''La toison d'or'' (''The Golden Fleece''), soon revised as ''Médée à Colchos ou La toison d'or'' (''Medea in Colchis or The Golden Fleece''), is a French-language opera in three acts by the composer Johann Christoph Vogel. It was first performed at the Académie Royale de Musique (the

Paris Opera The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be ...

) on 5 September 1786, "some years after its completion".Rushton. The

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

, by Philippe Desriaux, is based on the legend of

Jason Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He w ...

and the

Golden Fleece In Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece ( el, Χρυσόμαλλον δέρας, ''Chrysómallon déras'') is the fleece of the golden-woolled,, ''Khrusómallos''. winged ram, Chrysomallos, that rescued Phrixus and brought him to Colchis, where P ...

. ''La toison d'or'' was the first of Vogel's two operas. The second, '' Démophon'', premiered posthumously in 1789.

Performance history

The opera premiered on 5 September 1786,Original scoreJacobshagen. though the first printed libretto indicates that it had been intended to open six days earlier, on 29 August 1786.Picot. According to

Théodore Lajarte Théodore Lajarte (10 July 1826 – 20 June 1890) was a French musicologist, librarian, and composer.Huebner 1992. Early years Lajarte was born in Bordeaux. His full name has been given as Théodore Édouard Dufaure de Lajarte. He studied at th ...

, "the opera rehearsals did not go without a hitch", as singer Adelaïde Gavaudan refused to assume the role of Medea's sister, Calciope. On the premiere day, a "lettre de cachet" for Gavaudan's arrest was issued and she was imprisoned until 22 September. She received temporary permits to leave prison only in connection with her commitments on stage. ''La toison d'or'' was written a number of years before its premiere. Vogel emulated

Gluck Christoph Willibald (Ritter von) Gluck (; 2 July 1714 – 15 November 1787) was a composer of Italian and French opera in the early classical period (music), classical period. Born in the Upper Palatinate and raised in Bohemia, both part of the ...

's operatic style, as he noted in his "touchingly sincere" dedication to that composer in the published score. Gluck, in return, congratulated Vogel on his score's "dramatic skill".Dratwicki. By the time of the premiere, however, "taste had turned towards

Sacchini Antonio Maria Gasparo Gioacchino Sacchini (14 June 1730 – 6 October 1786) was an Italian composer, best known for his operas. Sacchini was born in Florence, but raised in Naples, where he received his musical education. He made a name for him ...

" and Vogel's work, probably appearing somewhat old-fashioned and also lacking a ballet, did not meet with much success and was immediately reworked. A new libretto was published under the title ''Médée à Colchos ou La toison d'or'' and the revised version was mounted on 2 October 1786, a Sunday. In fact, this second libretto gives its initial presentation date as "Tuesday 27 September 1786", but as in the original libretto, the debut had to be postponed for several days, this time because Anne Chéron,Anne Chéron (1767–1862?), née Cameroy, was featured as Hipsiphile in the premiere cast list, under her stage name of "Mlle Dozon"; following her marriage to the Académie

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

Auguste-Athanase Chéron (1760–1829) on 16 September 1786, her name was duly changed to "Mme Chéron" in the revised published libretto. who was cast as Hipsiphile, was suffering from a severe cold and was unable to perform. Adelaïde Gavaudan, who had been replaced as Calciope but remained Chéron's understudy, was requested to step in, but she claimed she had not fully mastered the role; director Dauvergne ultimately resolved to change the bill and rescheduled the performance for the following Sunday.

Antoine Dauvergne Antoine Dauvergne (3 October 1713 – 11 February 1797) was a French composer and violinist. Dauvergne was born in Moulins, Allier. He served as master of the ''Chambre du roi'', director of the Concert Spirituel from 1762 to 1771, and direct ...

's correspondence with Denis Papillon de La Ferté, published and made accessible online by (Antoine Dauvergne, ''Correspondance avec Denis Papillon de La Ferté conservée aux Archives nationales 1780-1782; 1785-1790'': 26 September letter, p. 157; the dossier can be downloaded as a PDF file from th
Palazzetto Bru Zane digital resources website
. Even with the revisions, and continuing additions of ''ballet pantomimes'', the audience's appreciation of Vogel's opera did not increase and it was withdrawn on 7 November 1786 after nine performances in all, returning only 2,166

livre LIVRE (, L), previously known as LIVRE/Tempo de Avançar (, L/TDA), is a green political party in Portugal founded in 2014. Its founding principles are ecology, universalism, freedom, equity, solidarity, socialism and Europeanism. Its symbol ...

s to the box office.Pitou, article: "La Toison d'or", pp. 523–524. It was revived at the Paris Opera beginning on 17 June 1788, but Vogel’s death on 26 June between the second and third performances ended the run prematurely; it earned only 1,553 livres 6 sols in the third and final performance of the revival on 1 July, and was shelved thereafter, having been presented a dozen times.

Roles

Synopsis

Act 1

''Scene: A plain outside the walls of Colchis.''

and the

Argonauts The Argonauts (; Ancient Greek: ) were a band of heroes in Greek mythology, who in the years before the Trojan War (around 1300 BC) accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, '' Argo'', ...

have voyaged from

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

for

Colchis In Greco-Roman geography, Colchis (; ) was an exonym for the Georgian polity of Egrisi ( ka, ეგრისი) located on the coast of the Black Sea, centered in present-day western Georgia (country), Georgia. Its population, the Colchians a ...

in search of the

. Jason's wife, Queen

Hypsipyle In Greek mythology, Hypsipyle (Ancient Greek: Ὑψιπύλη) was a queen of Lemnos, and the daughter of King Thoas of Lemnos, and the granddaughter of Dionysus and Ariadne. When the women of Lemnos killed all the males on the island, Hypsipyle ...

, has secretly followed him there. She arrives to hear a chorus celebrating Jason's triumph over fire-breathing bulls. They also congratulate Princess Medea of Colchis on her forthcoming marriage to Jason. The news shocks Hypsipyle. When Medea finds out that Jason is already married, she is furious and vows revenge on him. Jason and Hypsipyle are reconciled and decide to embark for Greece.

Act 2

''Scene: A dark forest by the sea, on which the Argonauts' fleet is sailing.''
Medea's sister, Calciope, begs her to forget Jason, but Medea uses her magic to summon a storm which wrecks the Argonauts' ships. Jason and Hypsipyle make it to the shore and confront Medea. Jason urges her to forgive and forget, but Medea stabs Hypsipyle to death before his very eyes.

Act 3

''Scene: Walls surrounding the sacred forest in which the Golden Fleece is kept. Outside the walls, the Sybil's cave.''
Still bent on revenge, Medea consults the Sybil in her cave. She plans to kill Jason but when she hears the Argonauts are in danger, she takes pity and rushes to his aid. Medea uses her magic powers to defeat the earth-born giants who are attacking the Argonauts. She also puts the dragon guarding the Golden Fleece to sleep, allowing Jason to steal it. Medea begs Jason to take her with him to Greece. When he refuses, she curses him and flies off in a chariot pulled by dragons.

Recording

*''La toison d'or'': Marie Kalinine (Médée), Jean-Sébastien Bou (Jason), Judith Van Wanroij (Hipsiphile), Choir of the

Staatstheater Nürnberg The Staatstheater Nürnberg is a German theatre company in Nuremberg, Bavaria. The theatre is one of four Bavarian state theatres and shows operas, plays, ballets and concerts. History Its main venue, the opera house ("Opernhaus Nürnberg"), i ...

Le Concert Spirituel Le Concert Spirituel is a French ensemble specialising in works of baroque music, played on period instruments. Founded by Hervé Niquet in 1987, it is named after the 18th-century concert series Concert Spirituel. The group performs internationa ...

, conducted by

Hervé Niquet Hervé Niquet (born 28 October 1957) is a French conductor, harpsichordist, tenor, and the director of Le Concert Spirituel, specializing in French Baroque music. Biography Born on 28 October 1957, Hervé Niquet was raised at Abbeville in the ...

(2 CDs, Glossa, 2013)

Notes

Sources

*Desriaux, Philippe. Second version libretto:
''Médée à Colchos ou la Toison d'or, Tragédie-lyrique en 3 actes, Représentée, pour la premiere fois, sur le Théatre de l'Académie Royale de Musique, le Mardi 27 Septembre 1786''
Paris, de Lormel, 1786, via Gallica *, trans. Pardoe, Mary (2013)
''La Toison d'or''
CD booklet notes to recording by

directed by

, pp. 13–17, Retrieved 29 July 2020. *Jacobshagen, Arnold (2001).
Vogel (Fogel), Johann Christoph
'. ''Grove Music Online''. Retrieved 29 July 2020. * Lajarte, Théodore,
Bibliothèque Musicale du Théatre de l'Opéra. Catalogue Historique, Chronologique, Anecdotique
', Paris, Librairie des bibliophiles, 1878, Tome I, Article CCXCIV: "La Toison d'or", p. 351 via

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

* Picot, Émile,
Bibliographie Cornélienne, ou description raisonnée de toutes les éditions des oeuvres de Pierre Corneille, ...
', Paris, Fontaine, 1876, pp. 431–432 via

Google Books Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google Inc. that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical c ...

* Pitou, Spire, ''The Paris Opéra. An Encyclopedia of Operas, Ballets, Composers, and Performers – Rococo and Romantic, 1715-1815'', Westport/London, Greenwood Press, 1985, *

Rushton, Julian Julian Gordon Rushton (born 22 May 1941) is an English musicologist, born in Cambridge. He has contributed the entry on Mozart in ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' and several other articles in ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians' ...

(2002).
Vogel (Fogel), Johann Christoph
'. ''Grove Music Online''. Retrieved 29 July 2020. * Vogel, Johann Christoph; Desriaux, Philippe. Original printed score:
''La Toison d'or, Tragédie lyrique en Trois Actes, Dédiée à Mr le Chevalier Gluck, Mise en Musique par Mr Vogel, Représentée pour la premiere fois, Par l'Accademie Royale de Musique, Le 5 Septembre 1786''
Paris, Michaud, s.d. via Gallica {{DEFAULTSORT:Toison d'or (opera), La 1786 operas French-language operas Operas Operas based on classical mythology Operas by Johann Christoph Vogel Works about Medea Works about the Argonauts