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DYNAMO CALLED FLEISCHER
Discussing “Medea”
The fourth scene is brilliant, mostly because of mezzo-soprano Isabel
Ganz’s ability to interpret both Medea and Jason so that they
sound as if produced from the throat of two different singers. Although
it is known that Ganz portrays both roles, it is still difficult to
grasp this – she does an excellent job in the double role. In
the last scene, the citizens of Corinth turn to the playwright and
ask him to tell the tale as they wish. “All is in the hands
of the gods” he answers, after some thought. The gods, in any
case, apparently smile upon Fleischer, who has lately signed a contract
with the esteemed record company ECM.
Asher Azrielov, MUSIKA, Issue No.4, Winter 1998
ABOUT “MEDEA”
The story of Medea has attracted a number of composers over the
centuries, but no one, I believe has taken the sympathetic view
of her that Fleischer and her librettist, Rivka Kashtan, offer.
This is at once poetic, thought-provoking, and dramatically effective.
Here, Medea gives her side of the story. Fleischer, as she has consistently
done, draws on diverse ethnic styles and compositional techniques
to ultimately create her singular musical language. Isabelle Ganz,
a master of contemporary vocal techniques, sings the formidably
difficult role of Medea with fine diction, seeming ease and authority
as she creates this conflicted, human character.
June Ottenberg, IAWM Journal (International Alliance of Women
in Music), Vol. 4, No. 2, Summer 1998
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CD Track List - "MEDEA: An opera in seven scenes for mezzo-soprano and four instrumentalists"
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Scene 1: Medea remembers
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Scene 2: The citizens of Corinth mock her
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Scene 3: As a mother
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Scene 4: Medea and Jason
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Scene 5: The cathartic aria
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Scene 6: Corinthians’ mockery escalates
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Scene 7: Medea in the depths of despair
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Epilogue
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