Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Jules Massenet - Meditation from Thaïs (Arr. for Piano Solo)
Here is another take, recorded right after the version I posted earlier. They’re almost identical (well - as much as two takes can be identical, considering I’m not a robot and I don’t have an AI chip implanted… yet). I just switched the shooting mode to color and played the piece once more. Although the first take felt more successful to me - but what do I know?
Although I’ve performed Méditation many times in various ensemble settings - with violin, cello, even flute - it was the closing credits of the 2023 French film The Taste of Things (La Passion de Dodin Bouffant) that drew my attention to the solo piano version. The transcription used there (by Philipp von Oeyen) inspired me to revisit the piece from a new perspective - quiet, reflective, and deeply personal.
So once again, this video features my solo piano interpretation of “Méditation” from Thaïs by French composer Jules Massenet - using the 1894 Heugel edition (Plate H. et Cie. 9622), an early solo piano arrangement likely prepared by pianist Louis Diémer, though uncredited in the score. Originally written for solo violin and orchestra, this adaptation explores the piece’s lyrical core through the texture of the piano.
*Méditation is one of Massenet’s most beloved compositions, originally composed in 1894 as an instrumental interlude between scenes in Act II of his opera Thaïs. The opera follows the story of a devout monk and a courtesan-turned-saint, set in 4th-century Egypt. This intermezzo reflects the title character’s inner transformation - a moment of spiritual awakening and deep introspection.
**Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet (1842–1912) was a French composer of the Romantic era, best known for his operas - of which he wrote more than thirty. His most frequently staged works are Manon (1884) and Werther (1892), though his output also includes oratorios, ballets, orchestral works, incidental music, piano pieces, songs, and more.
Admitted to the Paris Conservatoire while still a schoolboy, Massenet studied under Ambroise Thomas, whom he greatly admired. After winning the Prix de Rome in 1863 - France's most prestigious musical prize — he composed prolifically across many genres. From 1867 until his death, he wrote over forty stage works in a wide variety of styles: from opéra comique to large-scale depictions of classical myths, romantic dramas, and sacred music.
Gifted with a strong sense of theatre and an understanding of what appealed to Parisian audiences, Massenet became the leading French opera composer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries - producing a remarkable string of successes, despite the occasional miscalculation.
Coversart streamings / socials:
https://linktr.ee/Coversart
#massenet #meditation #thais #piano #pianosolo #classicalmusic
#MeditationFromThais #RomanticPiano #ClassicalPiano #Thaïs #OperaIntermezzo #CinematicPiano #FrenchRomantic #TheTasteOfThings #coversart
Jules Massenet - Meditation from Thaïs (Arr. for Piano Solo)
Here is another take, recorded right after the version I posted earlier. They’re almost identical (well - as much as two takes can be identical, considering I’m not a robot and I don’t have an AI chip implanted… yet). I just switched the shooting mode to color and played the piece once more. Although the first take felt more successful to me - but what do I know?
Although I’ve performed Méditation many times in various ensemble settings - with violin, cello, even flute - it was the closing credits of the 2023 French film The Taste of Things (La Passion de Dodin Bouffant) that drew my attention to the solo piano version. The transcription used there (by Philipp von Oeyen) inspired me to revisit the piece from a new perspective - quiet, reflective, and deeply personal.
So once again, this video features my solo piano interpretation of “Méditation” from Thaïs by French composer Jules Massenet - using the 1894 Heugel edition (Plate H. et Cie. 9622), an early solo piano arrangement likely prepared by pianist Louis Diémer, though uncredited in the score. Originally written for solo violin and orchestra, this adaptation explores the piece’s lyrical core through the texture of the piano.
*Méditation is one of Massenet’s most beloved compositions, originally composed in 1894 as an instrumental interlude between scenes in Act II of his opera Thaïs. The opera follows the story of a devout monk and a courtesan-turned-saint, set in 4th-century Egypt. This intermezzo reflects the title character’s inner transformation - a moment of spiritual awakening and deep introspection.
**Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet (1842–1912) was a French composer of the Romantic era, best known for his operas - of which he wrote more than thirty. His most frequently staged works are Manon (1884) and Werther (1892), though his output also includes oratorios, ballets, orchestral works, incidental music, piano pieces, songs, and more.
Admitted to the Paris Conservatoire while still a schoolboy, Massenet studied under Ambroise Thomas, whom he greatly admired. After winning the Prix de Rome in 1863 - France's most prestigious musical prize — he composed prolifically across many genres. From 1867 until his death, he wrote over forty stage works in a wide variety of styles: from opéra comique to large-scale depictions of classical myths, romantic dramas, and sacred music.
Gifted with a strong sense of theatre and an understanding of what appealed to Parisian audiences, Massenet became the leading French opera composer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries - producing a remarkable string of successes, despite the occasional miscalculation.
Coversart streamings / socials:
https://linktr.ee/Coversart
#massenet #meditation #thais #piano #pianosolo #classicalmusic
#MeditationFromThais #RomanticPiano #ClassicalPiano #Thaïs #OperaIntermezzo #CinematicPiano #FrenchRomantic #TheTasteOfThings #coversart
