Medea Opera by Charpentier
Saison
2022/2023
Opera in concert
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Lyric tragedy in a prologue and five acts, composed in 1693 by Marc-Antoine Charpentier for the Académie Royale de Musique, on a libretto by Thomas Corneille. Created on December 4, 1693 in Paris.
Distribution
Véronique Gens Medea
Cyrille Dubois json
Judith van Wanroij Créuse
Thomas Dolie Créon
David Witczak Orontes
Helene Carpentier Victory, Nerine, Love
Chloé Briot Glory, An Italian Woman, Cléone
Adrien Fournaison The Leader of the People, An Inhabitant, An Argian, Vengeance
Floriane Hasler Bellone
David Tricou A Shepherd, The First Corinthian, An Argian, The Third Captive, A Demon
Fabien Hyon A Shepherd, Arcas, The Second Corinthian, Jealousy
Jehanne Amzal The first shepherdess, The first captive, The first ghost
Marine Lafdal-Franc The Second Shepherdess, The Second Captive, The Second Ghost
Hervé Niquet Musical direction
The Spiritual Concert Choir and Orchestra
Program
Production
Coproduction: Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Versailles Baroque Music Center, Le Concert Spirituel
Duration
3:20 with intermission
With intermission
Photo credit
Véronique Gens © Sandrine Expilly
Additional information
Opera sung in French, surtitled in French and English
After so many years of being prevented by the privilege of the opera held by Lully, from having anything other than pastorals and religious music performed, Charpentier finally entered the Opera stage at the age of 50. He had already won over the public with his Imaginary sickness, a comedy-ballet created with Molière twenty years ago. Medea represented Charpentier's “great work”, the culmination of all his work on voice, an exceptional example of orchestral richness, a drama beautifully lived thanks to Thomas Corneille's libretto, the tragic and consuming destiny of Médée: a masterpiece! However, the reception given to this Medea by the Parisians was not up to the task, not “fashionable” enough... and Charpentier definitively gave up facing the cabals that already made the Opera the place of all the plots!
Medea therefore remained Charpentier's only lyrical tragedy, and still leaves one to regret all those he could have written had fate, politics and Lully decided otherwise (Sources: Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles).
This concert is part of the welcoming projects of student singers and instrumentalists as part of the partnership between Le Concert Spirituel and the CRR de Paris and the Pôle Supérieur de Paris-Boulogne Billancourt since 2012. To find out more about the professional integration mission, go to >> This page.
The ensemble Le Concert Spirituel is in residence at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées as part of the “cross-residencies” system initiated by the Versailles Baroque Music Center.
The dates
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