About the work
Opéra comique in three acts by Luigi Cherubini, with a libretto by François-Benoît Hoffman based on Euripides' tragedy and Pierre Corneille's play "Médée". It premiered on 13 March 1797 at the Théâtre Feydeau in Paris, with spoken dialogue in place of through-composed recitative.
Plot
Jason abandons Médée to marry Dircé, daughter of the Corinthian king. In revenge, the spurned Médée kills her rival with a poisoned robe and stabs the couple's two children before taking her own life.
Cultural significance
The premiere was only a modest success, running for about twenty performances. During the twentieth century the work became known chiefly in an Italian version, "Medea", with recitatives added by other hands and never authorised by Cherubini; Maria Callas made the title role famous from 1953 onward. German-language houses stage the work both under its French original title and as "Medea".