Equally welcome was the second opportunity to hear Massenet’s opera Thaïs (1894) within a matter of weeks. Once again it was a concert version – a ‘mid-season gala’ from the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. ABR Arts wrote about Opera Australia’s recent concerts in the Sydney Town Hall and about the glamorous American Sybil Sanderson for whom Massenet conceived the luminous title-role.

The Melbourne cast was completely different – no interstate borrowings. Daniel Sumegi, rarely heard here in French repertoire, was a commanding Palémon. Quinn Kelsey – a major Rigoletto and Count di Luna on world stages – has already sung the role of Athanaël with Andrew Davis, in 2011. Kelsey began well, revealing a handsome timbre, but he seemed to flag throughout this relatively short opera, and one entrance was uncertain. Kelsey was the only singer to rely on his score.