Album

Cherubini's Médée, with a French libretto, received its premiere in Paris in 1797. Although the subject is grimly tragic, it was classified, like Carmen, as an opéra comique because it contained spoken dialogue. The opera was not hugely successful and had a spotty performance history until it became a vehicle for Maria Callas in the 1950s and early '60s, in a version in Italian—Medea—with a nineteenth century setting of the dialogue as recitative. That version has largely held the stage since, but this recording uses the original French version with spoken dialogue. The recording is taken from a live performance at the 1995 Festival of Valle d'Itria—Martina Franca, which has made something of a specialty of performing French versions of operas that are best known in other languages. The recording suffers from some of the vagaries of live performance, including loud page turning in the orchestra, stage noise, and the prompter's whispering. The quality and balance of the sound is otherwise always at least acceptable and often good. The soloists, for the most part, make this a competitive version of the opera, and certainly one that should interest anyone who wants to hear it as the composer wrote it. Jano Tamar is a fiercely dramatic Médée, with the firepower to make her a really frightening character. She is vocally more than up to the challenges of the role, both in its extreme range and coloratura demands, and she maintains a pure tone while tearing into it with a fury that sounds like an explosive force of nature. As Jason, Luca Lombardo is generally solid, but he is not in Tamar's league vocally or in dramatic force, and their confrontations are somewhat lopsided (which, actually, is theatrically appropriate). He fares best in ensembles; in his solo "Eloigné pour jamais," he sounds pinched and nasally. Patrizia Ciofi sings with radiant tone, expressiveness, and impeccable technique in the demanding role of Dircé, and Jean-Philippe Courtis is a forceful, resonant Créon. Patrick Fournillier leads the Orchestra Internazionale d'Italia and Coro da Camera Sluk di Bratislava in a refined and incisive reading of the score.

© Stephen Eddins, Rovi

CD 1 of 2
Luigi Cherubini Composer Médée (Medea; opera) Work 2:26:15 Mariagrazia Pani Vocals, Patrizia Ciofi Vocals, Patrick Fournillier Conductor, Orchestra Internazionale d'Italia Opera Orchestra, Iano Tamar Vocals, Jean-Philippe Courtis Vocals, Bratislava Sluk Chamber Choir Chorus/Choir, Rosanna Casucci Vocals, Luca Lombardi Vocals, Magali C. Damonte Vocals
1	Ouverture	7:01			$1.49
2	Act 1. Quoi! lorsque tout s'empresse	9:31			$1.49
3	Act 1. Hymen! viens dissiper une vaine frayeur	5:35			$0.99
4	Act 1. Prince, rassurez-vous	1:08			$0.99
5	Act 1. Belle Dircé	5:32			$0.99
6	Act 1. Eloigné pour jamais	5:17			$0.99
7	Act 1. Dieux et déesses tutélaires	8:06			$1.49
8	Act 1. Voici donc le palais	2:05			$0.99
9	Act 1. C'est à vous de trembler	3:06			$0.99
10	Act 1. Eh-bien, Jason	1:41			$0.99
11	Act 1. Vous voyez de vos fils	6:47			$0.99
12	Act 1. Regrets tardifs! Repentir inutile	1:31			$0.99
13	Act 1. Perfides ennemis	7:52			$1.49
14	Act 2. O détestable hymen!	4:39			$0.99

CD 2 of 2
1	Act 2. Ah! Du moins à Médée accordez un asyle	12:18			$1.99
2	Act 2. Malheureuse princesse!	0:57			$0.99
3	Act 2. Ah! Nos peines seront communes	8:32			$1.49
4	Act 2. Je profiterai bien de ce jour	3:20			$0.99
5	Act 2. Chers enfants	8:11			$1.49
6	Act 2. Ah! puisqu'on vous permet	1:13			$0.99
7	Act 2. Fils de Bacchus	5:21			$0.99
8	Act 2. Ecoute ma prière	1:36			$0.99
9	Act 2. Le front paré de myrtes immortels	3:29			$0.99
10	Act 3. Introduction	7:13			$1.49
11	Act 3. Dieux, qui m'avez prêté vos secours	1:00			$0.99
12	Act 3. Du trouble affreux qui me dévore	5:02			$0.99
13	Act 3. Ah! si vous fûtes outragée	1:22			$0.99
14	Act 3. Eh quoi! je suis Médée	3:39			$0.99
15	Act 3. O Tisiphone! implacable déesse	4:48			$0.99
16	Act 3. Quel horrible forfait	8:23			$1.49