Renée Fleming triumphs as the glamorous courtesan Thaïs in Massenet's romantic tragedy set in fourth-century Alexandria and the Egyptian desert. The timeless struggle between earthly desire and spiritual redemption finally destroys the resolve of the the monk Athanaël (Thomas Hampson), just as the newly penitent Thaïs ascends heavenward. Jesús López Cobos gives a masterly performance of Massenet's sensuous score, with concert master David Chan...