COMPOSERS: Puccini
LABELS: Sony
WORKS: Manon Lescaut
PERFORMER: Licia Albanese, Jussi Björling, Robert Merrill; Rome Opera Chorus & Rome Opera Orchestra/Jonel Perlea
CATALOGUE NO: 88697579062
True veteran of the bunch, Jonel Perlea’s 1954 Manon Lescaut really is classic Puccini. Personally I’d like a little more tonal opulence from Licia Albanese’s touching and word-conscious heroine, but was there ever a tenor better at the sob in the voice than Jussi Björling? Stalwart baritone Robert Merrill certainly doesn’t let the side down, and though there are some problems with the sound, it all swings along magnificently. David Nice