Magdalena Kožená leads the cast of this production of Charpentier’s
legendary baroque opera

The Liceu dressed in its best on 27th November to host the opera Médée, composed by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, for the first time.

Presented in five acts, this production featured the Czech mezzosoprano Magdalena Kožená as Medea, with the tenor Raynaud van Mechelen as Jason, and the bass Luca Tittoto as Creon. Sir Simon Rattle conducted the Freiburger Barockorchester.

The opera Médée was premièred in 1693 at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal in Paris, with a mythological plot that received little notice at the time but has stood the test of time thanks to its outstanding richness and musicality.

Precisely because it was not highly rated in its day, it was to be the only opera by Frenchman Charpentier, which only added to its value as the centuries went by.

The plot is based on a mythological story revolving around betrayal and witchcraft, with a markedly melodramatic nature that impacted on the audience thanks to an excellent performance by a first-rate cast.

The Puig foundation supported the staging of this fine opera at the Liceu for the first time, in what was also Charpentier’s première in the city of Barcelona.