For those who want to hear an alternate to Beverly Sills' famous performance of Massenet's enchanting heroine, here is Patricia Brooks whose recorded work is comparatively small. She makes a lovely Manon in all her hedonistic glory, her voice tonally fuller than Sills' if not quite as fleet with the coloratura (though still very accomplished). The famous Cours-le-Reine scene is cut entirely so we lose the wonderful scene of Manon's meeting with the Comte Des Grieux, but budgets being what they are (and it's an expensive scene to mount) we must be grateful that her big scene was moved to the fourth act. Of course we lose the sparkling quartet of Manon and the three other courtesans (it's like an operatic Andrews Sisters number), but there we are. For high note fanciers, Brooks sings the higher alternative cadenza in her opening aria, the two Ds in "Je marche", the Gavotte, and the last note in Act Four. She does not sing the alternative D-flat in the trio with Des Grieux and Lescaut. Domingo is clearly thinking about what he is singing and is a marvelous Des Grieux, one of the few tenors who is great in both Massenet's and Puccini's settings. The other singers are all good and Guadagno keeps things moving.The sound is basically very good, the voices clearly heard though there is some distortion, mainly in the first act. It's not really a problem though. If you love Manon and/or Brooks, get this!

For many the main attraction of this recording will be Domingo (aged 28), but it is mainly valuable for preserving an impressive and stylish performance as Manon by the seriously under-recorded American soprano and singing actress Patricia Brooks, who lived from 1933 or 1937 (both birth dates abound!) to 1993. Her very promising operatic career, centred on 32 roles in 6 languages at New York City Opera (NYCO), was tragically cut short in 1977 by breathing difficulties brought on by the onset of the multiple sclerosis which eventually killed her. She won a piano competition at the age of 10, and studied/performed dance with Martha Graham from the age of 14. However, a knee injury diverted her into acting (she starred in off-Broadway Circle in the Square Theater productions of Eugene O’Neill’s The Ice Man Cometh and Truman Capote’s The Grass Harp) and singing. In 1960, while performing in The Sound of Music on Broadway, she was engaged by Rudel to sing Marianne (in Der Rosenkavalier) and Musetta for NYCO. Subsequent successes included Gilda (available on OD 11738), Violetta, Mimi, Manon, Mélisande, Magda (on OD 10839, but in mediocre sound), Norma, and Lulu, mostly at NYCO, but also in various other North American venues (including the White House, for President Kennedy, in 1963) and at Covent Garden.

Patricia Brooks benefited from close associations with Rudel and Beverly Sills, who held her in high esteem. Her voice and persona were especially well-suited to Manon (and, reportedly, Mélisande). Clear, engaged and idiomatic enunciation of French is crucial to the power, beauty and appeal of French opera. Great as they were, however, neither Sills (on OD-10756) nor Brooks fully matched the distinctive Gallic expressiveness and authenticity of the great French Manons (most notably Janine Micheau, Renée Doria, Natalie Dessay and Patricia Petibon). In this Manon, Robert Savoie (Lescaut) and André Lortie (le Comte des Grieux) are dependable French Canadians, while the other singers (including Brooks and Domingo) sound much more convincingly French than is usual in performances by largely non-Gallic casts. Domingo lightens his heavy voice more effectively here than in his 1969 NYCO recording with Sills and Rudel (four major scenes are currently available on YouTube). Although scene 1 of Act 3 is omitted here, the main aria is included in Act 4. There is some significant congestion/distortion in loud passages early on, but this blemish steadily diminishes. Indeed, the sound quality is mostly very good during the great arias and duets and Acts 2-5. Indeed, it is mellower than in the very good Sills/Gedda/Peter Maag Buenos Aires Manon (1970) on OD 10756. Both of these recordings are highly recommended! Robert Bideleux.

Wonderful atmosphere. Very international for Vancouver which I never rated for opera. That only goes to show how insular we in England are. Domingo wonderful as ever. Reminds me how young and high his tessitura was in those days. I agree that recordings like this are full of atmosphere. Bravo the audience response.

First I would like to say that this performance is absolutely excellent 1 The sound is great. The singers are top notch(who knew that Domingo sang des Grieuex?) Madame Brooks is stuning. There is only ONE problem. Have you ever heard of cut and paste? This is the ultimate Cut and past opera performance. Any resemblance to the composer’s score is purly actcidental. The first scene of act three is cut, but not to worry the gavotte shows up in act four in the gambeling scene. I was so confused listening to it the first time around. After I thought about it for a while I did recall that the opera used to be performed that way in small companies with no ballet. I digress. BUY THIS PERFOFMANCE! It is worth every penny. It is truely lovly singing all round. All the major arias are there(wait for it)and performed to perfection BUT. Don’t make this your only Manon. Go buy a complete version(Sills and De los Angelese are my favorites) and hear how it is supposed to go together, but don’t pass this one up.

Addendum: Yes I did know that Doming sang des Greiux in Puccini’s Manon Lescault.