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Amazon.co.uk Review
BBC Music Magazine
Thaïs might have seemed an exotic rarity, but this superb recording makes a real case for it as music drama. The conductor Yves Abel reveals it as a glorious febrile work rich in passion, opulence, glittering detail (right down to judicious use of a wind machine) and fin-de-siècle decadence - a score that is much more adventurous than the famously schmaltzy 'Méditation' suggests.
You could scarcely hope for better principals. Renée Fleming produces a gorgeous, voluptuous sound, and her ability to float notes is utterly beguiling, never more so than in her showpiece aria 'Dis-moi que je suis belle'. Thomas Hampson is a noble and ardent Athanaël; and Giuseppe Sabbatini a seductive, sweet-voiced Nicias. And among the minor roles, Marie Devellereau and Isabelle Cals stand out as the slavegirls Crobyle and Myrtale, with their other-worldly flirtatious fluttery utterances.
Performance *****
Sound *****
© BBC Music Magazine 2000
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Customer Reviews
"Thais" is an interesting hybrid in this argument: every man and his dog knows the famous "Meditation", but the rest of the work will be at best partially known to most people. For most opera lovers it is also a bit of a rarity, although several versions of the "Mirror aria" are to be found on recitals. Massenet and his particular sound world are also different to ears which might be more attuned to the standard Italian repertoire. So how do we approach this new recording?
The easiest is of course to go back to the two previous recordings, as so many reviewers have done. The opera is a showpiece for its title character, so we have to look back at Moffo and Sills. Neither of these two great divas have ever received anything approaching the acclaim they deserve and although it is true that they were post past their prime when they recorded the role, their contributions can in no way be laughed off. Beverly Sills was a particularly strong presence in her assumption of the role and the recording on EMI has more merit than most people wish to grant it. Sills had the uncanny knack of getting under the skin of a character and although the sounds she made were sometimes far from conventionally beautiful (and this is by no means limited to the late stage of her career) she was a dramatic and musical presence of note. Anna Moffo imparted a different sensuality to her portrayal of the character and, even given a voice frayed at every edge, cannot be written off as simply a performer past her vocal prime.
So now we have Renee Fleming. She has the world almost literally at her feet. Although every singer will have certain detractors, it cannot be denied that her stature in the world of opera today is vast. She has recently started making the French repertoire her own and this is surely one of the roles she can be expected to excell in. So we listen to the recording: the voice is glorious and if certain people find the very top of the range to be overblown I am sorry, I do not. Her top D in the "Mirror aria" is magnificently dramatic and suitably unpremeditated: it comes across as a heartfelt outburst, rather than a prepared note. The same can be said for the devastating notes in the final scene. Why oh why will people insist on imposing feeble values on heartfelt emotion? There is conviction here, not calculated singing. Fleming pulls you into her world and it is the world of music, not of the prima donna. In short, she, as much as Sills and Moffo, is Thais. She doesn't just sing it.
One can similarly discuss the merits of Thomas Hampson's Nathaenial. Yes, there is very little vocal hysterics in his portrayal, very few calculated catches in the voice, but is that bad? I think not. One of the things which make the opera so listenable is the fact that the male lead is a baritone and we are not forced to live through tenor hystrionics. Hampson maintains the dignity of his character. One of the central problems with the plot of the work lies in the opposing conversion of its two main characters. Obviously it would be easier for Nathaenial to slobber and drool over his rediscovered passion for earthly love, but is this really feasible for such a venetrated monk? Has anybody who slates his performance ever bothered to listen how much of his story is being told through the music itself?
This comes back to the original argument, which is simply about the work itself. What are the merits, or not? For the most part, the music is sensuous and sensual. Massenet's orchestration is masterful and Yves Abel makes the most of it. I for one cannot fault his instincts or his rapport with his singers. The work as a whole strikes me as subtly integrated thematically. In short, it is an easy and pleasing opera to listen through. My own overall impression is one of immense pleasure at a fully integrated performance which does nothing but spur my belief in the merit of the work as a whole.
Technically is also superbe. There is only one word to describe it: sublime!
Wonderful CD - I will get hours of enjoyment from it.Massenet: Thaïs
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