Renee Fleming: Thais: C'est toi, mon pere!

[giloubreizh]

Ma mère, oui, je m'en vas retrouver monsieur Poussin, ensuite, en nos draps - Je vous prie. Laissez-nous.

[SimSutcliff]

Quoi qu'en disent certains, je trouve à l'interprétation de Sills un côté plus piquant qui me semble mieux convenir au personnage de Thaïs que la marmoréenne Fleming.

[illfurter]

Madame Fleming , vous êtes la plus fantastique Thais! Scéniquement et vocalement VOUS êtes Thais!!! Athanael ne pouvait que tomber fou amoureux de vous!

[floralbita73]

llore cuando escuche esta version por primera vez, es hermosa.

[spizzell1]

Renee, is just the best!!!! The beauty of her singing always thrills me. Her high D's are unmatched in the way she sings them with depth of tone.

[JordanSean]

This always brings me to tears--BUT only if Renee is singing it!!

[AmericanEvita]

For Thais, I like both Sills and Fleming. Sills however truthfully had fioritura and coloratura, which Fleming has never had. Sills was a leading bel canto soprano, ranking right up there with Sutherland & Caballe in the 60's and 70's. Fleming's bel canto is not "right" and she slurs, over-ornaments and does not really follow the rules of bel canto singing. Thais is not bel canto, just French lyric, which was a speciaty of Fleming's (like Manon)

[spqrmor]

@AmericanEvita It sounds too judgemental and unfair to Renee...

[andreas111075]

wow, nice sounds.

[Eleuthere13]

how wonderful. Thank you!

[monpitt500]

Pas français comme style!! Pas de rigueur

[BernardProfitendieu]

@monpitt500 grow up!

[kngiht84]

I cried, this is beyond beautiful (and sad). Fleming is a goddess!

[nobhill56]

Renee's Voice and Optimum Talent has no boundries!!! Gorgeous!!.... Looking Forward to her next performance in my area!!!

[Turand0t]

I don't understand how anyone can prefer Sills. Renée Fleming sounds sublime. Pure beauty of the voice. She's perfect for Massenet. Hampson is also wonderful. Sills has a wobble. Maybe her high notes are solid, but I would not say beautiful. I am also very tired of people saying that only the singers from the 50's and 60's were good enough. They set an example, yes, and I love them too, but that noone today are good enough? That's wrong! Every era has it's great singers. Fleming is one of them.

[godivapaw]

@Turand0t I like the both equally! They are both different coloured voices and have different interpretations. I actually love Sills better in this role. Just personal taste, BUT I'd pay to see and hear Fleming sing this role as well.

[LohengrinT]

@Turand0t

The truth is not only Fleming is better than Sills but that Sills was dreadful in this particular role. She was way passed her prime her voice was extremely wobbly and to begin with Thais is not a role for thin-voiced coloratura soprani with 5 good notes in their throat around the C6. Thais as most of Massenet's roles require a solid middle and strong low register.

[mclaire12]

Sills beats them all on the high D- But how many can get to High D?

mclaire12

[scarlett52x]

Amazing, such a beautiful and emotional voice, oh my god! Je ne sais quoi . . . No?

hah.

I saw this on sky the other night, only caught the tail ending of it, still to see her any better than Manon though, you must see if you haven't!

xoxo

[VerucaSaltines]

I suppose the fact that I noticed the violin part first means that I really am first and foremost a violinist, but the singers are divine as well. It's just a beautiful melody, wonderfully expressed.

[flyboytim]

She is the goddess, normally cant do any wrong and as thrilling as she is, Sills is controlled and exquisite.

[Armenterosma]

Both Fleming and Hampson are sublime in this opera! Marcel Dupratil (French teenager from MARSEILLE, FRANCE)

[mclaire12]

exquisite music. i have not been very well acquainted with this opera. beautiful!!

[Thaisquisita]

Greaaaaat. My name is Thais because of this piece. I love it, it´s very very close to my heart.

[crashuhoh]

i just saw her a couple weeks ago.

she was so amazing

[KriBlackRoson]

I saw her 2 days ago and she said "sing with me" OMG I almost die! I'll see her in a few days again =)

[Harriette99]

Perfer Sills' version which sounds more passionate.

[cynnchulancha]

this is perfection!!! Lush, sensual, out of this world!! I simply <3 massenet!!!

[blackolds33]

This is perfection.

[candide43201]

This duet is so beautiful..it not legal..God >>who writes music like this but Massenet

[tweedie2]

Hi its a small world I was there also.The first time I saw Thais was last March in Las Palmas and it just blow me away.The ballet scene in the middle was just heavenly.Why don't they put more opera on the big screen.Thanks for your email

[tweedie2]

This opera is so powerful it is touched by god

[tegid699]

wonderful! saw it at the cinema live from the Met the other day!

[HowlsEddie]

I saw it too! The Encore performance, just the other day. Wow! They are amazing! I just loved it!!! The music is so wonderful, and they sing so well together!!!

[tegid699]

Thanks HowlsEddie! I went with my girlfriend, it was the first full length opera she has seen and she totaly loved it!!! you are right it was an electric performance. We are going to see la Rondine with Angela Giorgio and Roberto Alangna tommorow (sat 11th Jan 09) at cineworld ,live once again I am beside myself with excitement!!!!

[HowlsEddie]

The sound at our performance had some hiccups, although not bad, but they gave us free tickets to another performance to compensate. We haven't decided what we're going to see yet, but probably Lucia of Lamermoor, with Anna Netrebko. :) I'm so glad your girlfriend enjoyed it. I was introduced to opera at a very young age, so I've been enjoying opera for years now. It just keeps getting better. I really hope the Met puts these performances on DVD! Enjoy your performance!

[williamsagency]

HowlsEddie, I'm so glad you and your girlfriend are enjoying opera..especially Renee. I saw every performance of Thais recently, and was blown away by each and every one. Renee sang and looked spectacular! I will definitely see Lucia because Anna is incredible too. Please keep me posted on your 'opera going' I look forward to hearing from you.

[HowlsEddie]

Anna is wonderful. We saw her a year or two ago in "I Puritani." That was the first I'd ever heard her, and she really stood out from the rest of the cast. Great coloratura and a beautifully executed mad scene (for what is opera without a good mad scene :P ) I've always really loved Renèe Fleming, because we have "Le Nozze del Figarro" on DVD with her as the countess and she appears regularly on "A Prairie Home Companion" with Garrison Keilor, which we listen to regularly. She's amazing!

[DottoreJojo]

Great coloratura? You need your ears checked.

[Turand0t]

*lol*

[HowlsEddie]

@DottoreJojo: The coloratura is in Belini's "Il Puritani" not Massenet's "Thaïs." Sorry for the confusion. It was Netrebko I heard do the Belini with the great coloratura.