By Jay Nordlinger [NY Sun, 22 September 2005]
Massenet’s “Manon” ó not to be confused with Puccini’s “Manon Lescaut” ó has some of the most beloved music in opera. I think, particularly, of two soprano arias: “Adieu, notre petite table,” a haunting G-minor beauty; and the Gavotte, kind of a showy party piece. And I think of the two tenor arias: “Le Reve” (“The Dream”), a piece of gentle D-major perfection; and “Ah, fuyez, douce image,” a romantic outburst in E-flat major.