Ariodante at the Grand Rex

What if this film let you hear what only the stage usually feels?

On June 30, the Grand Rex opens its doors to a rare experience: Ariodante by Handel, filmed at the Philharmonie de Paris by Amazing Digital Studios, brought to life by Les Arts Florissants and William Christie, unfolds in all its visual and sonic power.

But this is not just another “opera in cinema.”
It’s an immersive film — a high-definition journey, capturing bodies, glances, and silences up close, diving into the folds of betrayal, desire, and music. The camera does not hover above; it breathes with the musicians, shares their focus, shares their joy. On screen, Léa Desandre embodies Ariodante with striking intensity. And at the center, William Christie — conductor and magician — weaves a palpable complicity between the artists.

Ariodante is the story of a love undone, shaken, and reborn.
It is also the story of a film that dares to make us feel what few recordings can: the raw emotion of the stage, the breath of the chorus, the glances exchanged in the momentum of a cadence.

The project was born from an artistic spark between Les Arts Florissants and a pair of filmmakers deeply attuned to sensory storytelling: Frédéric Savoir and Lucy Allwood. What they offer is neither a documentary nor a live capture — it is a filmed song, inviting the viewer into the very heart of the music.

Free admission with reservation

Don’t miss this one-night-only Paris screening in one of Europe’s grandest cinemas — an evening to see, hear, and feel differently, and to discover just how contemporary, direct, and vibrant baroque music can be.