Maybe it’s old news that Les Arts Florissants is actually an opera, not just the name of Early Music guru William Christie’s famed eponymous group of players.
It is a 40 minute opera, or musical idyll, by Marc Antoine Charpentier, discovered, or rather uncovered about 50 years ago by William Christie. Just now it has been paired with Charpentier’s equally brief La Descente d’Orphée aux Enfers for a North American tour that began on July 11 in Toronto, continued to Tanglewood on July 15 and arrived for its performance at Caramoor on July 17. The production will now move to France for late summer and early fall performances.
At Caramoor it was a magical evening indeed. It is a semi-staged production of great imagination, certainly in no need of elaborate Baroque scenic trappings. Though you are curious about how it may have been originally staged in the late 17th century Parisian mansion of Charpentier’s patron, the Duchess of Guise, when “Peace” descends from the heavens — it is doubtful that she was simply lifted onto a table to sing her brief air, as she was in this production (lead photo).
Besides a few nondescript modern chairs there were a couple of white cloths put to various uses, plus a hand held fog machine that was rushed around the stage to create the smoke of war and the steam of the underworld (and to quote, wittily, Dante’s infernal, massive fart). Caramoor’s famed columns were obviously bathed in red light at the appropriate moment.
It would be interesting to know, as well, how these brief operas were notated in Charpentier’s oeuvres collection “Mélanges,” to know to whom we should assign the magic created by these pieces — Charpentier himself, William Christie, or the staging team comprised of co-stage directors Marie Lambert-Le Bihan and Stéphane Facco, and choreographer Martin Chaix.
The basic blue-print is certainly that of Charpentier, and there is no mention of a librettist. The edition is that of Mr. Christie, meaning that Christie determined the voice types for each of the roles, molded the lines and created the ornamentation. As well he will have determined the size and instrumentation of the orchestra (10 players plus conductor Christie himself at the organ and harpsichord). Thus the musical colors of the production were imposed entirely by Mr. Christie.
The singers were from William Christie’s Le Jardin des Voix, a program for young Baroque singers that takes place in the French village Thiré (near the Atlantic coast, a few hours southwest of Paris), where Mr. Christie has created a famed 17th and 18th century Mannerist garden (he hosts a festival in his garden each August). The 10 singers come from around the world, including one American. They were joined by two lively male dancers and two American ballerinas. The singers joined in the dancing from time to time, as there were extended instrumental interludes.
One assumes that this meticulously staged and choreographed production was put together in the atmospheres of Mr. Christie’s estate, echoing the garden-like grounds of the historic Caramoor estate here in the Hudson Valley.
Les Arts Florissants is an encomio to Louis XIV (1638-1715), the king of France for Charpentier’s entire life (1643-1704). It is Louis XIV who finally quells Discord (war) who has disturbed the arts, and allows Peace to descend, motivating Harmony, assuring that Poetry, Music, Painting and Architecture prevail — all named roles. The women were in five different, solid colored dresses and gowns, the ballerinas in like-colored, form-revealing, shifts. The men were in shirts and pants, one had silver sneakers, another was barefoot. Discord (war) was identified by his red gloves, and his violent movements.
After the intermission everyone reappeared, dressed more or less the same way, to perform La Descente d’Orphée aux Enfers, You know the story, except Charpentier concludes his opera with the joyful relief at the recovery of Euridice, completely avoiding the tragic ending of the myth — fortunately, as the composer had already spent a lot of dramatic and musical capital (time) on the suffering of the souls in the underworld. In particular he dwelled on the furies, sung by three male voices accompanied by three viola da gambas, effectively capturing the depths of the underworld and the suffering therein.
Orphée was sung by American haute contre Richard Pittsinger. French tastes excluded the castrato, saving us our need to reconcile ourselves to yet another falsetto voice. Mr. Pittsinger is an excellent singer, well able to hold the stage in a leading role. Eurydice, in a white dress, was sung by French soprano Camille Chopin, who sang La Musique as well, She presented Maestro Christie to the audience initially, and brought him to the front of the stage at the end. Mlle. Chopin is confident singer with richness in her voice, and a confident stage presence.
Both operas were performed as ensemble productions, each singer with much opportunity to be heard as a solo voice. All were well-trained, with fine voices. As well they were convincing actors who always held firm concentration to exemplify their role of the moment, be they tormented souls or rejoicing shepherds and shepherdesses. To a man they accomplished their complex dance moves with enthused panache. The male singers were directed to perform some physical theatre antics, moves that contributed greatly to the extreme physicality of the production.
Here are the names and roles of this Jardin des Voix: Josipa Bilié (La Paix), Camille Chopin (La Musique, Euridice), Sarah Fleiss (La Poesie, Proserpine), Tanaquil Ollivier (Enone), Sydney Frodsham (L’architecture, Aréthuse), Bastien Rimondi (La Pienture, Ixion), Richard Pittsinger (Orphée), Attila Varga-Tóth (Tantale), Olivier Bergeron (La Discorde, Apollon, Titye), Kevin Arboleda-Oquendo (a warrior, Pluton).
Choreographer Martin Chaix imposed three and a quarter centuries of dance history onto his four dancers, who as well enthusiastically mimed the roles of action facilitators when not joining in the celebratory choruses.
It was a splendid evening, the orchestra players contributing to the evening’s physicality. Of particular charm was the continuo bass violin (cello/gamba) performed by Cyril Poulet.
Michael Milenski
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, Katonah, NY, July 17, 2026.
All photos copyright Gabe Palacio, courtesy of the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts