Some of his greatest operatic roles were written for the young American soprano Sybil Sanderson. This includes the main role in his popular opera "Thaïs". The story is set in Egypt and is about a monk who tries to persuade Thaïs to give up her life as a prostitute. However, he soon finds he is falling in love with her himself. This mixture of religion and salvation became an extremely popular subject for operas at that time. The "Méditation" from "Thaïs" is a short piece for violin solo. It is one of the best-loved of all Romantic violin solos.
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