THAIS
Massenet Fleming, Hampson, Sabbatini, Shkosa, Choeur de l'Opera de Bordeaux and the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine. Yves Abel, conductor. Decca/London: 466 766-2 (2 CDs). ***(*) Apart from the imposing baritone aria, "Voila donc la terrible cite" and the famous Meditation for violin solo, Jules Massenet's Thais (1894) has had a rather chequered career on disc. During the 1970s, two new complete recordings appeared on the scene within a relatively short period of time, one with soprano Beverly Sills and the other with Anna Moffo. Neither did much to advance the cause of Massenet's exotic opera about the Egyptian courtesan-turned-saint. Astonishingly, we have had to wait a roughly 25 years for the first fully digital recording to appear. But while this new release is a welcome addition to the catalogue, it, too, falls considerably short of being definitive. It was recorded in February 1997 and May 1998, with, I understand, some of the orchestral sections recorded first and the solo voices added at a later date. If this were, in fact, the case, it may account for the occasionally cautious results. The main attraction of the set--and a major one, at that--is the Thais of Renee Fleming. She is an intelligent musician, and also possesses one of the most voluptuous and seductive voices on the operatic stage today, making her ideally suited to the role of the exotic enchantress. Her Act II arias are both stylishly sung. My main reservation rests in her first appearance in Act I, when her languid, world-weary manner and somewhat blowsy, sultry tone unwittingly transform the Egyptian courtesan into a classic American southern belle. As Athanael, the tormented and obsessed monk, American baritone Thomas Hampson sings with his customary intelligence, stylishness and musicality, but he carries Gallic restraint to absurd lengths. Hampson's singing has become increasingly mannered and precious in recent years, and as a result, barriers are often erected between him and his listener. He sounds curiously complacent and detached, which undermines the emotion and theatricality of the score. In the secondary roles, Italian tenor Giuseppe Sabbatini makes a creditable Nicias (Thais's lover); mezzo-soprano Enkelejda Shkosa sings beautifully as the Abbess Albine (although she sounds much too fresh and youthful in the part); and soprano Elisabeth Vidal sings the stratospheric part of a dancer known as La Charmeuse with security, if not flair. This project was a major undertaking for the young Canadian conductor Yves Abel, but unfortunately, his contributions are uneven. There is a certain deliberateness and facelessness in too much of his music-making. Even the atmospheric and frothy orchestral divertissements in Act II lack elan or personality. This is conducting as accompaniment, rather than conducting as an integral part of a whole. https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Thais:Massenet.-a030520728
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