Les Arts Florissants (ensemble)
Les Arts Florissants is a Baroque musical ensemble in residence at the Théâtre de Caen in Caen, France. The organization was founded by conductor William Christie in 1979. The ensemble derives its name from the 1685 opera Les Arts florissants by Marc-Antoine Charpentier. The organization consists of a chamber orchestra of period instruments and a small vocal ensemble. Current notable members include soprano Danielle de Niese and tenor Paul Agnew, who has served as assistant conductor since 2007. Jonathan Cohen is also on the conducting staff; Christie remains the organization's Artistic Director.
Baroque period instruments: lute, hurdy-gurdy, viola da gamba, Baroque violin, and Baroque guitar
Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632–1687). The 1986 production of his opera Atys by Les Arts Florissants brought the ensemble to international attention. The opera was subsequently recorded by the group for Harmonia Mundi in 1993.
Caen is a commune 15 km (9.3 mi) inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants, while its functional urban area has 470,000, making Caen the second largest urban area in Normandy and the 19th largest in France. It is also the third largest commune in all of Normandy after Le Havre and Rouen.
Image: Mairie de Caen 7
Image: France Caen Trinite c
Image: Caen, Église Saint Pierre 01
Image: Rue Froide de Caen 2017