Saved events

Share your feedback

A Baroque Odyssey

40 Years of Les Arts Florissants

,Barbican Hall
William Christie and Les Arts Florissants

Born out of a belief that Baroque music should make its audiences want to laugh, cry and dance, Les Arts Florissants celebrate their 40th birthday, powered by an unquenchably Gallic joie-de-vivre.

One of the world’s great early music ensembles, Les Arts Florissants celebrates its 40th anniversary in truly resplendent style with a lavish gala under founder-director William Christie and Associate Musical Director Paul Agnew. And if it’s hard to believe that they’ve been dazzling audiences for four decades now – well, Christie would be the first to agree that age is a state of mind.

Six singers who share Les Arts Florissants’ energy and imagination join them tonight for a sumptuous programme: music by Handel, Purcell, Charpentier, Rameau and Lully, played like the ink is still wet on the page. Because that’s what Les Arts Florissants do.

Tagged with: Classical music Barbican Presents Barbican Presents 2019-20

This performance will end at approximately 9.45pm, including a 20 minute interval.

Programme

Handel Sinfonia to Act III from Atalanta
'Zadok the priest', Coronation Anthem HWV 258
Purcell Overture and 'Welcome to all the pleasures' from Ode for St Cecilia's Day 1683
'Tornami a vagheggiar' from Alcina
'Ah! stigie larve, ah! scellerati spettri!' from Orlando
'I'll to thee well trod stage anon and 'Or let the merry bells ring around' from L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato
'Scherza infida' and 'Bramo aver mille vite' from Ariodante
Purcell Prelude to Act II, 'Come all, come all ye songsters', Prelude, 'May the God of Wit inspire', 'Echo', 'Now join your warbling voices', 'Sing while we trip it', Fairies Dance and 'Now the night is chased away' from The Fairy Queen
Passacaglia from King Arthur
Charpentier 'Que mes divins concerts' and 'Amour du ciel et de la terre' from Les Arts florissants
Honoré d'Ambruis Le doux silence de nos bois
Lully Prelude to Act III and 'Dormons, dormons tous' from Atys
‘Pour rendre à mon hymen tout l’Olympe propice’ from Les Fêtes d’Hébé
Rameau ‘Ah! Qu’on daigne du moins’ and ‘Puisque Pluton est inflexible’ from Hippolyte at Aricie
Overture, ‘Que ce séjour est agréable’, Air pour les fous gays, 'Formons les plus brillants concerts' and 'Aux langueurs d'Apollon' from Platée
Entrée II, Les incas du Pérou’, Nouvelle Entrée, 'Les sauvages' and 'Forêts paisibles' from Les Indes galantes

Performers

Les Arts Florissants
William Christie director
Paul Agnew director
Sandrine Piau soprano
Lea Desandre mezzo-soprano
Christophe Dumaux countertenor
Marcel Beeckman tenor
Marc Mauillon baritone
Lisandro Abadie bass

Download the programme

Discover

architecture detail of the barbican hall

Composer Focus – Episode 1: George Frideric Handel with Iestyn Davies

Ed Seckerson is joined by countertenor Iestyn Davies to discuss George Frideric Handel, the German-born composer whose prolific portfolio of operas and hits such as the Water Music, and Messiah, won the hearts of the British public.

photo of handel

Listen: Barbican Essentials - Handel

Our selection of the best of Handel's music.

photo of roderick williams singing

Barbican Sessions: Roderick Williams and Andrew West

 

Filmed in an empty Milton Court Concert Hall, baritone Roderick Williams and pianist Andrew West perform a beautiful rendition of 'An die Nachtigall' by Johanness Brahms.

Free things to do

Explore what we have on offer for free across the Centre
See what's on

You might also like...

Barbican Hall