On December 19, 1944, William Lincoln Christie was born in Buffalo. Eighty years later, his adopted country, France, celebrates one of the masters of baroque Music whose ensemble Les Arts Florissants – in reference to the title of an opera by Marc-Antoine Charpentier – became one of the jewels of the interpretation of the repertoire of the 17th and 18th centuries. We can no longer count the instrumentalists and singers who have passed through the “Arts Flo’” created in 1979, from the harpsichordist and conductor Christophe Rousset to the violinist Théotime Langlois de Swarte or the soprano Véronique Gens to the mezzo Lea Desandre… The transmission is also at the heart of the activity of “Bill” Christie, the foundation in 2002 of a Garden of Voices intended for young singers in being the most obvious flagship.
Hundreds of concerts or lyrical shows and a profuse discographic production testify to its preponderant place in the musical universe. To realize this, you only have to consider the numerous albums (around sixty are available!) offered by its faithful label Harmonia Mundi, which enriches its catalog with two new anniversary releases: an anthology entitled Bill and Friends and an exciting journey through the Music by Molière.
From Olympus to the banks of the Seine…
Within this rich 80th anniversary season, in which the tenor and conductor Paul Agnew actively participates, who now shares with their founder the animation of Arts Flo’, here is a new production of Festivals of Hebe by Rameau (1739) at the Opéra-Comique. William Christie is in charge while his accomplice Robert Carsen directs.
The work responds to the codes of opera-ballet, the progression of which follows a well-defined pattern: a prologue in which mythological deities appear is followed by a succession of independent “entrances”, however linked to the subject of the prologue. . Here, Hebe, goddess of Youth, is expelled from Olympus for having accidentally spilled the nectar of the gods. It then reaches the earth and more precisely… the banks of the Seine! She is welcomed there during three festivals – three “entrances” – each centered around a “lyrical talent” of French opera: poetry, music and, finally, dance.
…and from the Élysée to Paris-Plage
In a comical, even schoolboy, spirit, Robert Carsen invites the Élysée of 2024 rather than Olympus – or the Versailles of Louis His exile on the banks of the Seine took place during the popular celebrations at Paris-Plage. Everything is there: deckchairs and sunscreen, tavern, lanterns and DJ, even a riverboat against the backdrop of a parade of the capital’s monuments. The idea is amusing even if it falls a little short and drowns the most elegiac moments of the score in a uniformly perky flow. Vibrant, invigorating and very well executed, the numerous ballets are choreographed by Nicolas Paul in an equally gently irreverent spirit.
William Christie is at the party, also opting for an invigorating vision of a music which he draws here towards its brilliant, undeniable side, at the risk of letting the choirs sometimes pour out without restraint. The instrumentalists of Les Arts Florissants delight and delight us with the thousand and one orchestral colors deployed by Rameau, while a few solo singers dominate the stage. Starting with Lea Desandre, whose increasingly fleshy voice, finesse of incarnation and admirable diction illuminate the three successive entries of the work. In the last, Marc Mauillon portrays an irresistible Mercury on a motorcycle dressed in leather, visiting Paris incognito. What slaughter and what mastery of the virtuoso traits entrusted by the composer to the messenger god! Long-time companions of the flourishing Arts, Emmanuelle de Negri sparkles in Hébé while the incomparable timbre and delicate poetry of Cyril Auvity have lost none of their magic.
Until December 21 at the Opéra-Comique. Filmed capture available on the Medici and Mezzo channels from December 21 at 9 p.m. Rebroadcast on France Musique on January 11, 2025 at 8 p.m. in the program “Saturday at the Opera” presented by Judith Chaine. Then, available for streaming on the France Musique website and the Radio France application.
Also note, the recital by Lea Desandre and Thomas Dunford, on December 20 at 8 p.m.
