Kirsten and 1956 with Albanese– the latter one of the great Met broadcasts thanks to the additional force of Mitropoulos in the pit). Though Tebaldi and Tucker were both great exponents of these roles, their 1959 broadcast together still seems to elude the Sirius programmers. Great shame, especially for her, as it’s one of her great afternoons. This 1980 broadcast is well worth listening to, but my recent reactions to Scotto’s 1967 Butterfly and her 1982 Lady Macbeth found her tone even harder than I remembered. Her style is impeccable, but her 45 year old Manon is pretty hard-edged.”