Jules Massenet: Manon (2008)

Director Vincent Paterson creates an energetic staging with dramatic visual magnificence of Jules Massenet's opera "Manon," which is set in and Louisiana in the early 18th century. Soprano Anna Netrebko and tenor Rolando Villazón deliver mesmerizing performances in a story about two lovers finally brought together, but ultimately torn apart. Conductor Daniel Barenboim leads the Staatskapelle Berlin in a ionate melodic presentation.