Calendar - Médée - semi-staged opera

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Médée - semi-staged opera

Ensemble

Choir and orchestra of Les Arts Florissants

Cast

Véronique GENS, soprano, Médée
Reinoud VAN MECHELEN, haute-contre, Jason
Cyril COSTANZO, bass-baritone, Créon
Ana VIEIRA LEITE, soprano, Créuse
Marc MAUILLON, baritone, Oronte
Emmanuelle DE NEGRI, soprano, Nérine
Lisandro ABADIE, bass-baritone, Arcas
Élodie FONNARD, soprano, Cléone
Lucía MARTIN-CARTON, soprano, Amour
Mariasole MAININI, soprano, L'Italienne
Bastien RIMONDI, tenor, Premier Corinthien, Jalousie, Chœur à trois voix
Clément DEBIEUVRE, tenor, Deuxième Corinthien, un Argien captif, Démon
Matthieu WALENDZIK, bass, un Argien, Vengeance
Virginie THOMAS, soprano, Premier Fantôme
Juliette PERRET, soprano, Second Fantôme, une Captive
Julia WISCHNIEWSKI, soprano, une Captive
Maud GNIDZAZ, soprano, Chœur à trois voix
Alice GREGORIO, mezzo-soprano, Chœur à trois voix

Program

Marc-Antoine CHARPENTIER - Médée H. 491

"Charpentier's rare work benefits from an impeccable production that highlights its music and makes it a demonstration of the destructive power of love (...) One of the best shows of the season." El Mundo (Spain)

Premiered at the Académie royale de musique in 1693, Médée is Marc-Antoine Charpentier's only tragédie lyrique.

While the story of the sorceress Médée remains inextricably linked to her crime, librettist Thomas Corneille's adaptation focuses above all on the character's psychology, telling the story of a broken woman. The work is symmetrically structured around Act III, when Medea's metamorphosis occurs: from a wounded and sensitive woman, she transforms into a veritable fury driven by vengeance. Charpentier's subtle musical writing reflects the emotional states of the characters and brings out the full complexity of their feelings. The very sombre ending, in which Médée triumphs through infanticide, is without doubt one of the most striking in the French operatic repertoire.

For this new semi-staged production at Madrid's Teatro Real, William Christie brings together the finest interpreters of the French Baroque repertoire, led by mezzo-soprano Véronique Gens, a great connoisseur of the title role of Médée. Alongside her, countertenor Reinoud Van Mechelen takes on the role of Jason, and a host of singers, many of them former laureates of the Jardin des Voix academy, round off this top-flight cast.