Médée (Medea) is a French language opéra-comique by Luigi Cherubini. The libretto by François-Benoît Hoffman was based on Euripides' tragedy of Medea and Pierre Corneille's play Médée. It is set in the ancient city of Corinth.
The opera was premiered on March 13, 1797 at the Théâtre Feydeau, Paris. It met with a lukewarm reception and was not immediately revived. During the twentieth century, it was usually performed in Italian translation as Medea as is the case in tonight's broadcast, with the spoken dialogue replaced by recitatives not authorized by the composer. More recently, opera companies have returned to Cherubini's original version.
Cast:
Medea - Maria Callas
Neris - Fedora Barbieri
Jason - Gino Penno
La Scala Opera Orchestra and Chorus
Leonard Bernstein - conductor
Warner Classics LIVE 1953