Calendar - Airs sérieux et à boire, volet 3

"This is the year that William Christie’s group Les Arts Florissants turns 40. Yet how can there be even a twinge of middle age about an ensemble that cheerfully imitate cows, sheep and birds, sing about sex and perform at one point squatting on the floor?"
The Times

"William Christie and his ensemble masterfully recreate the musical atmosphere of the seventeenth century French court. (...) An extraordinary musical evening." La Nueva España

If one had to name one single repertoire that Les Arts Florissants had brought to light, it would be the French air de cour. The very first recordings made by the ensemble already testify to William Christie’s love for this genre and to their vibrancy and brilliance.

Since 2015, a group of the most highly respected singers and instrumentalists on the current Baroque scene has undertaken to revisit this repertoire. The concerts of the first two series and the discs entitled “Bien que l’Amour” and “Si vous vouliez un jour” (edited by Harmonia mundi) have been acclaimed across Europe and America. The adventure continues in 2020-2021 with a third volume conceived in the same vein, associating once again courtly arias and drinking songs by Étienne Moulinié and Pierre Guédron. From the intimacy of the salon to the belligerency of court banquets, these sumptuous vocal works are without doubt the finest models of artistic refinement that the Grand Siècle has left us.