Manon Lescaut, from the eponymous Puccini opera, is a difficult character to grasp, evolving from a naïve young girl to a venal and manipulative femme fatale, and finally a despaired woman weeping over her miserable end. Maria Callas never performed the role on stage but left this milestone recorded version in 1957, forming with Giuseppe Di Stefano (as Des Grieux) one of the most iconic couples of the whole Puccini discography.
