I can confidently say that this is as definitive a performance of Manon Lescaut as one could ever hope to hear. Montserrat Caballé and Richard Tucker are both at the absolute peak of their powers. Caballé's ability to float Puccini's melodies is so exquisite that one could imagine Puccini himself writing operas specifically for her. Similarly, Tucker delivers an emotionally shattering performance, plunging to the very depths of despair in his Act III aria.