Not only was it the best opera performance I have seen all year, but it was one of the best opera performances I have seen in over 50 years of attending the opera.

Everything about the performance was as close to perfection as I have ever seen on an operatic stage. The production, direction, singing, and the interactions and chemistry between everyone on stage made for a very enjoyable evening.

Oropesa and Bernheim were just sensational.

Not only did Oropesa deliver a powerhouse performance vocally, but she presented a finely developed character that transitioned from a naïve country girl on her way to the convent to the woman seduced by money and luxuries. She dominated the stage in the Cours-la-Reine and gambling scenes and I could not take my eyes off of her.

Bernheim was also outstanding vocally and dramatically. His version of “En fermant les yeux” was mesmerizing and the “Ah! Fuyez, douce image” was thrilling. I have never heard those arias sung so well in a live performance.

One of my favorite scenes in all of opera is the Saint-Sulpice Scene, and Oropesa and Bernheim let it rip knocking it out of the park. The duet was brilliantly sung, passionate, and exciting.

Overall, it was an amazing evening in the opera house.

I could not locate any audio or video clips from the Zurich performance, but included Bernheim’s version of “En fermant les yeux” from a production at the Paris Opera a few years ago.

Predictably, grimoaldo2 agrees:

This is a tough one. I was privileged to be present at quite a few performances of The Greatest Thing Ever (Lisette Oropesa) in 2025. Her performance in I puritani in Paris was the most spectacular tour de force I ever witnessed, with the wondrous Lawrence Brownlee as her partner. But if I have to choose I have to go with Manon in Zurich with The Greatest Thing Ever and Benjamin Bernheim. Dear lord! A dream team! I am tempted to say it was not only the best thing I saw in 2025, but the best thing I ever saw in my life.