MANON LESCAUT:Puccini
Original Air Date: 03/12/1966
Adler; Kabaivanska, Tucker, Walker, Esparza
MOD Audio SID.19260104
While I still want to hear Tucker and Tebaldi from 7 years earlier, this gives us the advantage of hearing a young Kabaivanska. I saw her do this part with a young Domingo pretty contemporaneous with this broadcast in Fort Worth, and what a pair they were. Esparza is for party tapes, and Walker was promoted as a more cornfed Merrill. Cornfed he may be, but any comparison to Merrill is not critically alert. Merrill on the Albanese Bjorling recording is like sable (the fur not the fish). Also available on MOoD (Met Opera on Demand) Manon Lescaut is my favorite Puccini and Kabaivanska is an excellent Manon. Sirius is still omitting the 1959 broadcast with Tebaldi and Tucker when both are at their absolute best. Esparza is an unfunny Thanksgiving joke; he makes Corena sound like Ezio Pinza.
Skip to content
