Uploaded December 2008 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Set in Roman Egypt, Jules Massenet's Opera (Thais) concerns a Cenobite monk, Athanaël, who attempts to convert Thaïs, a courtesan of Alexandria and devotée of Venus, to Christianity, but discovers, too late, that his obsession with her is not rooted in religious devotion, but in good old homespun lust. First performed at the Opéra in Paris on March 16, 1894, starring the American soprano Sybil Sanderson, for whom Massenet had written the title role.
This Spadecaller video features artwork from the paintings of Caravaggio and Rembrandt.
Set in Roman Egypt, Jules Massenet's Opera (Thais) concerns a Cenobite monk, Athanaël, who attempts to convert Thaïs, a courtesan of Alexandria and devotée of Venus, to Christianity, but discovers, too late, that his obsession with her is not rooted in religious devotion, but in good old homespun lust. First performed at the Opéra in Paris on March 16, 1894, starring the American soprano Sybil Sanderson, for whom Massenet had written the title role.
This Spadecaller video features artwork from the paintings of Caravaggio and Rembrandt.
