Jules Massenet - Thaïs. Renée Fleming, Thomas Hampson, Giuseppe Sabbatini
2CD Set | Genre: Opera | Lossles: APE+CUE | 2h:26min | 270+300 Mb (570 Mb total)
SPARS Code: DDD | Label: DECCA | Catalog No.: 466766-2 | ASIN: B00004RCZO | August 22, 2000
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“This new recording of “Thais” fills a huge hole in the catalogue of recorded opera. This opera, while never enjoying the popularity of “Manon” or “Werther”, still contains some beautiful music, and it has only now finally received a recording of real value. True, it has been recorded twice over the last thirty years (on RCA in 1974 with Anna Moffo, Jose Carreras and Gabriel Bacquier and again in 1976 on EMI with Beverly Sills, Nicolai Gedda, and Sherrill Milnes), but neither recording proved very satisfying due in great part to the fact that each of the respective sopranos in the title role (Moffo and Sills, respectively) were already past their best singing days. This is certainly no issue in the case of Renee Fleming, whose gorgeous voice is ideal for the role of the courtesan-turned nun. Fleming sounds wonderfully youthful and she sings with an all-encompassing freedom – especially in her pivotal Mirror Aria. Equally importantly, she is deeply involved in the drama. Fleming is supported beautifully by the liquid and beautiful singing of Thomas Hampson, whose Athanael easily surpasses any of the roles previous recorded interpreters. Hampson's beautiful rendition of “O Seigneur, je remets mon ame entre tes mains” is one of the highlights of this recording, and it shouldn't be missed. Plainly, it is Hampson's work that forms the backbone of the entire production. Giuseppe Sabbatini provides a lyrical and very well sung Nicias, a great improvement over Nicolai Gedda's aged sound on the EMI recording, but still not quite on the level of Jose Carreras on the no-longer available RCA set. The conducting of Yves Abel is atmospheric and compelling. For those who have waited for years for a really fine recording of this beautiful Massenet opera, this recording will be the answer to their prayers. For those who want to experience this opera for the first time, this is the recording to do it with. Very highly recommended.” – Customer Review on Amazon.com
Thaïs, Lyric Comedy in 3 Acts
Composed by Jules Massenet
Performed by Bordeaux Aquitaine National Orchestra
with Elisabeth Vidal, Thomas Hampson, Isabelle Cals, Enkelejda Shkosa, Giuseppe Sabbatini, Renaud Capuçon, Renée Fleming, Stefano Palatchi
Conducted by Yves Abel
Tracklist Disc 1:
01. Thaïs: Voici le pain
02. Thaïs: Le voici! Le voici!
03. Thaïs: Hélas! enfant encore
04. Thaïs: Nous nous mêlons jamais, mon fils
05. Thaïs: Vision ... Honte! Horreur!
06. Thaïs: Toi, qui mis la pitié dans nos âmes
07. Thaïs: Mon fils, nous nous mêlons jamais
08. Thaïs: Prélude (Deuxième Tableau)
09. Thaïs: Va, mendiant chercher ailleirs ta vie!
10. Thaïs: Voilà donc la terrible cité
11. Thaïs: Ah! Ah! Ah!... Athanaël, c'est toi!
12. Thaïs: Ah! Ah! Ah!... Je vais donc te revoir
13. Thaïs: Garde-toi bien! Voici ta terrible ennemie!
14. Thaïs: C'est Thaïs, l'idole fragile
15. Thaïs: Quel est cet étranger
16. Thaïs: Qui te fait si sévère
17. Thaïs: Non! Non! je hais vos fausses ivresses
18. Thaïs: Ah! je suis seule, seule enfin!
19. Thaïs: Dis-moi que je suis belle
20. Thaïs: Etranger, te voilà comme tu l'avais dit
21. Thaïs: Eh bien, fais-moi connaître tou cet amour
22. Thaïs: Je suis Athanaël, moine d'Antinoé
23. Thaïs: Je n'ai pas plus choisi mon sort que ma nature
24. Thaïs: Méditation religieuse – Symphonie
Tracklist Disc 2:
