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Tragic
love is one of the most enduring themes in opera. Nineteenth
century French composer Jules Massenet, whose credits include Manon
and Werther, adds religious fervor and sensuality to the
equation, and the result is Thaïs, a love story so
heartbreaking that audience members have been known to weep
disconsolately during the opera's finale. Louis Gallet's
libretto for Thaïs was based on the novel by Anatole
France.
The
opera is set in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, a place of
learning, luxury, and licentiousness. The monk Athanaël
comes back to Alexandria, the city of his birth, to attempt to
convert Thaïs, the beautiful courtesan, to Christianity.
Athanaël fools himself into believing that his desire to convert
the young beauty is motivated only by religious sentiment.
Thaïs, for her part, is swayed by his words and becomes aware of
the futility of the life that she leads. Athanaël convinces
Thaïs to enter a convent, then repents when he cannot hide his
true feelings from himself. He rushes to the convent to
declare his love for her, but alas he arrives too late - Thaïs is
passing on to another world…
Composed
in 1894, Thais stands out for its delicate compositions; Méditation,
a violin solo with orchestra, is one of the most popular pieces in
opera. The soprano role of Thaïs is considered one of the
most difficult in the operatic repertory. Leontyne Price and
Beverly Sills are among the divas to have mastered the role in the
past. The remarkable Renée Fleming currently reprises the
role at the Met, with The New York Times calling her performance
"a vocally sumptuous and unabashedly show-stealing
Thaïs." Christian Lacroix designed the costumes for
the lush production and Thomas Hampson is Athanaël.
See:
Thaïs
at The Metropolitan Opera
Tags:
music
egypt
opera
love
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