MEDEA

Lyric tragedy in five acts and a prologue. Composed in 1693 for the Royal Academy of Music, based on a libretto by Thomas Corneille. Premiere on December 4, 1693, in Paris.

Long overshadowed by the overwhelming presence of Lully, Marc-Antoine Charpentier had only one chance to conquer the stage of the Royal Academy of Music, and he seized it with breathtaking mastery. In 1693, he signed Medea, his only opera, and perhaps the greatest masterpiece of French baroque.

Based on a libretto by Thomas Corneille, freely inspired by his illustrious brother Pierre, the work examines with luminous cruelty the soul of a betrayed woman. Jason has abandoned her. Medea will make him pay the most unbearable price: the life of her own children. Charpentier depicts this descent into hell with an extraordinary subtlety – heart-wrenching harmonies, finely crafted declamation, and transitions of almost unsettling fluidity.

To embody this incandescent character, contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux takes on the challenge of this extraordinary role for the first time. Opposite her, young Czech tenor Petr Nekoranec lends his luminous voice to Jason. Surrounding them is a cast of top soloists, the passionate voices of the Namur Chamber Choir, and an orchestra at the peak of its form: Les Épopées, under the inspired direction of Stéphane Fuget.

Duration: ± 3h15 with intermission

Prices: €48 | €37 | €33 | €28

Sung and supertitled in French.

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