Composer

:

Jules Massenet

Genre

:

Opera

Style

:

Opera

Compose Date

:

1892

First Performance

:

1894

Average_duration

:

102:07

Movement_count

:

15

Movement ....

Thaïs is an opera in three acts composed by Jules Massenet. The opera was first performed on March 16, 1894, at the Opéra Garnier in Paris. The libretto was written by Louis Gallet, based on the novel Thaïs by Anatole France. The plot of Thaïs revolves around the story of a courtesan named Thaïs, who lives in Alexandria, Egypt, during the fourth century. The monk Athanaël, who is obsessed with converting Thaïs to Christianity, convinces her to leave her life of luxury and become a nun. However, Athanaël's obsession with Thaïs leads him to question his own faith and ultimately leads to Thaïs's death. The opera is divided into three movements. The first movement takes place in Alexandria, where Thaïs is living as a courtesan. The second movement takes place in the desert, where Athanaël takes Thaïs to live as a hermit. The third movement takes place back in Alexandria, where Thaïs dies. The music of Thaïs is characterized by its lush melodies and sensuous harmonies. The opera features several famous arias, including "Dis-moi que je suis belle" ("Tell me that I am beautiful"), which is sung by Thaïs in the first act, and "Méditation," which is a solo for violin that is played during the second act. Thaïs was a critical and commercial success when it premiered in 1894. The opera has since become one of Massenet's most popular works and is regularly performed in opera houses around the world.

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