One of the first classic opera recordings of the LP era here makes a welcome return to the catalogue. As EMI now has its highly praised new set of Manon with Gheorghiu and Alagna, it has fallen to Testament to bring back this earlier HMV set. Compared to its previous CD release, the sound here has been carefully restored with greatly reduced hiss, a less wiry treble and firmer bass – a successful facelift for a Manon who no longer sounds her age.
Recorded in mono in 1955, the set fell at a unique point in the opera’s history on disc. Previous recordings from the 78rpm era had captured the special Opera-Comique spirit for posterity, but they hold limited sonic appeal to present-day collectors; later recordings have up-to-date sound, but their international casts generally cannot claim the same sense of style. Only with this 1955 set do we get the best of both worlds. All the basic elements of the performance were provided by the Theatre National de l’Opera-Comique, while de los Angeles and Monteux bring a dash of international glamour. It makes an excellent combination which is never likely to be repeated.
Already at the time a practised exponent of Manon on stage, de los Angeles makes a vivid heroine, allowing us to see every expression passing across her face, almost as if we were watching a video. Maybe the role lies a little high for her, but de los Angeles surprised herself on the day of recording by hitting the high D in the Cours-la-Reine scene. Monteux’s skill in his native French repertoire is second to none, and he brings exemplary sparkle to the music. The attack of the less-than-first-class Opera-Comique orchestra at big moments like the end of the Saint-Sulpice duet is electric.
It would be possible to find fault with various members of the supporting cast, but that is to miss the point. They sing with a grace and wit that nobody from outside the Opera-Comique tradition can replicate easily. Henri Legay did not have a great tenor voice, but the poetry and the passion of Des Grieux come as second nature to him. Michel Dens’ lively Lescaut and Jean Borthayre’s serious Comte des Grieux are no less idiomatic; and the delectably perfumed Guillot of Rene Herent is a collector’s item in the best sense of the term, as he had been singing this role with the company since his debut in 1918. The cast communicate the text with exemplary clarity.
Last time round on CD this Manon was coupled with a later recording by de los Angeles of Chausson’s Poeme de l’amour et de la mer. Testament has chosen more contemporaneous fillers (the recordings of Berlioz’s Les nuits d’ete and Debussy’s La damoiselle elue date from April 1955, just two months before the Manon). She is charming in both, and Charles Munch makes a worthy partner for her. For the opera itself there is now a clear choice between this reissue and EMI’s fine new Pappano set. Opera collectors will probably want both