Cherubini's Medea (Italian version by Carlo Zangarini)

In 1953, Maria Callas came to Florence to perform the title role in Luigi Cherubini’s (1760-1842) Medea, an opera that had gone largely unstaged after a brief run at La Scala in 1909. Her interpretation—learned in just a week—was such a success that the work found a new life in opera houses all over the world in the decades to come. Although purists may prefer the original French libretto, it was the Italian translation by Carlo Zangarini that won Medea its legions of fans in the twentieth century—and it is that version to which the hypnotic Anna Caterina Antonacci brings her storied talents in this Turin premiere, etching her name into the long list of sopranos who have incarnated the lead role since Callas.

Medea loves Jason, and in her quest to help him find the Golden Fleece, she betrays her family and murders her brother—along with Jason’s uncle, King Pelias, allowing Jason to accede to the throne. The opera picks up years later, when Jason has left Medea and their two children and is preparing to marry Glauce, daughter of Creon. This is a betrayal that Medea cannot abide, and she arrives to wreak havoc on the would-be happy couple, killing the bride and her father and then, in madness and despair, her own children.