This 1954 Manon Lescaut, one of the first operatic recordings to use the Chorus and Orchestra of the Rome Opera House, features Licia Albanese and Jussi Björling as Manon and Des Grieux in two of their greatest interpretations on record. Complimented by Robert Merrill’s finely sung Lescaut and Jonel Perlea’s vivid and dramatic handling of one of Puccini’s most colourful scores, Albanese and Björling are unforgettable in their portrayal of the multifaceted and complex character of the two lovers. This re-issue also includes Albanese’s 1951 recording of Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5, under the great Leopold Stokowski, which here makes its first appearance on CD.