The Cast (in order of appearance)
Christian Schäfer sings the part of Phrixos, son of King Athamas, who together with his sister Helle escapes with the aid of a magical golden ram -sent by their real mother Nephele- from being sacrificed by their wicked stepmother Ino. Phrixos reaches the coast of Colchis and as a sign of gratitude he offers the ram to Zeus, although his sister Helle was killed during the flight across the sea. The Golden Fleece he then gives to Aeetes, the king of Colchis, as a gift.
Aietes is voiced by Andreas Lohse and is the King of Thessaly and son of the god Apollo. According to the oracle's prophecy, Aietes will live forever- as long as he is in possesion of the Golden Fleece. Therefore he naturally tries everything possible to prevent Iason from taking the Golden Fleece away from Colchis.
The Oracle that makes the fateful prophecy, is sung by Melanie Zink.
Pelias, performed by Daniel Fischer, usurper of the throne of Thessaly, lives in fear of a prophecy, too, according to which his downfall will be brought about by a man wearing only one shoe. He recognises this man in the person of Iason. On his way to Pelias' capital Iason helps an old woman across the river during which he loses his shoe. In reality, the old woman is the disguised goddess Hera., who wants to test his character. With a trick Pelias gets Iason to go on an quest to seek the Golden Fleece, confident that the young prince will not survive this adventure.
Iason, the hero of this saga and sung by Oliver Gärtner, is Phrixos' descendent. His father, king Aison of Thessaly, becomes the victim of a seizure of power by his half-brother Pelias, who is also out to kill Iason who is the rightful heir to the throne. Iason is taken to a safe place and grows up under the care of the wise centaur Chiron. As a grown up he tries to claim his right to the throne but instead goes on an adventurous voyage with an uncertain outcome.
Athene, whom Melanie Zink lends her voice, is Iason's guardian, in particular as Pelias has already drawn the wrath of the gods upon him by having committed evil deeds in the past. She wants to help the young prince gain his throne and, amongst other things, supports the shipwright Argo in planning and building the famous ship that will once carry Iason across the seas and oceans on his quest for the Golden Fleece. It is also she, who guides the Argo and her crew through the Symplegades, two giant rocks that crush every ship that tries to sail past them.
Medea, vocally performed by Regina Pfau, is the daughter of the king of Colchis, sorceress and guardian of the Golden Fleece. For the love of Iason she betrays her father and her gods by helping Iason with her magical skills to pass Aeetes' deedly tests and steal the Golden Fleece. She gives up everything and follows Iason to Thessaly. There she tricks the children of Pelias into killing their own father in a gruesome way.
Francis Brown sings the narrator, guiding the listener through Iason's bizarre and exciting adventures, of which there are many versions.
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