Massenet’s Thais

Performed at Teatro Regio, Turin, Italy

The monk Athanaël attempts to convert the beautiful courtesan Thaïs to Christianity, despite the many warnings of his friends. After Athanaël rejects her advances, Thais eventually agrees to renounce her worldly possessions and join a convent. It is only upon their arrival at the convent that Athanaël realizes he will never see the beautiful Thaïs again. After their separation, he is consumed by desire for her, and has a vision of her immenent death. He returns to convent to see her, and finds her on her deathbed. He confesses his love and extols the power of earthly desire, but Thaïs has been changed forever—she sees him only as the man who brought her to salvation. Thaïs receives heavenly visions and dies Athanaël’s arms, while Athanaël is left in despair and anguish.