Massenet feels the subject as a Frenchman, with the powder and the minuets” said Puccini, before composing his version of the Manon Lescaut story. “I shall feel it as an Italian, with desperate passion.” With this recording, we get the best of both worlds: Massenet’s fabulously rich score delivered with desperate passion and superlative singing by Freni and Pavarotti. Well, most of it: the Cours-la-Reine scene is deleted, with Obéissons inserted into Act 4 at the Hôtel de Transylvanie: no complaints from me. In fact, the work seems to benefit from it! The singing from the two leads really is miraculous: Freni is luscious and the very young-sounding Pavarotti is on fire. The stand-out arias are show-stopping, and the recorded quality is very good - this is a must buy!