Magali Léger

A chronicle of Raúl Ruiz’s production of Michèle Reverdy’s opera “Médée”.

This is a joy from beginning to end. Although there are many tricks and ideas from Laurent Pelly, as always he seems to still retain the Offenbach magic. La Lott and Monsieur Beuron are a joy, but so is everyone else. The Patriotic Trio by the sea is both a hoot and wonderfully sung, the score seems truly complete yet never flags and the finale sequences for especially acts 1 & 2 are a joy of movement and sound fused as one glorious Offenbachian moment.

No less an admirer than Mozart praised L’Amant jaloux (The Jealous Lover), a comedic masterpiece from the pen of one of France’s greatest classical composers. Pierre-Emmanuel Rousseau’s vivid 2010 period production returns the work to Versailles’s Royal Opera where it premiered, while Jérémie Rhorer and Le Cercle de l’Harmonie bring Grétry’s melodies to life in all of their delectable charm.