MANON LESCAUT

MANON LESCAUT:Puccini
Original Air Date: 03/02/1985
Santi; Maliponte, Moldoveanu, Carlson, Berberian
SID.19310642
This is Maliponte’s final Met broadcast, and only a fall group of Alice Fords remain in her Met career. Moldoveanu is getting some additional exposure with the release of the Levine DVDs of Tabarro and Don Carlo in his anniversary box. Moldoveanu won’t be mistaken for Bjorling, but he holds up his end, and Santi is well versed in the tradition. Maliponte is a favorite as she is one of the most distinctive lyric sopranos of the 1970s and 1980s. Moldoveanu is no Bjorling, he is a very solid Des Grieux. Caruso, creator of the role is the Met House champion and seond place is a tie between Richard Tucker and Ermanno Mauro. Corelli never sang the part (though he did do the duet) and Domingo has only the broadcast/telecast season of 1980. Bjorling only has eight at the Met, but two are legendary broadcasts, 1949 with Dorothy Kirsten and 1956 with Albanese which utterly eclipses their studio effort from the same period.