"IL GIASONE" by FRANCESCO CAVALLI

This new world premiere recording on DVD and Bluray is featuring the promising star Christophe Dumaux in the role of Giasone and has been orchestrated and conducted by the internationally reputed baroque specialist Federico Maria Sardelli. It is directed by the young Frenchwoman Mariame Clément, who is currently making a name for herself with her infectious directing in German and French opera houses.
Giasone was the most popular opera of its day, but Francesco Cavalli's masterpiece later sank unjustly into obscurity. Until today. The director Mariame Clément brings this sparkling tragicomedy back to life with Federico Maria Sardelli as musical director.
Venice 1648/1649. Cavalli composed his successful opera Giasone for the carnival celebrations and the first public opera house in the city. It proved to be the single most popular Venetian opera of the 17th century. Audiences simply could not get enough of the amorous escapades of the young hero, Jason. The plot is loosely based on The Voyage of the Argo by Apollonius of Rhodes and is the gripping story of the handsome, mythical figure of Jason (Christophe Dumaux). Together with a group of friends, he sets off on a seemingly impossible mission: to steal the Golden Fleece. However, it soon appears that Jason is not as brave as he always claims to be and that he has a great weakness for feminine beauty. He first falls for the charms of the beautiful, tragic Isifile (Robin Johannsen) and afterwards, in the arms of the mysterious Medea (Katarina Bradić), forgets why he has travelled across the world. Nor is he a heroic and invincible figure, as he needs Medea's magic powers to fulfil his mission; indeed, his love life is a hopeless mess until the two rivals decide to sort things out. Add to this various subplots with admirers, murderous plans, dissenting gods and one stuttering servant and things really start to get out of hand.
Cavalli and his librettist Gicognini have turned this lively subject into a brilliant opera in which comedy, tragedy and fantasy are seamlessly interwoven. Cavalli maintains a sort of anarchy in both the music and the structure of the work. The classical unity of time and place no longer holds. This is the first time that all the social classes are represented in an opera.