Massenet, Jules 1842-1912

Werther [A lyric drama in four acts and five tableaux ; libretto by Edouard Blau, Paul Milliet, and Georges Hartmann, after Goethe] by Jules Massenet ( Recording )
485 editions published between 1906 and 2013 in 9 languages and held by 3,246 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
Werther is one of the iconic figures in literature, an innocent young man who feels nature deeply and loves unreservedly. In Massenet's alluring operatic version, Alfredo Kraus magnificently captures every nuance of this complex character--his aristocratic bearing and pure soul, his anguish that the only woman he can love is promised to another man, and finally the despair that leads to his suicide. Frederica von Stade sings Charlotte, the woman who returns Werther's feelings but honors her promise to someone else. Dawn Upshaw is a sparkling Sophie, Charlotte's younger sister

Manon by Jules Massenet ( Recording )
415 editions published between 1905 and 2012 in 8 languages and held by 2,845 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
Who can resist the charms of Manon or remain unmoved by her fate? Ruth Ann Swenson takes on Massenet's title heroine, the equally beautiful and high-spirited young girl who turns her back on life in a convent when she meets the handsome des Grieux (Giuseppe Sabbatini)--only to be seduced by the promise of a luxurious existence as the mistress of the rich old Brétigny (Kim Josephson). When she learns that des Grieux, desperate she has left him, is about to take holy orders, she changes her mind--but it is too late, and their love story ends in tragedy

Thaïs by Jules Massenet ( Recording )
177 editions published between 1949 and 2013 in 7 languages and held by 1,800 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
Take one ascetic monk named Athanaël and one ravishingly beautiful courtesan named Thaïs, add Massenet's sensual, melodious music, with equal dashes of eroticism and religious fervor--and you have a powerful opera that is at once a celebration of the sacred and the profane, of flesh and soul. This rarity had not been heard at the Met for almost 40 years when it was brought back as a vehicle for the great soprano Beverly Sills and the magnetic singing actor Sherrill Milnes. Together, they masterfully bring to life the searing conflict at the heart of the drama

Manon by Jules Massenet ( )
156 editions published between 1586 and 2008 in 5 languages and held by 1,039 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Thaïs : comédie lyrique en trois actes et sept tableaux by Jules Massenet ( )
191 editions published between 1884 and 2009 in 6 languages and held by 1,033 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
Part of the State Theatre collection of cinema scores and parts, mainly used for silent movies, but including musical materials associated with talking pictures ca. 1900-1950, used by the State Theatre and various film distribution companies throughout Australia. Some items include performance annotations

Don Quichotte by Jules Massenet ( Recording )
90 editions published between 1960 and 2012 in 6 languages and held by 1,021 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Hérodiade by Jules Massenet ( Recording )
111 editions published between 1900 and 2013 in 5 languages and held by 741 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
Instrumental selection

Cendrillon by Jules Massenet ( Recording )
73 editions published between 1970 and 2012 in 6 languages and held by 604 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
Cendrillon: Conte de fées en quatre actes. Livret: Henri Cain

Manon : opera in five acts by Jules Massenet ( )
15 editions published between 1958 and 1990 in 5 languages and held by 585 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

La Navarraise by Jules Massenet ( Recording )
48 editions published between 1963 and 2010 in 5 languages and held by 568 WorldCat member libraries worldwide