01. Thaïs: Père, Dieu m'a parlé par ta voix
02. Thaïs: Non loin d'ici, vers l'occident
03. Thaïs: Considère, ô mon père
04. Thaïs: Suivez-moi tous, amis!
05. Thaïs: Divertissement: 1. Allegro vivo
06. Thaïs: Divertissement: 2. Mélopée orientale
07. Thaïs: Divertissement: 3. Allegro brillante
08. Thaïs: Divertissement: 4. Allegretto con spirito
09. Thaïs: Divertissement: 5. Mouvement de valse
10. Thaïs: Voilà l'incomparable!... Divertissement: 6 La Charmeuse
11. Thaïs: Divertissement: 7. Finale
12. Thaïs: Eh! C'est lui!... Athanaël
13. Thaïs: Il dit vrai!
14. Thaïs: L'ardent soleil m'écrase
15. Thaïs: Ah! des gouttes de sang coulent de ses pieds
16. Thaïs: O messager de Dieu, si bon dans ta rudesse
17. Thaïs: Baigne d'eau mes mains et mes lèvres
18. Thaïs: La paix du Seigneur soit avec toi
19. Thaïs: Mon oeuvre est accomplie!
20. Thaïs: Que le ciel est pesant!
21. Thaïs: C'est lui qui vient!
22. Thaïs: Qui te fait si sévère
23. Thaïs: Thaïs va mourir!
24. Thaïs: Seigneur, ayez pitié de moi
25. Thaïs: Sois le bienvenu dans nos tabernacles
26. Thaïs: C'est toi, mon père
“Given the renaissance in recent years of an interest in Jules Massenet – consider, for example, the 1999 release of two Werthers back to back – the time definitely has become ripe for a new account of his late opera, Thais. This is the first alternative to appear on CD since the problematic version with Beverly Sills from the 1970s. While far from flawless (curiously, it was recorded in two stretches, with a pause of 15 months between them), it makes a mostly convincing case for the stirring beauty of Massenet's much-misunderstood work. For Thais, with its exotic setting in Egypt of the early Christian period, achieves much more than the sentimental romanticism often conveyed in out-of-context performances of its best-known excerpt, the violin instrumental Meditation. A kind of Tannhauser in reverse, this story of sin and an illusory quest for salvation (adapted from Anatole France's novel) has its two main figures – the monk Athanael and the beautiful courtesan Thais – crisscross in their interior journeys, only to end by arriving at diametrically opposed destinies (in a chiasmus that is the exact opposite of the one depicted in Tennessee Williams's Summer and Smoke).
Many will seek out this account chiefly for the presence of Rene'e Fleming in the title role, and she indeed crafts a memorable portrayal of Thais's path from worldly irony to trusting soul. Fleming deploys her familiar, unique vocal style with subtlety for the earlier scenes of Thais as courtesan, delivering her great aria of doubt with a Marschallin-like vulnerability. Indeed, it's the breathy sumptuousness typical of her voice that makes the converted Thais almost more of a challenge – although Fleming does achieve a noticeable softening effect, above all in her death scene. As the monk who tries to repress his very worldly feelings for Thais, Thomas Hampson clearly carries the seeds of doubt from his first scene; if anything, the contrast between his two selves isn't stark enough, and he brings too much vocal polish to the scenes where we should hear a John the Baptist in hair shirt. Still, Hampson's sensitivity, however reserved, elicits the crucial sense of compassion for Athanael's predicament. As Nicias, the cultured lover of Thais, Giuseppe Sabbatini is excellent – their bittersweet farewell duet actually contains some of the best chemistry on the whole set. True, Massenet's score succumbs to passages of filler (for example, much of the ballet music) that aren't at the level of its more inspired lyrical stretches, but young conductor Yves Abel (making his Decca debut) captures its integral, supple beauty despite some roughness in transitions and an occasionally raw surface from the orchestra. Sound balances are less than ideal.” – Thomas May, Amazon.com
Many will seek out this account chiefly for the presence of Rene'e Fleming in the title role, and she indeed crafts a memorable portrayal of Thais's path from worldly irony to trusting soul. Fleming deploys her familiar, unique vocal style with subtlety for the earlier scenes of Thais as courtesan, delivering her great aria of doubt with a Marschallin-like vulnerability. Indeed, it's the breathy sumptuousness typical of her voice that makes the converted Thais almost more of a challenge – although Fleming does achieve a noticeable softening effect, above all in her death scene. As the monk who tries to repress his very worldly feelings for Thais, Thomas Hampson clearly carries the seeds of doubt from his first scene; if anything, the contrast between his two selves isn't stark enough, and he brings too much vocal polish to the scenes where we should hear a John the Baptist in hair shirt. Still, Hampson's sensitivity, however reserved, elicits the crucial sense of compassion for Athanael's predicament. As Nicias, the cultured lover of Thais, Giuseppe Sabbatini is excellent – their bittersweet farewell duet actually contains some of the best chemistry on the whole set. True, Massenet's score succumbs to passages of filler (for example, much of the ballet music) that aren't at the level of its more inspired lyrical stretches, but young conductor Yves Abel (making his Decca debut) captures its integral, supple beauty despite some roughness in transitions and an occasionally raw surface from the orchestra. Sound balances are less than ideal.” – Thomas May, Amazon.com
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Disc 2:
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