Manon Lescaut is an Italian opera in four acts composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1889 and 1892 to a libretto by Luigi Illica, Marco Praga and Domenico Oliva, based on the 1731 novel Histoire du Chevalier des Grieux, et de Manon Lescaut by the Abbé Prévost. The opera was first performed on February 1, 1893 in Turin, at the Teatro Regio.
The libretto was cobbled together by five librettists whom Puccini employed: Ruggero Leoncavallo, Marco Praga, Giuseppe Giacosa, Domenico Oliva and Luigi Illica. The publisher, Giulio Ricordi, and the composer himself also contributed to the libretto. So confused was the authorship of the libretto that no one was credited on the title page of the original score. However, it was Illica and Giacosa who completed the libretto and went on to contribute the libretti to Puccini's next three – and most successful – works, La Bohème, Tosca and Madama Butterfly.
Cast:
Manon Lescaut - Maria Callas
Lescaut - Giulio Fioravanti
Chevalier des Grieux - Giuseppe di Stefano
Geronte - Franco Calabrese
Edmondo - Dino Formichini
La Scala Opera Orchestra and Chorus
Tulio Serafin - conductor
EMI - 1957