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In the summer of 2022 William Christie appeared at Canada’s Festival de Lanaudière with his orchestra, Les Arts Florissants, and proteges of his youth academy, Le Jardin des voix. Bolstered by the success of those performances of Handel’s L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, he won over audiences at the Quebec festival once again in 2023, with the same composer’s comic opera, Partenope.
This summer, Christie is back again, this time with a production of Henry Purcell’s The Fairy Queen, with performances at the Toronto Summer Music Festival on July 11 and two days later, back at the Festival de Lanaudière in Joliette (his third consecutive appearance at the festival). Celebrated in Europe for his production of this piece, written by one of Britain’s most enduring figure of the Baroque era, the renowned conductor and harpsichordist was fulfilling teaching duties in New York at the Juilliard School of Music where La Scena Musicale was able to reach him. He generously shared insights on his artistic pursuits, and his deep commitment to them.
Canadian Ties
No stranger to our country, Christie recalls having performed concerts in both Toronto and Montreal a good 40 years ago, if not 50—and even before, as early as 1964, (if memory serves him right)—as a member of the Harvard Glee Club (the oldest college men’s choir in the U.S.). “It was extraordinary,” he recalls. “We crossed the country, starting out in B.C. and making our way to Nova Scotia. Being from Buffalo, (for me) Canada was always close by. Down the road from Toronto if you will.”
An Eye for Dance and Theatre
Le jardin des Voix. Photo: Julien Gazeau
In the world of baroque music, Les Arts Florissants is an institution in and of itself. The organisation shines as much on stages far and near as in its recordings, amassed over its long history commencing in 1979. In decades past, the orchestra has revived a host of major operas, often enhanced by modern choreographies conceived by the likes of Maguy Marin, Jiří Kylián and Trisha Brown. Such is the case of the Purcell work. First staged by Christie 35 years ago in Aix-en-Provence, France, the production has shed its original theatrical habit to adorn that of a modern-day dance performance. In its current form, the production was created by a choreographer, Mourad Merzouki—a first for him in the operatic field.
Given his fondness for the theatre, Christie was drawn to Purcell’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream for numerous reasons. His intention from the start was to meld art and music together. He hired actors from the Royal Shakespeare Company for that purpose. Thirty-five years later, he is taking another run at it, but with a different hook. With members of his orchestra and eight soloist laureates from his academy, Christie has immersed the cast and musicians into this ageless fairy tale, enhanced by the participation of the Käfig modern dance company. While the music is still baroque, the production’s visual component showcases some hip-hop and street dance moves, an unusual twist that did not go unnoticed in the press.
Keeping an open mind and an eye on what is new is more important to Christie than the ubiquitous notion of cultural democracy parlayed these days. “I’m all for democracy,” he says, “Some choreographies draw on more popular trends and it’s a good thing, but you have to think in terms of quality. All means of expression are legitimate, as long as they push the envelope or take it up a notch from what has been already done, a position I have always maintained.”
Christie takes it one step further by stressing the fact that “creating and re-creating masterpieces has long been a feature of western art. How many times have La traviata or Carmen been performed throughout the world? They are transcendent, and offer us the opportunity to shed new light on them, however we choose. That is exactly the reason why we perform The Fairy Queen or any of Handel’s great works—Ariodante, for instance.” Revisiting past repertoires—Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, as a case in point—never stunts his enthusiasm for them. “You always make new discoveries,” Christie says, “and spot things overlooked. Not only that, but you face whole new casts of singers, dancers, instrumentalists, and stage directors, all of whom lead you to discover something else in the music. Any artist, committed enough to a be a good interpreter of a work wants to see his work evolve, no matter how many times he has played it.”
