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Donald Macleod, in conversation with Sir Antonio Pappano, traces the developmental line of Puccini's meticulously crafted dramatic heroines. Today it's Manon Lescaut, a woman whose love of pleasure and the good life ultimately leads to her destruction.

Manon Lescaut, Mimì, Tosca, Madama Butterfly and Suor Angelica are women who capture our hearts and connect directly with our emotions. Recorded at the Royal Opera House, seated beneath several striking portraits of the composer, Tony dips into the scores to show how Puccini created these unforgettable characters and how with each one, Puccini was seeking to perfect the synthesis between music and action, while constantly pushing the boundaries of his musical language.

Born in 1858 in Lucca into a dynasty of musicians, Puccini was destined to be a church composer. That all changed when at age of 18, he walked to Pisa to see Verdi's Aida. It proved to be a formative experience. In that moment, he determined to become a man of the theatre, writing music exclusively for the stage. He went on to produce a dozen operas in fulfilment of that ambition - the last of them left incomplete at his death in 1924 - which include La Bohème, Tosca and Madama Butterfly, still the cornerstones of any opera house's repertory.

It was his third opera, Manon Lescaut that marked a significant turning point for Puccini. After three years of hard graft, working with a succession of librettists on this adaptation of Abbé Provost's novel, when it was premiered in Turin in 1893, the critics were universal in their praise, citing in particular the quality of the vocal writing.

In quelle trine morbide (Manon Lescaut, Act 2)
Anna Netrebko, soprano, Manon
Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Antonio Pappano

Cortese damigella...Donna non vidi mai (Manon Lescaut, Act 1)
Anna Netrebko, soprano, Manon
Yusif Eyvazov, tenor, Des Grieux
Munich Radio Orchestra
Marco Armiliato, conductor

Minuet (Manon Lescaut, Act 2)
John Fryatt, tenor, Dancing Master
Kurt Rydl, bass, Geronte
Mirella Freni, soprano, Manon
Chorus of Royal Opera House
Philharmonia Orchestra
Giuseppe Sinopoli, conductor

Act 4 (Manon Lescaut)
Anna Netrebko, soprano, Manon
Yusif Eyvazov, tenor, Des Grieux
Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Antonio Pappano, conductor.