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Editorial Reviews

Renée Fleming adds another role to her repertory on disc -- and accomplishes some of her finest singing to date -- with this lavish recording of Jules Massenet's 1894 opera, Thaïs. A lush fin-de-siècle blend of exoticism, sex, and religion set in fourth-century Egypt, this lyrical gem by the composer of Werther and Manon hasn't had a complete recording since the 1970s, when Anna Moffo and Beverly Sills both took it into the studio as a star vehicle. Ironically, this little-heard opera has spawned one of classical music's most ubiquitous hits, the "Méditation," an orchestral interlude that's been a favorite encore of violinists for more than a century. But there's much more to Thaïs than this (though the tune is also woven through the score of the opera at telling moments). Fleming has already proven her affinity for Massenet with an acclaimed recording of his Hérodiade, and her lustrous voice is in absolute top form for Thaïs, a vocally and dramatically challenging role in which a worldly, seductive courtesan becomes an ascetic Christian hermit. Fleming inhabits both of these facets credibly, and her emotional range and commitment take the music out of the realm of the merely "pretty" to give a strong taste of Massenet's theatrical achievement, not to mention his skill in setting the French language. As the monk who first thinks he loves Thaïs only spiritually, confronting his more physical desires too late, Thomas Hampson sings with granitic force. Initially, he may seem to lack subtlety, but Athanaëel is for the most part an unsubtle character; when tenderness creeps into Hampson's voice in the final act -- as he begins to express human feelings rather than religious dogma -- the thoughtfulness of his interpretation is revealed. As Thaïs's debauched suitor Nicias, tenor Giuseppe Sabbatini also makes a strong, characterful impression. Massenet's music has ample charms to beguile the operaphile, and this new version, captured in spacious, sumptuous sound, is sure to win Thaïs many new fans. Scott Paulin, Barnes & Noble

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