Joseph-François Salomon: Medée Et Jason – Reinoud Van Mechelen

From ancient theatre to lyric tragedy, the character of Medea has withstood the test of time. A quintessential tragic heroine, she embodies a soul torn apart by betrayal, whose pain turns into devastating madness. Following Charpentier and Corneille’s opera (1693), Abbé Simon-Joseph Pellegrin’s avant-garde libretto offers a liberated interpretation of the classical myth, in which Medea masters her magic and her destiny. Salomon’s score responds with sumptuous writing, borrowing from the tradition of Lully while foreshadowing the genius of Rameau. By unearthing this missing link between two eras, Reinoud Van Mechelen offers us a spectacular lyric tragedy, revealing the superb complexity of a woman equally powerful and tormented.