Médée

Médée is a French opera in three acts. Luigi Cherubini wrote the music. The libretto is by François-Benoît Hoffmann (Nicolas Étienne Framéry). It is based on Euripides' tragedy of Medea and on Pierre Corneille's play Médée. It was first performed in Paris on 13 March 1797. The Italian version by Carlo Zangarini was performed in Milan on 30 December 1909. The opera is Cherubini's most successful work. It was revived in 1953 for Maria Callas.

Principal characters

• Medea (Médée) - soprano
• Glauce (Dircé) - soprano
• Giasone (Jason) - tenor
• Neris (Néris) - mezzo-soprano
• Creonte (Créon) - bass

Discography

Original French Version

• 1995: Iano Tamar (Médée), Patrizia Ciofi (Dircé), Luca Lombardo (Jason), Magali Damonte (Néris), Jean-Philippe Courtis (Créon); Coro da Camera Sluk, Orchestra Internazionale d'Italia Opera, Patrick Fournillier - (Nuova Era)
• 1997: Phyllis Treigle (Médée), Thaïs St Julien (Dircé), Carl Halvorson (Jason), D'Anna Fortunato (Néris), David Arnold (Créon); Chorus Quotannis, Brewer Chamber Orchestra, Bart Folse - (Newport Classic)

Lachner version, in Italian translation by Zangarini

• 1953: Maria Callas (Medea), Maria Luisa Nache (Glauce), Gino Penno (Giasone), Fedora Barbieri (Neris), Giuseppe Modesti (Creonte); Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Leonard Bernstein - (EMI Classics)
• 1957: Maria Callas (Medea), Renata Scotto (Glauce), Mirto Picchi (Giasone), Miriam Pirazzini (Neris), Giuseppe Modesti (Creonte); Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Tullio Serafin - (EMI Classics)
• 1967: Gwyneth Jones (Medea), Pilar Lorengar (Glauce), Bruno Prevedi (Giasone), Fiorenza Cossotto (Neris), Justino Díaz (Creonte); Orchestra e coro dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Lamberto Gardelli - (Decca)