Gesualdo Passione

Combining a cappella singing with the emotional power of the body, Gesualdo Passione marks the culmination of Paul Agnew and Les Arts Florissants' work on the music of Carlo Gesualdo, in a contemporary creation by choreographer Amala Dianor.

Today, Gesualdo's image remains inextricably linked to the tragic event that marked his biography - the commissioned murder of his wife and her lover... But what if this bloody story prevented us from perceiving Gesualdo's true passion: faith?

In 1611, shortly before his death, Gesualdo published his Responsories for Holy Week. Written for the last three days of Holy Week, they recount the last moments of the life of Christ in an elaborate polyphonic style. The intensity of the subject inspires the composer to write some of his most beautiful and expressive music, with a framework far broader than that of a simple madrigal.

In this story of Christ's suffering for love, the body plays a central role. This dimension finds a particular echo in Amala Dianor's work: a choreographer with an elegant, organic style, he draws from the dialogue and fusion of styles the material for virtuoso research into movement, in a search for simplicity and essence. The result is a multi-faceted dance inspired by classical, contemporary and urban techniques.

Gesualdo Passione is the fruit of this encounter between the arts. Brought together on stage by six singers from Les Arts Florissants and six dancers from Compagnie Amala Dianor, this original stage creation highlights the many contrasts at work in Gesualdo's music... and builds a bridge between aesthetics inherited from the past and those at work in the present.