Médée thought nothing of sacrificing her family for her beloved Jason. Ascended to the throne of Beotia thanks to her, the venturesome Jason strengthens his power by marrying the daughter of Creon, King of Corinth. Médée unleashes her fury, committing the unthinkable crime of killing their two children.

Based in Paris for the last ten years, Cherubini synthesises comic opera drama and lyric tragedy in one of his most powerful scores. Created at the Théâtre Feydeau, a rival institution the Opéra-Comique would soon absorb, Médée was hailed as a European triumph in view of the composer’s reputation.

The Opéra-Comique invites Laurence Equilbey and Marie- Ève Signeyrole to seize the opportunity of this « dramatic music summit » – dixit Brahms – to create the tragic setting and dialectic for Joyce El-Khoury’s Médée. How does one approach this femme fatale archetype in the twenty-first century?
Laurence Equilbey and Marie-Éve Signeyrole certainly honoured her.

Comic Opera in three Acts. Libretto by François-Benoît Hoffman. Created on 13th March 1797 at the Théâtre Feydeau