Massenet: Thaïs / Hopkins, Staples, Wall, Davis, Toronto Symphony

$43.99
Label
Chandos
Release Date
June 5, 2020
Format
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    Featuring ⌄
    • COMPOSER
      MASSENET, JULES
    • ORCHESTRA / ENSEMBLE
      Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Toronto Symphony Orchestra
    • PERFORMER
      Davis
    Product Details ⌄
    • RELEASE DATE
      June 05, 2020
    • UPC
      095115525821
    • CATALOG NUMBER
      CHSA 5258(2)
    • LABEL
      Chandos
    • NUMBER OF DISCS
      2
    • GENRE
      Classical
    Works ⌄

    1. Act I Scene 1: Prelude

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    2. Act I Scene 1: Voici le pain … (A Cenobite, Another, Palémon, The Cenobites, Several Cenobites, Others, Athanaël)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Nathan Berg, Joshua Hopkins

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    3. Act I Scene 1: Non … Mon coeur est plein d'amertume (Athanaël, The Cenobites)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Joshua Hopkins

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    4. Act I Scene 1: Hélas! enfant encore (Athanaël)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Joshua Hopkins

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    5. Act I Scene 1: Ne nous mêlons jamais, mon fils (Palémon, Cenobites, Athanaël)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Nathan Berg, Joshua Hopkins

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    6. Act I Scene 1: Vision - Honte! Horreur! Ténèbres éternelles! (Athanaël)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Joshua Hopkins

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    7. Act I Scene 1: Toi qui mis la pitié dans nos âmes (Athanaël, Palémon)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Joshua Hopkins, Nathan Berg

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    8. Act I Scene 1: Esprit de lumière et de grâce (The Voice of Athanaël, Cenobites)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Joshua Hopkins

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    9. Act I Scene 2: Prelude

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    10. Act I Scene 2: Va, mendiant, chercher ailleurs ta vie! (Servant, Athanaël)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Neil Aronoff, Joshua Hopkins

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    11. Act I Scene 2: Voilà donc la terrible cité! (Athanaël, Crobyle, Myrtale)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Joshua Hopkins, Liv Redpath, Andrea Ludwig

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    12. Act I Scene 2: Athanaël! C'est toi! mon condisciple (Nicias, Athanaël)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Andrew Staples, Joshua Hopkins

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    13. Act I Scene 2: Ah! Ah! Ah! … Je vais donc te revoir (Crobyle, Myrtale, Nicias, Athanaël)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Liv Redpath, Andrea Ludwig, Andrew Staples, Joshua Hopkins

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    14. Act I Scene 2: Thaïs! Sœur des Karites! (Actresses, Actors, Philosophers, Nicias)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Andrew Staples

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    15. Act I Scene 2: C'est Thaïs, l'idole fragile (Thaïs, Nicias, Athanaël)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Erin Wall, Andrew Staples, Joshua Hopkins

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    16. Act I Scene 2: Qui te fait si sévère (Thaïs, Actresses, Actors, Philosophers, Athanaël, Nicias)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Erin Wall, Joshua Hopkins, Andrew Staples

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    17. Act II Scene 1: Ah! me voilà seule, seule, enfin! (Thaïs)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Erin Wall

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    18. Act II Scene 1: Ô mon miroir fidèle, rassure-moi? (Thaïs)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Erin Wall

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    19. Act II Scene 1: Étranger, te voilà, comme tu l'avais dit! (Thaïs, Athanaël)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Erin Wall, Joshua Hopkins

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    20. Act II Scene 1: Qui m'inspirera des discours embrasés (Athanaël, Thaïs)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Joshua Hopkins, Erin Wall

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    21. Act II Scene 1: Vénus invisible et présente! (Thaïs, Athanaël)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Erin Wall, Joshua Hopkins

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    22. Act II Scene 1: Je suis Athanaël, Moine d'Antinoé! (Athanaël, Thaïs)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Joshua Hopkins, Erin Wall

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    23. Act II Scene 1: Pitié! Ne me fais pas de mal! (Thaïs, Athanaël, Nicias)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Erin Wall, Joshua Hopkins, Andrew Staples

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    24. Act II Scene 1: Thaïs, idole fragile (Nicias, Thaïs, Athanaël)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Andrew Staples, Erin Wall, Joshua Hopkins

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    25. Act II Scene 2: Meditation

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Jonathan Crow

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    26. Act II Scene 2: Prelude

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    27. Act II Scene 2: Père, Dieu m'a parlé par ta voix! (Thaïs, Athanaël)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Erin Wall, Joshua Hopkins

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    28. Act II Scene 2: Non loin d'ici, vers l'occident (Athanaël, Thaïs)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Joshua Hopkins, Erin Wall

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    29. Act II Scene 2: L'amour est une vertu rare (Thaïs, Athanaël)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Erin Wall, Joshua Hopkins

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    30. Act II Scene 2: Suivez-moi tous, amis! (Nicias, Crobyle, Myrtale, Friends of Nicias)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Andrew Staples, Liv Redpath, Andrea Ludwig

