Performance history

The opera was a mainstay of the Opéra-Comique in Paris, reaching its 1,000th performance there in 1919, its 1,500th in 1931 and 2,000th in 1952.

The first Manon was Marie Heilbron; some of the most celebrated interpreters include Sibyl Sanderson (Massenet's personal favorite), Nellie Melba, Geraldine Farrar, Fanny Heldy,