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Médée

MARC-ANTOINE CHARPENTIER
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Marc-Antoine Charpentier's crowning achievement and testament

“Adieu, Jason, j’ay remply ma vengeance.
Voyant Corinthe en feu, ses Palais embrasez,
pleure à jamais les maux que ta flâme a causez.”

Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643-1704)
Medée (Act V, Scene 8)

Tragedie mise en musique in five acts and a prologue from a libretto by Thomas Corneille was the first opera based on this fascinating mythological character: Medea. Lully had the privilege of being the composer of court operas, and Charpentier was therefore devoted to pastoral compositions and religious music. At the age of 50 he was able to write his Medée. The timid public reception in Paris made the composer shun other attempts in this genre, and so it remained his only opera: the composer’s crowning achievement and testament. 

First performed at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal in Paris on 4 December 1693, it has a richness of music and dramatic force that is all-consuming. Its plot tells a tale of betrayal, myth, rage and sorcery in which Medea, abandoned by her husband Jason, will use her magic for a terrible revenge, poisoning her rival Créuse and killing her own children in order to destroy her husband Jason’s happiness. He will survive to prolong his suffering. An example of vicarious violence, faced with the impossibility of finding a new path. A pathology born of an infinity of cracks that are impossible to overcome. 

The work needs a protagonist who is a character beyond measure. In this case, Magdalena Kožená will be entrusted with the role of Medée; accompanied by the sensitive and extraordinary Sir Simon Rattle conducting the Freiburger Barockorchester. 

Possessing a first-rate tragic talent, comfortable in French prosody, the Czech singer will offer a multi-faceted portrait of Médée: from the pain of Jason’s abandonment to humiliation, passing through madness and her murderous fury. Voice, gaze and gesture aligned in an intense performance in Charpentier’s first at the Liceu. 

With the support of:

 

 

 

Médée

OPERA IN A PROLOGUE AND FIVE ACTS
Libretto by Thomas Corneille based on Euripides’ homonymous tragedy.
World premiere: 04/12/1693 at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal in Paris
Liceu premiere 

Approximate running time
3h 15min
Actes i mitges parts
  • Act I 30min
  • Act II 35min
  • Act III 30min
  • Interval 30min
  • Act IV 35min
  • Act V 30min

Cast

MÉDÉE
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Magdalena Kozena
Magdalena Kožená
JASON
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Reinoud Van Mechelen
Reinoud van Mechelen
CRÉON
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Luca Tittoto.
Luca Tittoto
CRÉÜSE
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Carolyn Sampson.
Carolyn Sampson
CLÉONE / L’AMOUR
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Jehanne Amzal
Jehanne Amzal
ORONTE
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Gyula Orendt.
Gyula Orendt
NÉRINE / BELLONE
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Markéta Cukrová
Markéta Cukrová
ARCAS/ LA JALOUSIE
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Gonzalo Quinchahual
Gonzalo Quinchahual
LA VENGEANCE
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Dionisyos Avgerinos
Dionisyos Avgerinos
Staatsopernchor Berlin
Freiburger Barockorchester (Sir Simon Rattle, director)
Conductor
Sir Simon Rattle
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Programme

Here you can download the programme for free. Catalan or Spanish edition, only.

La prèvia

La prèvia és un podcast del Gran Teatre del Liceu, produït per La máquina de la luz i amb guió de Javier Blánquez. En aquest capítol parlem de Médée de Marc-Antoine Charpentier.

More info

Classic Myths Pack

Enjoy this pack of early and Baroque music with a joint ticket for both titles and benefit from a 20% discount.

Médée (November 27, 2023) + L'Orfeo (February 16, 2024)

BUY NOW

 

Lectures

20/11/2023 Monday | 7pm
CHORUS REHEARSAL ROOM

Lecture by countertenor Jordi Abelló, regarding the concert version of Médée by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, based on the tragedy by Euripides.

To register for this activity, you must get in touch with the Association: 93 317 73 78 – [email protected]

Check HERE for other lectures on different titles.