Miriam Allan

In celebration of Monteverdi’s 450th birthday in 2017, Paul Agnew—an expert in the Italian composer’s œuvre—directs L’Orfeo. This founding masterpiece of lyric opera is brought to life in elegant simplicity through the performances of Cyril Auvity’s Orpheus and Les Arts Florissants, with costumes designed by Alain Blanchot.

With their performance of “Gesualdo Passione” at the Nuits de Fourvière, choreographer Amala Dianor and Les Arts Florissants, conducted by Paul Agnew, strike up a dialogue between hip-hop dance and Baroque music that is as unexpected as it is captivating.

In the magnificent rooms of the Galleria Borghese in Rome, John Eliot Gardiner and his ensembles The Monteverdi Choir and The English Baroque Soloists bring together the music of Claudio Monteverdi and the paintings of Caravaggio. The encounter of two works whose creators revolutionised their disciplines.