Médée (Cherubini)

For other operas called Médée or Medea, see Medea (disambiguation).

Médée is a French language opéra-comique by Luigi Cherubini. The libretto by François-Benoît Hoffmann (Nicolas Étienne Framéry) was based on Euripides' tragedy of Medea and Pierre Corneille's play Médée.

The opera was premiered on 13 March 1797 at the Théâtre Feydeau, Paris. It met with a lukewarm reception and was not immediately revived. During the nineteenth- and most of the twentieth-century, it was usually performed in Italian translation as Medea, with the spoken dialogue replaced by recitatives not authorised by the composer. More recently, opera companies have returned to Cherubini's original version.

The long-lost final aria, which Cherubini appears to have blanked out in his original manuscript, was discovered by researchers from the University of Manchester and Stanford University by employing x-ray techniques to uncover the blackened out areas of Cherubini's manuscript.

Performances and Versions

File:Medea Cherubini titelblad.jpg

Title page of the first edition of the full score of Médée by Cherubini, 1797.

Several versions of the opera were produced and staged in Italian and German:

• 1802: The Italian translation was premiered in Vienna on 6 November 1802.
• 1809: The shortened version of the Italian translation was given in Vienna, where Cherubini produced a version which omitted some 500 bars of music
• 1855: Franz Lachner's German version was given in Frankfurt. This was based on the shortened Vienna version, but with recitatives composed by Lachner which replaced the spoken dialogue.
• 1865: The United Kingdom premiere was given in Italian at Her Majesty's Theatre on 6 June, with recitatives by Luigi Arditi, and Thérèse Tietjens in the title role. Cherubini's son and grandson were among the audience. This performance received a highly enthusiastic review in The Times.

Title page to a vocal score of the 1909 hybrid version.

• 1909: The Italian translation of the Lachner version by Carlo Zangarini was prepared for its Italian premiere at the Teatro alla Scala, on 30 December 1909, and starred Ester Mazzoleni. It was this hybrid version that was revived in 1953 for Maria Callas.

Callas Revivals (1953-1962)

Perhaps the most famous 20th-century revival of the work was in Florence in 1953, with Maria Callas in the title role, conducted by Vittorio Gui. Callas learned and performed the role within a week, to critical acclaim. The production was so successful that the Teatro alla Scala decided to stage this opera during the opening week of its 1953-1954 season, with Leonard Bernstein filling in for an indisposed Victor de Sabata and staged by Margherita Wallmann.

Callas performed the role throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, with possibly the most famous production being by the Dallas Opera in 1958, conducted by Nicola Rescigno (with Jon Vickers as Jason) and directed by the Greek director Alexis Minotis. This production traveled to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in London in 1959, and to La Scala (where a few minutes of it were filmed) in 1961-62. It was in these performances that Callas made her last appearances in Italy.

Late Twentieth-Century revivals

• 1984 - 1995: Revivals of the original French version were given at the Buxton Festival on 28 July 1984; at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden on 6 November 1989; and at the Valle d'Itria Festival on 4 August 1995.
• 1996: The shortened Vienna version was given in an English translation and sung in English by Opera North in Leeds in April 1996.
• March 1997: A Bicentennial production by Opera Quotannis presented an unabridged (text and music) version (with a period-instrument orchestra) of the original opéra-comique at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, commemorating the bicentennial of the premiere. Bart Folse conducted Brian Morgan's stylized production, which featured Phyllis Treigle (in the title role), Carl Halvorson (as Jason), D'Anna Fortunato (as Néris), David Arnold (as Créon), Thaïs St Julien (as Dircé), and Jayne West and Andrea Matthews (as the Handmaidens of Dircé). Peter G. Davis, in New York magazine, wrote that "Opera Quotannis delivers Cherubini's Médée in all its original glory…. The occasion proved that the real Médée is indeed a masterpiece. Its weak sister, the doctored Medea we've been hearing all these years, should now be permanently set aside." Newport Classic subsequently recorded the production for Compact Disc.

The role of Médée is famed for its difficulty. Other famous interpreters of the role in the 20th century included Anna Caterina Antonacci, Dame Josephine Barstow, Montserrat Caballé, Eileen Farrell, Marisa Galvany, Leyla Gencer, Dame Gwyneth Jones, Nadja Michael, Maralin Niska, Magda Olivero, Leonie Rysanek, Sylvia Sass, Anja Silja, Dunja Vejzovic, and Shirley Verrett.

Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere cast, 13 March 1797 (Conductor: - )
Médée	soprano	Julie-Angélique Scio
Dircé, Créon's daughter	soprano	Rosine
Néris, Médée's slave	mezzo-soprano or contralto	Auvray
Jason	tenor	Pierre Gaveaux
King Créon	bass	Alexis Dessaules
Captain of the Guard	speaking role	Legrand
Two Handmaidens of Dirce	sopranos	Verteuil, -
Two children	silent roles
Chorus: Servants of Dircé, Argonauts, priests, warriors, people of Corinth

Synopsis

Place: Corinth

Time: Antiquity

Act 1

Outside the palace of King Créon

Dircé is preparing for her wedding to Jason. Years ago, Jason had stolen the golden fleece with the help of Médée, who had betrayed her family and established a relationship with Jason, the result of which was two children. Although Jason has since abandoned Médée, she reappears and demands that he return to her. Jason refuses and Médée curses him, swearing vengeance.

Act 2

Inside the palace

In despair, Médée is encouraged by her slave, Néris, to leave the city. Créon then appears and orders that Médée leave. She asks for one more day with her children and, after the king agrees, she appears to be calmer and gives Néris two wedding presents to take to her rival.

Act 3

Between the palace and the temple

Néris brings the two children out to where Médée is waiting. Sounds of lamentation are heard from within the palace and it is discovered that one of Médée's wedding presents has poisoned Dircé. An angry crowd gathers and Néris, Médée, and the children take refuge in the temple. The two women reappear with Médée grasping a blood-stained knife with which she has killed her two children. The temple, to which Médée returns, goes up in flames.

Recordings

Original French version:

Year	Cast (Médée, Dircé, Néris, Jason, Créon)	Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra	Label
1995	Iano Tamar, Patrizia Ciofi, Magali Damonte, Luca Lombardo, Jean-Philippe Courtis	Patrick Fournillier Orchestra Internazionale d'Italia Opera (Live performance at the Palazzo Ducale, Martina Franca during the XX Festival della Valle d'Itria, August)	Audio CD: Nuova Era Cat: 7253/54 Nuova Era, Cat: 231687 (Reissue 2008)
1997	Phyllis Treigle, Thaïs St Julien, D'Anna Fortunato, Carl Halvorson, David Arnold	Bart Folse, Brewer Chamber Orchestra and the Chorus Quotannis	Audio CD: Newport Classic Cat: NPD 85622/2

Lachner version, in Italian translation:

Year	Cast (Medea, Glauce, Neris, Giasone, Creonte)	Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra	Label
1953	Maria Callas, Maria Luisa Nache, Fedora Barbieri, Gino Penno, Giuseppe Modesti	Leonard Bernstein, Teatro alla Scala Orchestra and Chorus, (Recording of a performance at La Scala, 10 December)	Audio CD: EMI
1957	Maria Callas, Renata Scotto, Miriam Pirazzini, Mirto Picchi, Giuseppe Modesti	Tullio Serafin, Teatro alla Scala Orchestra and Chorus	Audio CD: EMI Cat: CDMB-63625
1959	Maria Callas, Joan Carlyle, Fiorenza Cossotto, Jon Vickers, Nicola Zaccaria	Nicola Rescigno, Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. (Recording of a performance by the BBC at the Royal Opera House, 30 June)	Audio CD: ICA Classics Cat: ICAC 5110. (Issued under licence from the BBC, London)
1967	Dame Gwyneth Jones, Pilar Lorengar, Fiorenza Cossotto, Bruno Prevedi, Justino Díaz	Lamberto Gardelli Orchestra and Chorus of Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia	Audio CD: Decca «Double» Cat: 452 611-2
1977	Sylvia Sass, Magda Kalmár, Klára Takács, Veriano Luchetti, Kolos Kováts	Lamberto Gardelli, Hungarian Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra and Chorus	Audio CD: Hungaroton Cat: HCD 11904-05-2

References

Notes

External links

• French libretto of Cherubini's Médée
• "Motherhood and Murder: Cherubini's Medea" on npr.org