Festival de Printemps (Spring Festival) 2021

Vivaldi, Bach – Stabat mater

Friday April 23, 8pm, Luçon Cathedral

“Vivaldi’s solo-voice motets are at once deeply dramatic and intensely spiritual, like the priest and composer himself, and the circumstances in which they were created.” Paul Agnew

To open this fifth edition of the Festival de Printemps (Spring Festival), Paul Agnew invites us to rediscover one of the most radiant sacred works of the Baroque period: Vivaldi’s Stabat Mater. Carried by the unique timbre of la contralto française Lucile Richardot, this concert for orchestra and solo voice offsets Vivaldi’s luminous purity with the scholarly fervour of Johann Sebastian Bach, in the form of one of his cantatas. An evening that promises to be memorable indeed!

Musical Direction: Paul Agnew
Instrumental Ensemble: Les Arts Florissants
With : Lucile Richardot (contralto)

Broadcast on YouTube and TV Vendée

Vivaldi Vespers

Saturday April 24, 8pm, Church of Chantonnay

“If I have taken on this music, it is first and foremost because I love it and want to bring it to life.” Paul Agnew (2007)

Prepare yourself for a musical immersion in Vivaldi’s era, just as if you had been transported to Venice—or more precisely, to the Church of the Pietà, famous for its exceptional musical ensemble and where the “Red Priest” officiated for twenty years. The office of Vespers held great importance in that period: often thought of as something in-between liturgy and concert, it brought together worshippers and music lovers alike, drawn to the virtuoso music. Here, Paul Agnew returns to the programme of his very first concert as conductor of Les Arts Florissants in 2007. It is a chance to revisit the early days of his conducting career, while reinterpreting a repertoire that holds special significance for him.

Musical Direction: Paul Agnew
Choir and Orchestra: Les Arts Florissants
With: Violaine Le Chenadec (soprano), Mélodie Ruvio (contralto), Nicholas Scott* (tenor)

Broadcast on YouTube and TV Vendée

Vivaldi, Pergolesi – Stabat mater

Sunday April 25, 7:30pm, Luçon Cathedral

In this new programme, William Christie juxtaposes works by two of the greatest masters of Italian Baroque music: Antonio Vivaldi and Giovanni Battista Pergolesi. On one side is Venice, with two motets and a concerto for strings by the composer also known as “the Red Priest”; and on the other side, Naples, with the famous and poignant Stabat Mater by the brilliant Pergolesi, who died at age 26. Here, the Arts Florissants instrumentalists can certainly unleash their virtuosity, alongside two young singers placed in the spotlight by William Christie, now counted among the promising talents of their generation: countertenor Théo Imart, winner of Le Jardin des Voix, and American mezzo-soprano Jessica Niles, a student at the Juilliard School in New York.

Musical Direction and Organ: William Christie
Instrumentalists of Les Arts Florissants: Emmanuel Resche** (violin), Augusta McKay Lodge** (violin), Christophe Robert (viola), Marion Martineau (cello), Hugo Abraham** (doublebass)
With: Jessica Niles** (soprano) and Théo Imart* (countertenor)

Broadcast on YouTube and TV Vendée

« Coffee Hour at William's »

With these short coffee-hour concerts, the Arts Florissants musicians invite you to discover Vivaldi pieces they have specially selected. A convivial and musical break in the day, filmed in William Christie’s living room!

Saturday April 24, 2pm: Cello Sonata - Vivaldi

With: Elena Andreyev (cello), Florian Carré (harpsichord)

Broadcast on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram

Sunday April 25, 2pm, At the home of William Christie: Violin Sonata - Vivaldi 

With: Emmanuel Resche** (violin), William Christie (harpsichord)

Broadcast on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram

* Former laureates of Le Jardin des Voix, Les Arts Florissants' academy for young singers
** Former students of the Juilliard School of New York

Consult the hand program :