In 1979, the American conductor William Christie, a lover of French culture, founded Les Arts Florissants that takes its name from an opera by Marc-Antoine Charpentier. Since then, this vocal and instrumental ensemble has permitted the discovery of an entire repertoire of French, Italian and English music from the 17th and 18th centuries. This is the portrait of a man for whom baroque is above all an art of living.

The word “authentic” has no meaning for William Christie. If he unearths unpublished works by Charpentier, Lully and Campra, it is to breathe new life into them and not to expose them as museum pieces. His dream is to get as close as possible to what these composers would have wanted, while forgetting the centuries separating us from them. To do this, the interpretation required tremendous work by specialists. Also an experienced man of the theatre, Christie chose directors with little interest in historical reconstruction. The creation of Lully’s Atys directed by Jean-Marie Villégier marked the beginning of the popular success of Les Arts Florissants, while the triumph of Rameau’s Indes Galantes by Alfredo Arias confirmed the public’s interest in this repertoire.

Source : Mario Fanfani

Andrea Kirsch began her training in experimental film at Bard College with Adolphus Mekas and Ernie Gehr, and continued her studies at the New York University Film School under the direction of Haig Manoogian. His films have been presented at festivals, museums and on television around the world.