Although this performance is sung in Italian, it stands as one of the finest recordings of Manon I have ever heard—thanks largely to the exceptional lead performances by Mirella Freni and Luciano Pavarotti. Recorded at the very start of their illustrious careers, both singers infuse the opera with an unmistakable Italian sensibility while preserving its inherently French character. Mirella Freni, in particular, is mesmerizing throughout, even managing to win over the notoriously hard-to-please Milanese audience during "N'est-ce plus ma main." Equally captivating, Luciano Pavarotti brings both elegance and a hint of Italianate verismo to the role of Des Grieux, and the sound quality is nearly flawless.