Puccini’s first triumph returns to Covent Garden for the first time in 30 years in a new staging by Jonathan Kent.Puccini’s sumptuous, richly-coloured score is characterized by youthful vitality and filled with glorious melodies. Despite a troubled gestation (five librettists were engaged in the project), the premiere of Manon Lescaut in 1893 was Puccini’s first major triumph – a hit with critics and the public alike.