Past and Present
Photo: Julien Gazeau
Speaking of evolving, Christie has had the good fortune of witnessing a generation of male and female vocalists pass through Le Jardin des voix academy since its inception in 2002. If that training ground served as a launch pad to the professional careers of some, Christie is nevertheless realistic on its role, calling a spade a spade. “Vocalists’ abilities do not vary that much overall: some are just average, others hold plenty of promise. The change that has occurred relates to the repertoire, as a whole. Four or five decades ago, ancient music was hardly performed on stage—and when it was, it was very typecast. You could take on pretty much all vocal repertoire, opera included, by relying on a single vocal technique or stylistic approach. We, at Arts Florissants, chose another approach to performing ancient music—one respectful of history and informed in its interpretation. This means that singers committed to the music of Mozart or composers of two centuries ago are also aware of how to take on Handel, Vivaldi and Rameau in their repertoire. That, to me, is the most striking contrast between times past and ours.”
French Connections
Les Arts Florissants is not left to its own means to defend the cause it espouses; the French state has shouldered it along the way, enhancing its profile in Christie’s own view. “In France, there are more musical activities across the board—not only concerts, but regional organizations active on the ground. There is no shortage of homegrown vocal and instrumental talents to work with, but so many others set foot on our shores. The cultural climate is more conducive in France, and the rewards of staying are far greater here than they might be in less privileged places. Making a career in music, especially in this domain, is quite challenging in certain parts of the world.” Christie is well aware of this reality, having been a draft dodger during the Vietnam War and escaping to France. As an American in Paris, he seized the opportunity to turn a new leaf on his life, and to reclaim his freedom. He thus embarked on the journey of discovering baroque music in general, and its French offshoot in particular.
A Green Thumb
For the last 12 years, Les Arts Florissants has been staging a festival on its premises, simply called Les jardins de William Christie. This event has enhanced the touristic appeal of the area for sure, but for Christie it remains a time-consuming labour of love, and a reason to further the cause of culture in his adoptive homeland. “You have to be a craftsman,” he says, “which is also the case for music as a profession. These passions eat away at you; they determine the path for you to follow. You can never say you have done enough. In my younger years and throughout most of my adult life, I never needed to sleep for hours on end. I do so adequately, but surely below the average, and am an early riser at that. Now that I have reached a certain age, my gardening activities are not as intensive as they used to be, but I can rely on a team capable of taking care of that.”
Les Arts Florissants
In a Nutshell
Les Arts Florissants performs some 100 shows around the world every year, ranging from opera productions, orchestral and choir performances, chamber music and concerts in special settings. Firmly committed to the training of young singers through its academy, Les Arts Florissants has also co-ordinated an Arts Flo Juniors program for instrumentalists, in conjunction with the Juilliard School of Music. The ensemble’s activities have been amply documented, its discography exceeding 100 titles and its outreach ensured via an agreement with Harmonia Mundi. As ensemble in residence at the Paris Philharmonic since 2015, Les Arts Florissants is well entrenched in the country. Its presence is also clearly felt at its base of operations in the Vendée region, an area so very dear to Christie. He and his charges have been working to establish a cultural centre in Thiré since creating its Le Jardin des voix, seven years ago. This in turn opened the door to the creation of the Festival de printemps under the direction of Paul Agnew, followed more recently by the launching of a new annual event at the Fontevraud Abbey. These initiatives led to Les Arts Florissants receiving an official designation as a cultural hub from the French Ministry of Culture, with Christie as its founder and acting co-director, alongside Agnew.
Translation by Marc Chénard
Henry Purcell’s The Fairy Queen. Toronto Summer Music (July 11), Festival de Lanaudière (July 13). Les Arts Florissants and Le Jardin des voix: William Christie, conductor; Paulina Francisco, soprano; Georgia Burashko, Rebecca Leggett and Juliette Mey, mezzo-sopranos; Ilja Aksionov and Rodrigo Carreto, tenors; Hugo Herman-Wilson, baritone; Benjamin Schilperoort, bass-baritone; Compagnie Käfig; Mourad Merzouki, choreographer and stage director; Claire Schirck, costumes; Fabrice Sarcy, lighting. For ticket purchases and program information, go to www.arts-florissants.org. www.torontosummermusic.com www.lanaudiere.org
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