Millennium FESTIVAL AO LARGO 2025. Opera Thaïs by Jules Massenet
REVIEW BY ANTÓNIO LOURENÇO. 9/09/2025
©TNSC
MillenniumFestival ao Largo 2025
Opera in concert version
Comédie lyrique in three acts and seven tableaux
Libretto by Louis Gallet, based on the novel by Anatole France (1894)
Cast and Production
Thaïs – Axelle Fanyo
Athanaël – Pierre-Yves Pruvot
Nicias – Luís Gomes
Palémon – François Lis
Crobyle – Filipa Portela
Myrtale / Albine – Carolina Figueiredo
Chorus of the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos (Principal Conductor: Giampaolo Vessella)
Portuguese Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Renato Balsadonna
The paradox of Thaïs
Premiered in 1894, Jules Massenet’s opera delves into one of the most poignant dilemmas of the human condition: the tension between flesh and spirit, desire and faith. Thaïs, a courtesan renowned for her beauty, is converted to sainthood by Athanaël, the monk whose obsession with saving her ultimately reveals him to be captive of the very passion he condemned. It is in this intersection of spirituality and sensuality that the fascination of the score lies: a lyrical intensity capable of voicing the ambiguities of the soul with an almost cinematic delicacy.
Act I – The inner calling
From the very first bars, the orchestra lays out the central duality of the work: the austerity of monastic life in contrast with the hedonistic splendour of Alexandria. Pierre-Yves Pruvot, as Athanaël, immediately commanded the stage with a resonant, secure projection and dramatic intensity, embodying the feverish intransigence of his spiritual mission. The audience was thus drawn, from the outset, into the conflict that sustains the entire narrative.
Act II – Luxury and confrontation
The entrance of Axelle Fanyo as Thaïs brought brilliance and magnetism to the performance. Her voice, luminous in timbre with incisive high notes, oscillated between the hauteur of the courtesan and the fragility of a woman seeking redemption. Her confrontation with Athanaël was electrifying: a duel between transience and eternity, pleasure and salvation. Luís Gomes (Nicias) stood out for the elegance and fluidity of his vocal line, offering freshness and balance amidst the protagonists’ intensity.
Act III – Ecstasy and reconciliation
The climax of the opera was handled with mastery. Between the desert and the convent, Thaïs and Athanaël exchanged phrases of tenderness and pain, elevated by a vivid, enveloping orchestra. The celebrated Méditation, with a violin solo performed with almost ethereal delicacy, suspended time itself: spirituality and sensuality fused into a single musical breath. The denouement, marked by Athanaël’s belated revelation, resonated as an intimate and inevitable tragedy, where human love asserts itself over the rigidity of faith.
A musical triumph
Under the precise and sensitive direction of Renato Balsadonna, the Portuguese Symphony Orchestra displayed cohesion, tonal richness, and a vibrant palette, particularly in the strings and brass. The Chorus of the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos contributed solidity and clarity, completing the sonic depth of this concert version.
Conclusion
This interpretation of Thaïs reaffirmed the timelessness of Massenet’s work: in its melodic beauty, its dramatic depth, and the enduring relevance of its existential dilemma. The intensity of Pierre-Yves Pruvot, the vocal radiance of Axelle Fanyo, and the inspired conducting of Renato Balsadonna combined to deliver a memorable experience, where spirituality and sensuality intertwined with rare intensity. A night in which opera once again asserted itself as a total art: emotion, reflection, and beauty in its purest form.
#MillenniumFESTIVALAOLARGO2025 @TNSC #Teatro Nacional de São Carlos
Thanks to: Teatro Nacional de São Carlos