Georges Thill sings the lovely "Anges du Paradis," from Gounod's Mireille

Georges Thill is very probably France's greatest tenor. He studied with Italian tenor Fernando de Lucia, and was thoroughly schooled in the bel canto school of vocalism. He was that most Parisian of singers,and sang with great elegance and impeccable taste. He was a mainstay of the Paris Opera, and did not wander far from Paris. He sang a fair bit in Monte Carlo, but ony a few times at the Met. He was happy in France, and most particularly in Paris, where he was adored. He did a significant amount of radio and film work also. There is not another French tenor who comes readily to mind who has enjoyed the kind of career he had. [Alagna is a fine tenor, and has had a brilliant career, but perhaps has a tendency to overreach his vocal limits a bit, but that, as they say, is another story, for another time.]