Calendar - Médée

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Médée

Ensemble

Choir and orchestra of Les Arts Florissants

Cast

Lea DESANDRE, mezzo-soprano, Médée
Reinoud VAN MECHELEN, haute-contre, Jason
Laurent NAOURI, bass, Créon
Ana VIEIRA LEITE, soprano, Créuse, Premier Fantôme
Gordon BINTNER, bass-baritone, Oronte
Emmanuelle DE NEGRI, soprano, Nérine
Élodie FONNARD, soprano, Cléone
Lisandro ABADIE, bass, Arcas
Julie ROSET, soprano, L'Amour
Mariasole MAININI, soprano, L'Italienne, Deuxième Captive
Maud GNIDZAZ, soprano, Choeur à trois voix
Juliette PERRET, soprano, Choeur des trois Captifs d'Amour
Virginie THOMAS, soprano, Second Fantôme
Julia WISCHNIEWSKI, soprano, Choeur des trois Captifs d'Amour
Alice GREGORIO, mezzo-soprano, Choeur à trois voix
Clément DEBIEUVRE, tenor, Deuxième Corinthien, un Argien Captif, Démon
Bastien RIMONDI, tenor, Un Corinthien, un Argien, Jalousie, choeur à trois voix
Matthieu WALENDZIK, bass, Un Argien, Vengeance

Program

Marc-Antoine CHARPENTIER - Médée H. 491

"For the Palais Garnier debut of Charpentier's masterpiece, David McVicar's production delights with its relevance and elegance, supported by an almost exemplary musical team. (...) In the end, Médée is also - indeed, above all - Les Arts Florissants." Diapason
"The not-to-be-missed operatic event of the moment (...) a triumph according to the audience's applauses." France Info
"Médée bewitches Garnier. (...) An exemplary cast and an outstanding performance by Arts Florissants ensure that this baroque opera enters the Paris Opéra repertoire through the front door." Les Echos

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.

This new production of Médée at the Opéra national de Paris is eagerly awaited, almost 20 years after Les Arts Florissants last performed the opera. For the occasion, William Christie, in collaboration with stage director David McVicar, has brought together the crème de la crème of the Baroque stage. Mezzo-soprano Lea Desandre will make her eagerly-awaited debut as Médée, alongside countertenor Reinoud Van Mechelen, bass Laurent Naouri and an exceptional cast featuring loyal members of Les Arts Florissants and laureates of Le Jardin des Voix academy.

An essential event in the 20224 season of Les Arts Florissants... and an unmissable rendezvous with emotion!