Eileen Gilligan Flute, Daniel Le Piano

The opera Thais was written by French composer Jules Massenet in 1894. Based on a novel by the French author Anatole France, it tells of a fourth-century Egyptian courtesan Thais and her lavish lifestyle which drew the attention of a hermit monk who lived in the desert. The monk, Athanael tries to convert her to Christianity but not without sorrow as he falls in love with her. As she enters the convent, he renounces his faith and follows her only to find out she is dying.  

The opera is a conflict between earthly pleasures and spirituality. 

 In the opera, the piece serves as an Intermezzo in Act II. Although in its original form it is essentially a violin solo, it has been transcribed for almost every conceivable instrument including the flute. 

It portrays the inner sorrow of Thais which will lead her to give up her voluptuous lifestyle in order to consecrate herself to God. The Meditation occurs in Act 11 after Anatole has encountered Thaïs and tried to persuade her to give up her earthly pleasures and lifestyle. It is during her contemplation that the Meditation occurs and that is why it is so powerful musically. The player needs to be aware of this, put themselves in the moment and imagine her conflict and feelings when preparing and performing the Meditation. The challenge is getting inside her and the piece to communicate a powerful moment in Thais’s life. 

 The Meditation challenges the performer on many levels, some of them are: 

1.  Producing and controlling a soft but emotive tone and phrasing. 
2. Creating a feeling of the melody coming from the heavens.
3. Taking the listener on an emotional journey of conflict and resolution.

 This is one of the hardest pieces to play because of the phrasing, the tone and colours required by the player in communicating the musical journey to the listener. 

 The real insight into performance of the piece is in the final act. This gives an excellent depth of knowledge into interpretative possibilities especially because it is vocal. The flute responds beautifully to vocal style and extracts. 

Here is an example of Renee Fleming singing the Thais Meditation: