Pinchgut Opera’s Médée

Pinchgut Opera, Australia’s only specialist Baroque opera company, concludes the 2022 season with the Australian premiere of Médée by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, one of the greatest operas of the French Baroque era.

Médée is high drama and emotion: French tragédie lyrique in its most classic form. The sorceress Médée is driven by desperation and the abandonment of her lover Jason to do the unthinkable, and ultimately murder her own children. Marc-Antoine Charpentier dominated the Baroque musical scene during the reign of Louis XIV. His sensual lyricism and dramatic insight take us deep inside the mind and heart of this powerful and damaged woman who refuses to be a victim – even at the cost of her own flesh and blood.

One of Pinchgut’s first directors Justin Way (Semele, Fairy Queen and Dardanus) returns after more than 20 years of building an impressive career in Europe to tell Médée’s legendary story.

After her star turn in The Return of Ulysses, Pinchgut is thrilled to also welcome back from her base in England, mezzo-soprano Catherine Carby who takes on the role of the tortured Médée with Michael Petruccelli, who was thrilling in 2019’s Farnace, as Médée’s lover Jason. Cathy-Di Zhang, who won our hearts as Amour/La folie in Platèe (2021), will join Andrew Finden, Adrian Tamburini (Platée) and the current Taryn Fiebig Scholar, Chloe Lankshear.

This stellar line up will be completed by Cantillation and the Orchestra of the Antipodes, conducted by Artistic Director Erin Helyard.

Médée by Charpentier
Thurs 1 Dec 7pm, Sat 3 Dec 2pm, Sun 4 Dec 5pm, Tues 6 Dec 7pm, Wed 7 Dec 7pm

Tickets from $59. Bookings: pinchgutopera.com.au or (02) 9318 8300