Following the success of his biblical opera David et Jonathas, written for a Jesuit college, Louis-le-Grand, Charpentier produced Médée for the Royal Academy of Music, his one and only sublime example of the ‘tragédie lyrique’ to reach the much-coveted platform.
With a libretto by Thomas Corneille, this powerful work has entered the modern-day repertoire thanks to the historic 1984 revival by Les Arts Florissants led by William Christie.
A young Baroque ensemble then at the start of its career but a champion of this composer from the outset, this year it turns 40. What better occasion for Harmonia Mundi to reissue this operatic masterpiece.
