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Community Corner

Crowell Library: Jules Massenet's Thaïs

Religion, ecstasy, lust… these
are the fundamental motivations of the opera Thaïs by Jules
Massenet.  With a libretto by Louis Gallet based on a novel by the Nobel
Prize-winning Anatole France, the opera tells of the conflict between the love
of human pleasures and a devotion to God that ultimately consumes the lives of
the two principal characters — the monk Athanaël and the courtesan Thaïs.
 



 



Using video clips from DVDs of three different productions of the opera,
Community Educator RON STREICHER will present an uncensored exposé of the fate
of this classic "fallen woman." 
(Because of the provocative
sexual references and nudity, this presentation is rated "R" - not
recommended for children.) Like Manon, which was written
only a few years earlier, Thaïs was composed at the height
of La Belle Epoque in Paris and is one of the most well-known
of Massenet's more than two dozen operas. 

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Ron Streicher began his career in music as a pianist, percussionist, and
choral conductor.  His interest migrated to audio production while a
volunteer for the music department of a public radio station in LA.  That
avocation subsequently evolved into a career that now spans nearly five decades
as an independent audio consultant and recording engineer specializing in live
performances.

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Ron’s
love for opera was kindled while playing tympani in the pit orchestra of the
UCLA Opera Theatre and rapidly grew to an overwhelming passion.  His
career as an audio engineer has afforded him the opportunity to work with the
touring companies of the New York City Opera and Metropolitan Opera, and during
his eighteen summers with the Aspen Music Festival and School, he served as the
recording engineer and sound designer for more than fifty opera productions.  His book, The New Stereo Soundbook is now in its third edition and has
gained worldwide recognition as a standard reference on the subject of
stereophonic perception, recording, and reproduction techniques.



Mark this date on the social calendar as Crowell Library celebrates LA
Opera’s 2013/2014 season.  Light
refreshments will be served.






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