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Placido Domingo and Kiri Te Kanawa were in top form vocally when this performance was recorded in 1984; Sinopoli's conducting is energetic and stylistically distinctive, and the staging strikes the proper notes of elegance in the early scenes and pathos in the tragic conclusion. This is not the only good video recording of Puccini's first masterpiece, but it ranks with the best. Manon Lescaut is the story of a beautiful young woman who goes astray en route to a convent and drifts into life of self-indulgence, sexual exploitation, and crime, leading to her death as a convict, a story full of operatic situations. It inspired two operas in the standard repertoire, Puccini's and Massenet's earlier Manon. Puccini took a big risk going mano a mano with Massenet, but it worked; he did not eclipse Massenet, but this work gave his career a major boost. This production shows why it has captivated so many audiences. --Joe McLellan
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