Marc-Antoine Charpentier: MédéeParis National Opera

To escape the vengeance of Acastus, King of Thessaly, Jason and Médée have taken refuge in the Corinth of King Creon. Médée suspects Jason may be unfaithful and soon realises there can be no doubt: Jason is in love with Creon’s daughter, Créuse, and wants to marry her. Médée abandons herself to a jealous fury, invoking the help of the Underworld, and then sets out to take her revenge in the most terrible way possible...

Three centuries after its premiere at the Académie royale de Musique, the forerunner of the Opéra national de Paris, mythology’s most unfathomable female character makes her grand return to the Opéra Garnier. Under William Christie’s superb musical direction and boasting mezzo-soprano Lea Desandre in the title role, this sparkling baroque score is transposed to the Second World War by director David McVicar.

A modern take
This is quite the event: Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s only opera enters the repertoire under the baton of William Christie, conductor and founder of Les Arts Florissants. Supported by a magnificent cast that reflects Christie’s taste for bold, challenging productions, it brings together the crème de la crème of the Baroque stage, including Lea Desandre. This production offers audiences a chance to revisit one of the most powerful masterpieces of the French repertoire, in a modern take on the operatic genre. Director David McVicar’s bold yet faithful Second World War setting underlines the timeless power of Charpentier’s work.

Filmed on 3 and 7 May 2024 at the Opéra national de Paris – Palais Garnier