A Baroque Odyssey: Les Arts Florissants celebrates 40 years

A Baroque Odyssey: Les Arts Florissants celebrates 40 years (2019) is a music film directed by Corentin Leconte.

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.

Cast

Les Arts Florissants

Orchestra

William Christie

Conductor

Paul Agnew

Conductor

Sandrine Piau

Soprano

Lea Desandre

Mezzo-soprano

Christophe Dumaux

Contre-ténor

Marcel Beekman

Ténor

Marc Mauillon

Baryton

Lisandro Abadie

Basse