Médée (Cherubini)
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- For other operas called Médée or Medea, see Medea (disambiguation)
Médée (French), or Medea (Italian, German, English), is an opéra comique by Luigi Cherubini. The libretto by François-Benoît Hoffmann (Nicolas Étienne Framéry) was based on Euripides' tragedy of the same name and Pierre Corneille's play Médée .[1]
[edit] Performances and versions
The role of Médée requires vocal stamina and control. Famous interpreters of the role in the 20th century include Maria Callas, Eileen Farrell, Magda Olivero, Leonie Rysanek and Anja Silja.
[edit] First performance (Paris, 1797)
The first version of the opera was in French and premiered on 13 March 1797 in Paris, Théâtre Feydeau.
At its Paris première, Médée met with a lukewarm reception and was not revived.
The opera was first shown in Berlin on 17 April 1800.
[edit] First Italian version (1802)
The first Italian version of the opera was premiered in Vienna, 6 November 1802.
[edit] Short Italian version (1809)
Also for Vienna, Cherubini produced a version cut by about 500 bars in 1809.
[edit] Lachner's version (Frankfurt, 1855)
The libretto set by Cherubini contained spoken dialogue. More than 10 years after his death, a German-language version appeared. This was based on the short Vienna version, but with recitatives composed by Franz Lachner replacing the spoken dialogue.
[edit] UK premiere (1865)
Haymarket, 6 June 1865, with recitatives by Luigi Arditi.
[edit] Italian translation of the Lachner version (1909)
Carlo Zangarini translated the Lachner version for its Italian premiere at La Scala, 30 December 1909.
This version was revived in 1953 in Italy, with Maria Callas in the title role.
[edit] Callas revival (1953-1962)
Perhaps the most famous 20th century revival of the work was in Florence in 1953, with Maria Callas in the title role and conducted by Vittorio Gui. Callas learned and performed the role within a week, to critical acclaim. The production was so successful that La Scala decided to open the 1953 season with this opera, with Leonard Bernstein filling in at the last moment for an indisposed Victor de Sabata. Callas performed the role throughout the 1950's and early 1960s, with the most famous production being in Dallas in 1958, conducted by Nicola Rescigno and directed by the great Greek director Alexis Minotis. This production traveled to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in London in 1959 and to La Scala in the early 60's. It was in this role that Callas made her last La Scala appearance.
In preparing for the role, Callas lost a dramatic amount of weight; she wanted a gaunt jaw line, "very thin, very pronounced" as she later put it in an interview. Callas said later (1961) of the role:
- "This opera is not bel canto but recitative and theater — straight acting, speaking with the music. The strength of Cherubini's opera is not the arias but the recitativi". (Perhaps she was unaware that the recitatives that she sang were not by Cherubini at all.)
The role remained in her repertoire nine years and she sang the part more than thirty times in nine cities. Recordings exist from Milan (1953 and 1961), Dallas (1958) and London (1959).
[edit] Revival of the original French version (from 1984)
- Buxton Festival (28 July 1984)
- Covent Garden (6 November 1989)
- Valle d'Itria Festival (4 August, 1995)
- Opera Quotannis, New York City (6 March 1997, subsequently recorded by Newport Classic)
[edit] English translation of the short Vienna version (1996)
The short Vienna version, sung in English, was premiered in Opera North in Leeds, April 1996
