Customer Reviews

Médée / Charpentier

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It is hard to believe that this marvelous opera languished in obscurity for 300 years before being revived by Les Arts Florissants! Of all baroque operas, Charpentier's Medee seems particularly well-suited to satisfy any level of modern listener. Charpentier largely dispenses with the formalities of tragedie lyrique: the music in Medee is leitmotif-based and freely invented, blending recitative and aria to the point that they are virtually indistinguishable. While the plot is not realistic (how could it be, it's based on a myth), it is nevertheless quite dramatic. The vocal and instrumental performances, under Christie's intelligent direction, are perfectly calibrated to give effect to this drama. The finale is particularly effective. The expression of despondency in the farewell scene between Jason and Creuse is broken violently by the electrifying scene of the last confrontation between Jason and Medee, where the singers truly sound like they are about to kill each other. The impact is so immediate that it is easy to forget they are even singing. I don't recall ever being quite so impressed.

I was fortunate to listen to this production, performed in Lisbon in 1994, and I will never forget Lorraine Hunt on her black long dress, calling the spirits of the underwold in the third act... it was a magical moment, something I have no words to express. The recording shows not only that Charpentier and Corneille conceived the best lyrical drama of all time, but also that William Christie and his orchestra are among the best performers of baroque music. If I would have to choose only one record for a desert island, this would be the one! If you don't have it on your collection, you just can't imagine what you are missing...

Medee is the seventh French Baroque opera in my collection together with three by Lully and three by Rameau. Charpentier intervened between the two. The opera dates 1693, six years after Lully's death. The plot includes events from the Jason-Medea mythology not found in Cherubini's "first grand opera" Medee, dating a century later in revolutionary Paris in 1797. The sprightly and largely unruffled dignity of Charpentier's music poses a sharp contrast to the thunder of Cherubini's Medee. The contrast between the two operas serves as an index of the vast change from French monarchy at high tide under Louis XIV to the angry republic of revolutionary France in the aftermath of the Regicide of Louis XVI and subsequent Reign of Terror. Cherubini's Medea is a one-woman terror. Not so Charpentier's Medea although she warns of her magical powers with a short musical outburst early in the opera and eventually uses these powers to murder Jason's intended bride Creusa. Charpentier brings in a character, Oronte, lacking in Cherubini. Oronte allies himself with the Corinthian King Creon and then with Medea in a common cause with her as a rejected lover of Creusa just as Medea is rejected by Jason. The whole tenor of the opera is different because Medea sings the opening lines rather than being held back, as Cherubini does, to bring the angry woman on to disturb the peace of Jason's impending wedding. In other words Charpentier's work features a more conventional build-up of motives unlike the diabolical frenzy which Cherubini transferred from the Terror to the ancient sorceress. There are powerful moments in the 1693 work but the dominant qualities are delicacy and regal dignity and optimism. The reason for that optimism is stated in the Prologue by allegorical Victory who has made her home in France for a long time. Louis VIV was a winner in battle. The courtship scene between Jason and Creusa in Act II is one of the most super-refined instances of such an exchange I have ever heard.

I agree with the in-house reviewer that Charpentier's Medee is arguably the finest French baroque opera ever written. And the superb quality of this recording fully matches the beauty and subtlety of Charpentier's music. This may well be the finest recording ever produced by Les Arts Florissants.

Marc-Antoine Charpentier's 'Medee' comes from what often sounds to me like the least interesting era of 'serious music', between the robustly primitive sounds of the Renaissance, with their especially devout liturgical music and the glories of the Baroque, capped by the great achievements of Bach, Hayden, and Handel. This opera is a great counterexample to this prejudice. Much of the instrumental work sounds very much at home in the late 17th century, but very often, the vocals, both solos and choral pieces seem to bust the bounds of the era's conventions and sound like something from an early 20th century composer. And, this performance, like everything else I've heard from William Christie and company, is excellent.

William Christie's second recording of Medee is superb. Lorraine Hunt's distinctive voice confers on her Medee a magnificent presence,instantly recognizable among other voices. Jill Feldman was a wonderful Medeeback in 1984, but she and Agnes Mellon who sang Creuse sometimes sounded a bit alikewhich made following the plot somewhat more difficult. Mellon was a real highlight of the 1984 recording. Monique Zanetti who signs Creuse here faces a difficult task of matching Mellon's Creuse, yet she does so admirably. But the real improvement between the two recordings is Jason. Tenor Gilles Ragon was a fine Jason in 1984, but, as Gramophone pointedout back then, he was occasionally not quite high enough for thishaute-contre role. With haute-contre Mark Padmore, Christie finally gets it right. In sum, the first Medee was a fine recording, but this one is just spectacular.

Charpentier starts from Lully and then leaves him in the dust in this superb opera. Lorraine Hunt is, as ever, astonishing, as is Mark Padmore. Add this to your "must-have" opera list.

I heard about this opera from a friend. Even though I am not an opera goer, I really enjoyed this recording. I cant imagine anyone being disappointed. The dramatically coherent plot and the expressive performances on this recording make the music accessible even to people who are unfamiliar with baroque (or with any opera, for that matter). The singers are simply wonderful, without the "fat lady" effects normally associated with opera.

If I could take only one opera with me to a deserted island, it would be William Christie's Medee. You've never heard anything like it: Charpentier's music is unconventionally brilliant, Christie's interpretation is intelligent and passionate, and the cast is perfect (I disagree with Gramophone over Creon). The principals, Lorraine Hunt and Mark Padmore, are just about the most enchanting voices in their generation. Padmore is noteworthy for his ability to sing haute-contre like nobody else. Charpentier would have been happy!

I've listened to this thing over and over and over again since I bought it and I cannot say much more than this is how opera should be recorded on CD. For starters, we have here one of the greatest operas, based on a powerful story with an excellent libretto, of the entire Baroque period by one of the greatest composers of the period. Next we have William Christie - 'nuff said! - with his superb Les Arts Florissants ensemble.

Lorraine Hunt sang the title role. I will not compare her voice to the unlovely and overwrought metallic sound of the American singer, Maria Callas, but suffice it to say, she was a great singer of Baroque music. The entire cast is ideal and I've never detected any weak links. The pace of the opera is natural and strong - the recording was based on a stage production and this was the second time William Christie recorded the work (the first recording included some cuts, necessitated by the fact that the older recording on Harmonia Mundi was released on Lp records).

It is clear that William Christie wanted to make this recording of Médée as complete as possible and I think I can say with some confidence that it will be the definitive recording of this great work for many years to come. I admit that I haven't managed to acquire the Hervé Niquet recording of this work on DVD yet, nor have I seen it.

So, if you're a lover of Baroque music, you should own this. If you love French opera and French Art & Music in general, you should seriously consider this recording. If you are curious or just have an interest in opera, please have a listen.

Along with William Christie's recordings of Lully's "Atys", Purcell's "King Arthur" and Rameau's "Castor et Pollux" and "Les Indes Galantes", this is one of Les Arts Florissants' very finest recordings. It also happens to be one of the finest recordings of an opera on CD.