MEDEA, Magician and Tragedian
Michel De la Barre (1675 – 1745) ; Nicolas Bernier (1665 – 1734) ;
Jean – Philippe Rameau (1683 – 1764) ; Louis – Nicolas Clérambault (1676 – 1749)
Stéphanie Varnerin : mezzo-soprano
Domitille Gilon: violin
Ronald Martin Alonso: viola da gamba
Thomas Soltani: harpsichord
Cantatas - Arias - Instrumental works.
Magic, humanity, barbarity and a rich array of feelings are the common ingredients of the Greek myths, which have constantly been illustrated by music in all its forms. While being close to us, these myths also take us into another world. One of the most famous is certainly Medea, appearing in many recordings from Bernier, Clerambault ,
Charpentier or Lully…
The fascination with this character persisted after the end of the baroque era, as Cherubini's opera Médée testifies.
Medea appears in a play by the Greek author Euripides. She was the princess of Colchis and the granddaughter of the sun. She is married to Jason, whom she helped to steal the Golden Fleece. But Jason leaves her for Glauce, and this leads to Medea's fury which is so often portrayed in operas and cantatas. That is also the case in the compositions chosen for the program of this concert. It is a combination of rather well-known pieces - in particular Clérambault's cantata - and unknown material.
The text of these cantatas of the golden age are only written in relation with music, the rhetoric is very important, music and affect are very close.
The court of Versailles, from Louis XIV to Louis XV become the center of this beautiful art