We're a Go for 'Manon Lescaut'

On the premiere episode of the new podcast He Sang/She Sang, hosts Merrin Lazyan and Mike Shobe discuss the plot, characters and music of Puccini's Manon Lescaut with the principle stage director of Regina Opera, Linda Lehr, and WQXR's morning host Jeff Spurgeon.

Plus, soprano Anna Netrebko joins us to talk about playing the title character, and the panel discusses their YouTube recommendations to get even more familiar with Manon Lescaut.

Jeff Spurgeon's YouTube Pick (Jonas Kaufmann and Kristine Opolais): 

Linda Lehr's YouTube Pick (Kiri Te Kanawa and Placido Domingo):

Merrin Lazyan's YouTube Pick (Anna Netrebko and Yusif Eyvazov):

Mike Shobe's YouTube Pick (Jonas Kaufmann):

This episode features excerpts from the following albums and performances:
• Anna Netrebko, soprano; Yusif Eyvazof, tenor; and Brian Zeger, piano, recorded live at The Greene Space at WQXR (September 2016).
• Puccini: Manon Lescaut (Decca Records, 1993)
— Luciano Pavarotti, tenor; Mirella Freni, soprano
• Anna Netrebko: Verismo (Deutsche Grammophon, 2016)
— Anna Netrebko, soprano