Les Arts Florissants

Since William Christie founded Les Arts Florissants in 1979, they have strengthened year after year their reputation as one of the world’s premiere ensembles for early and Baroque music. For this 40th anniversary concert from 2019 at the stunning Philharmonie de Paris, core artists from “Les Arts Flo” reunite to perform some of the ensemble’s trademark pieces, from Lully’s Atys—a long-forgotten masterpiece they revived in 1987 over 230 years after its last performance—to the great operas of Rameau and gems by the likes of Charpentier, Purcell, and Handel. This celebratory concert features another first for the storied ensemble, as Christie shares conducting duties with Paul Agnew! Riveting from beginning to end, this Baroque Odyssey encapsulates all the qualities—world-class instrumentalists, impeccable Baroque vocalists, cannily chosen repertoire—that have made Les Arts Florissants such a beloved and enduring fixture in the classical world.

Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville was greatly admired in his day. His opera Titon et l’Aurore was one of his most popular works, being held up as a triumph over the rival Italian style during the Parisian Querelle des Bouffons in the 1750s. The narrative of this spectacular opéra-ballet follows the tumultuous and seemingly unbreakable liaison between the goddess L’Aurore and her lover the shepherd Titon. Jealous gods and goddesses try to interfere through murderous intent and dramatic abduction, but true love ultimately conquers all in stage director Basil Twist’s acclaimed feast for the senses.

Claudio Monteverdi's operatic adaptation of this story from Homer's The Odyssey receives a modern and distinctive staging in this 2002 production directed by Humphrey Burton for Les Arts Florissants. Penelope Marijana Mijanovic is left to her own devices when her husband, the heroic Ulysses Kresimir Spicer, goes off to fight in the Trojan Wars. After many years alone, Penelope finds herself attracting a number of suitors who wish to claim her hand; however, what she doesn't realize is that jealous Ulysses has his ways of keeping an eye on her. Production of the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence; from the Theatre du Jeu de Paume.

William Christie conducts Atys by Lully at the Opéra Comique

"William Christie and Les Arts Florissants propel this exuberant production of Jean-Philippe Rameau's second opera to great heights. Andrei Serban's extravagant, highly baroque staging presents the four exotic love stories vibrantly. In 'Le Turc généreux' Osman sets free his captive, Emilie, whom he loves, so that she may be reunited with her former lover, Valère; 'Les Incas de Pérou' is all about the rivalry of the Inca Huascar and the Spaniard Don Carlos, both in pursuit of Princess Phani; 'Les Fleurs' offers a Persian love intrigue, as the Sultana Fatime tries to detect whether her husband Tacmas has his eye on the lovely Atalide; and 'Les Sauvages' takes us to North America, where a Spaniard and a Frenchman compete for the love of Zima, daughter of a native chief, who prefers one of her own people." — from the DVD cover

This is the very first time that Les Arts Florissants have performed Partenope, in which the composer breaks free from the rules of opera seria. Conducted by William Christie and directed by Sophie Daneman, this new production invites us to rediscover this forgotten masterpiece... but also to meet six exceptional voices: the six laureates of the tenth edition of the Jardin des Voix, the famous academy for young singers of Les Arts Florissants!

But I, being poor, have only my dreams. I have spread my dreams under your feet. Tread softly, because you tread on my dreams... So begins Deborah Warner’s captivating 2008 production of Purcell’s timeless opera Dido and Æneas: a careful warning that suits the tragic story only too well. Swedish mezzo-soprano Malena Ernman as a disarming Dido is at the head of a stellar cast joined by Les Arts Florissants under William Christie’s direction.