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    31. Act II Scene 2: Celle qui vient est plus belle (Crobyle, Myrtale, La Charmeuse)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Liv Redpath, Andrea Ludwig, Stacey Tappan

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    32. Act II Scene 2: Eh! C'est lui! Athanaël! (Nicias, Crobyle, Myrtale, Friends of Nicias, Athanaël)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Andrew Staples, Liv Redpath, Andrea Ludwig, Joshua Hopkins

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    33. Act II Scene 2: Jamais! Non! (Nicias, Thaïs, Athanaël, Chorus)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Andrew Staples, Erin Wall, Joshua Hopkins

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    34. Act III Scene 1: Prelude

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    35. Act III Scene 1: L'ardent soleil m'écrase (Thaïs, Athanaël)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Erin Wall, Joshua Hopkins

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    36. Act III Scene 1: Seul, le repentir nous épure (Athanaël, Thaïs)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Joshua Hopkins, Erin Wall

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    37. Act III Scene 1: Ô messager de Dieu, si bon dans ta rudesse (Thaïs)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Erin Wall

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    38. Act III Scene 1: Baigne d'eau tes mains et tes lèvres (Thaïs, Athanaël)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Erin Wall, Joshua Hopkins

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    39. Act III Scene 1: Pater noster, qui es in coelis (Voices, Thaïs, Athanaël)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Erin Wall, Joshua Hopkins

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    40. Act III Scene 1: La paix du Seigneur soit avec toi (Athanaël, Albine, Thaïs, White Ladies)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Joshua Hopkins, Emilia Boteva, Erin Wall

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    41. Act III Scene 1: Elle va lentement parmi les fille blanches (Athanaël)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Joshua Hopkins

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    42. Act III Scene 2: Que le ciel est pesant! (Cenobites, Palémon, A Cenobite, Chorus, Athanaël)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Nathan Berg, Joshua Hopkins

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    43. Act III Scene 2: Tu sais, Ô Palémon, que j'ai reconquis l'âme (Athanaël)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Joshua Hopkins

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    44. Act III Scene 2: Ne t'avais-je pas dit (Palémon)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Nathan Berg

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    45. Act III Scene 2: Qui te fait si sévère (Thaïs, Athanaël)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Erin Wall, Joshua Hopkins

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    46. Act III Scene 2: Vision - Ah! … Une Sainte est près de quitter la terre (Athanaël, Voices)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Joshua Hopkins

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    47. Act III Scene 2: Thaïs va mourir! (Athanaël)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Joshua Hopkins

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    48. Act III Scene 2: Symphonie: La Course de la nuit

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    49. Act III Scene 3: Seigneur, ayez pitié de moi selon votre mansuétude! (White Ladies, Albine)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Emilia Boteva

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    50. Act III Scene 3: Sois le bienvenu dans nos tabernacles (Albine, Athanaël, White Ladies, Thaïs)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Emilia Boteva, Joshua Hopkins, Erin Wall

      Conductor: Andrew Davis

    51. Act III Scene 3: Te souvient-il du lumineux voyage (Thaïs, Athanaël)

      Composer: Jules Massenet

      Ensemble: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Erin Wall, Joshua Hopkins

      Conductor: Andrew Davis


BBC Music Magazine Opera Choice - August 2020

Following acclaimed performances at the Edinburgh Festival and then in Melbourne, Sir Andrew Davis’s recording of Massenet’s opera Thaïs features an outstanding cast, and exceptional performances from his Toronto forces. Written shortly after the premiere of his masterpiece Werther, Thaïs was composed for the Californian soprano Sybil Sanderson who gave the premiere at the Paris Opéra in 1894. Sanderson's performance was a triumph, but the opera itself had a mixed reception. After Massenet revised it in 1898 it went on to worldwide success in the years leading up to World War I and has enjoyed continuous and growing success in our own time. The role of Thaïs has drawn many great artists, including Mary Garden, Geraldine Farrar, Maria Jeritza, Leontyne Price, Beverley Sills, and Renée Fleming. According to the Financial Times, ‘Erin Wall is the Thaïs of one’s dreams, wielding a soprano of radiance, pristine beauty and tingling top notes”, and she is joined on the recording by Joshua Hopkins in the role of Athanaël, while Nicias is sung by Andrew Staples.

REVIEWS:

To Thais herself Erin Wall brings a clean, pliant soprano used with discretion and judgement. Dark of presence, Joshua Hopkins makes a vehement Athanaël. Davis presents a perceptive account of one of Massenet’s best creations, the Canadian orchestra offering fine-textured playing as they respond with assurance to the composer’s unerring gift for scene painting. It surpasses many earlier efforts not only in terms of casting and conducting, but also in taking one of Massenet’s finest scores seriously.

– BBC Music Magazine

Davis's understanding of Massenet’s often deliberate blurring of the dividing line between sensual and spiritual experience is unquestionably acute. The playing is excellent, with a refined sensuousness of texture throughout. Hopkins's is a remarkable, unforgettable performance, sung with consistently expressive beauty, and quite superbly characterised.

– Gramophone