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Located in Europe
- Darius Milhaud
Médée, Op. 191 (1938)
- Heugel (World)
- 2+pic.2+ca.2+bcl.asx.2+cbn/2331/timp.perc/hp.cel/str.
- SATB
- 2 Sopranos, Alto, Tenor, Baritone
- 1 hr 10 min
- Madeleine Milhaud
- French
Programme Note
Composed in August 1938, Darius Milhaud’s opera Medea premiered on October 7, 1939 in Anvers, and was performed on May 8, 1940 at the Opera de Paris, conducted by Philippe Gaubert and staged by Charles Dullin. Despite the work’s enthusiastic reception by audiences, the invasion of France two days later would end performances. Written by Milhaud’s wife, Madeleine, the libretto draws on Euripides’ tragedy. For Milhaud, Greek myth represented a return to the source that allowed him to refine his musical language – indeed, Ancient Greece inspired some of his most beautiful pages, from Orestie (based on Claudelian translation of Aeschylus) to Protée and the opéra-minutes (such as L’Abandon d’Ariane). Perfectly balanced in form, this musical tragedy mingles tenderness and cruelty, with sweeping melodies whose power resides in their very simplicity. The choir plays an essential role, as does the orchestra with its subtle evocations. Creusa’s song "Dear Corinthians” (Tableau I, scene 1) and Medea’s invocation of the goddess Hecate (Tableau II, scene 6) reach towering heights of lyricism that do not release the spectator unscathed.