Finding Inner Peace with Massenet's Meditation from Thais
The Best Moments

I start Meditation from Thais with a short harp introduction before the solo violin enters with a calm, unhurried melody, because if you want to show the courtesan Thais rethinking her entire life after arguing with the monk Athanaël, you cannot very well start with a marching band. Between the scenes of Act II, that gentle tune in D major does all the heavy spiritual lifting without anyone having to sing a single word.

In the middle section, I ask the players for a little more passion as the music builds in intensity, since nobody gives up a life of luxury in Alexandria without at least a moment of dramatic hesitation. The solo violin works itself up to a grand climax and a brief solo passage of its own, like someone having a very eloquent argument with the mirror before finally giving in.

For the ending, I bring back that first peaceful melody and have a chorus sing without words from offstage, which is a lovely way to make the theater sound heavenly while keeping the singers safely out of sight. The violin and the harps let the piece float quietly away, leaving Thais with a brand new soul and the audience reaching for their handkerchiefs.