Scene from Krzysztof Warlikowski's "Medea", photo: Maarten Vanden Abeele
As a part of the 100th anniversary celebrations of Théatre des Champs Élysees in Paris, the storied theatre hosts a Trilogy of Medea, with productions of operas by Charpentier, Dusapin and Cherubini
The Medea productions in the Trilogy are Médée, by Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1693), with performances from the 12th until the 23rd of October 2012, Medea by Pascal Dusapin (1992) with choreography by Sasha Waltz from 2007, presented on the 9th and 10th of November; and Médée by Luigi Cherubini (1797), performed from the 10th to the 16th of December. The Cherubini production crowning the Trilogy is directed by Krzysztof Warlikowski, with the baroque orchestra Les Talens Lyriques and the choir of Radio France directed by Christophe Rousset.
Warlikowski takes up another ancient myth on the French stage, having directed Gluck’s Iphigenia in Tauris at the Opéra de Paris in recents seasons. His contemporary reading of the Medea myth and of Cherubini’s opera seeks realism, rewriting spoken dialogues that forms part of the opera-comique form and delivering a new Medea, both magnified and distorted. In Medea and Jason, a "demonic" couple par excellence, violence and beauty create a drama where original carnal drives are convened.
The opera, based on the Greek tragedy by Eurypides, was written by Cherubini as an opera-comique in 1797. Warlikowski's 3-year-old production had its first revival in 2011, staged by La Monnaie in Belgium to a hugely enthusiastic popular and critical reception.
David Karlin remarked on the similarities between the heroine and deceased pop-soul star Amy Winehouse in his five-star review of the Belgian production. He calls her entrance a "real coup de théâtre" and notes that the "different sexual chemistries between her, Streit and Van Kerckhove are gripping". He describes how this portrait of a desolate woman
is brought firmly into this century, with Medea's looks modelled on Amy Winehouse (pale skin, black hair and clothes, abundant tattoos). François-Benoît Hoffman's libretto is retained intact for the lyrics, but the elegant couplets of the original dialogue (Médée is an opéra-comique, with spoken word between the musical numbers) are replaced by modern words that are terse, to the point and brutal. It works brilliantly, speeding up the action and enhancing the tension and the audience's empathy with Medea's awful circumstances. Warlikowski conjures up phenomenal acting performances from all the main roles (...)
Médée at the Théatre des Champs Élysees in Paris
Conductor: Christophe Rousset
Direction: Krzysztof Warlikowski
Set design and costumes: Malgorzata Szczesniak
Choreography: Saar Magal
Dramaturgy: Christian Longchamp
Light direction: Felice Ross
Video: Denis Guéguin
Cast:
Nadja Michael (Médée)
John Tessier (Jason)
Elodie Kimmel (Dirce)
Vincent Le Texier (Creon)
Varduhi Abrahamyan (Neris)
Ekaterina Isachenko (Servant 1)
Anne-Fleur Inizan (Servant 2)
Les Talens Lyriques Radio France choir
conducted by: Stéphane Petitjean
Showings at Theatre des Champs-Elysees take place on 10th, 12th, and 14th of December, 2012 at 7.30 pm, and on the 16th of December at 5:00 p.m. For more information, see: www.theatrechampselysees.fr
The performance is available on DVD from Bel Air Classique, see more information at www.belairclassiques.com
Editor: SRS
Source: press release, Theatre des Champs-Elysees, www.bachtrack.com
Thumbnail credit: Still-frame from DVD trailer for Médée