Toronto Symph/Davis - Jules Massenet: Tha�s

Following acclaimed performances at the Edinburgh Festival and then in Melbourne, Sir Andrew Davis�s recording of Massenet�s opera Tha�s features an outstanding cast, and exceptional performances from his Toronto forces. Written shortly after the premiere of his masterpiece Werther, Tha�s was composed for the Californian soprano Sybil Sanderson who gave the premiere at the Paris Op�ra 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 Tha�s has drawn many great artists, including Mary Garden, Geraldine Farrar, Maria Jeritza, Leontyne Price, Beverley Sills, and Ren�e Fleming. According to the Financial Times, �Erin Wall is the Tha�s 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 Athana�l, while Nicias is sung by Andrew Staples. Recorded in Toronto�s Roy Thompson Hall, following live performances, in Surround Sound.