Thaïs (opera)

• Thaïs, a courtesan (soprano )
• Athanaël, a young monk zönobitischer (baritone )
• Palémon, an old cenobite ( bass)
• Nicias, a wealthy, young Alexandrians (Tenor)
• One of his servants ( bass)
• Albina, the Abbess (mezzo- soprano)
• Crobyle and Myrtale, slaves (soprano, mezzo-soprano)
• Friends of Nicias, servants, slaves and slave girls, nuns, people (choir )

Thaïs is an opera in three acts ( seven scenes ) by Jules Massenet (music ), with a libretto by Louis Gallet.

The plot is based on the historical novel Thaïs (1890) by Anatole France, which goes back again to the drama Pafnutius (after 962) the Hrotsvit from Gander home. The story goes back to the legend of the Egyptian courtesan Thais and hermit, in turn, probably biographical aspects of the older Greek courtesan Thaïs includes the lover of Alexander the Great.

• 3.1 emergence
• 3.2 Reception History

Action

Act I

Athanaël, a young cenobite, reported his friars of the excesses which he had to experience during a visit to his hometown of Alexandria, and emanating from the courtesan Thaïs. In the dream he Thaïs, which lists a lascivious dance appears. He interprets this dream as an invitation to perform Thaïs on the right path.

Athanaël is back in Alexandria and visited his childhood friend Nicias, who, as it turns out, even a lover of Thaïs ' is. When he hears of Athanaëls conversion plan, he warns him from the vengeance of Venus, but nevertheless agrees to introduce him Thaïs. At a party that same evening there is between the two to a confrontation.

Second Act

Thaïs is plagued alone in her palace and by self-doubt. In her famous " mirror aria" she implores Venus, not to let her beauty go by. As Athanaël in this vulnerable moment appears and you praise the promises of eternal life, he encounters for the first time on their interest. But it is not yet ready to give up her sinful life, and Athanaël feels himself for the first time that he has to fight the temptation by its beauty. As from afar even Nicias is heard, it gets by the contradictory desires of two men in a conflict and pushes both of continues.

After a long meditation Thaïs has agreed to follow Athanaël on the path of renunciation. From their possessions they want to keep only a small Eros statue, because they have not sinned through love but against love. As Athanaël learns that the statue is a gift of Nicias, he is, however, to their destruction. The remaining solid guests appear and refuse when they hear of Thaïs's conversion to let them. But Nicias respected Thaïs ' decision and starts a diversion to enable the escape. Thaïs ' Palace, has the Athanaël still set on fire, a prey to the flames.

Act Three

Thaïs is exhausted from the long walk through the desert, but Athanaël forces them to move on. Only when he noticed her bloody feet, he is voted mild and provides them tenderly. The abbess Albina and some nuns appear from a nearby monastery and take Thaïs on. Only now Athanaël is clear that he will never again see Thaïs.

Athanaël has returned to the community of cenobites, but he finds no rest. When he hears in a vision that Thaïs was dying, he realizes that he loves Thaïs. Desperate, he makes his way to see them again.

Athanaël finds Thaïs in Albines monastery are dying. He confesses human love as the only truth, but Thaïs can only recognize in him one who pointed her the way to eternal life. When she dies with a visionary view of the sky, Athanaël collapses completely shattered.

Stylistic position

Although Massenet Thaïs referred to in the subtitle as Comédie lyrique, has the piece also influences the grand opera, Wagner's music drama and the Italian verismo.

History

Formation

Anatole France 's novel Thaïs in 1890 attracted considerable attention when it first appeared. The suggestion to take the book to present an opera, Massenet received from his publisher George Henri Heugel. Massenet worked 1892/93 on the score and saw the American soprano Sybil Sanderson for the role of Thaïs, who had already successfully created the title role in Massenet's Esclarmonde and was at that time at the Paris Opéra -Comique under contract. However, when she moved to the Opéra Garnier and the premiere of the opera Thaïs was transferred there.

Reception history

The premiere on 16 March 1894, received critical. Massenet then created a second version, which was also listed on 13 April 1898 in the Opéra Garnier. This performance was a great success.

Although Thaïs by Manon and Werther is considered as one of the most important works of Massenet, it was never able to establish itself as a repertoire piece (apart from the exception of the Paris Opera, where the piece was alone until 1956, where almost 700 times). One reason may lie in the above-average vocal challenges of the two main roles Thaïs and Athanaël that can be mastered only by the greatest singers. As the most important interpreter of Thaïs was the soprano Mary Garden. In recent times, have, inter alia, Anna Moffo, Beverly Sills, Leontyne Price, and especially Renée Fleming interprets the role. After Renée Fleming sang the opera in Chicago in 2003, followed in 2007 by a tour with concert performances of large holiday homes in Europe (Vienna, Paris, London, Barcelona). 2008 was followed by a lavish production at the Metropolitan Opera under the baton of Jesús López Cobos, again with Renée Fleming in the title role and with Thomas Hampson as Athanaël, which was enthusiastically received by critics and audiences.

Since the work rarely is on the board of the opera houses, the title is the audience mainly through the Méditation from " Thaïs " familiar, a somewhat sentimental instrumental piece for solo violin and orchestra, which has gained in various edits a permanent place in concert life. In the context of the opera, it represents an Entr'acte - music that is played between the two images of the Second Acts front of the closed curtain and marks the transformation of the Thaïs of the harlot to saint.