Les Arts Florissants

26/27 SEASON

LES ARTS FLORISSANTS

William Christie & Paul Agnew, Co-Directors

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2026 at 7:30pm
NEC's Jordan Hall, Boston

VIRTUAL PREMIERE: Saturday, November 21, 2026 at 8pm (ET)
Available to watch until December 5, 2026 at 11:59pm (ET)

The Magic of Monteverdi

For the first time since the 40th anniversary of Les Arts Florissants in 2019, Baroque masters William Christie and Paul Agnew reunite to direct a revelatory program of Monteverdi’s finest madrigals for mixed voices. Explore the madrigal in a variety of styles from the purest polyphonic settings to pieces rich in dissonances through more elaborate works evoking dance. The program culminates in a performance of the iconic Il Combattimento (The Combat of Tancred and Clorinda), an inventive showcase of Monteverdi’s dramatic genius. The legendary William Christie returns to Boston to lead the continuo from the harpsichord, and Paul Agnew will lead and sing in the vocal ensemble, joining rising stars from the next generation of Baroque singers.

Astonishingly beautiful...wonderful sensuousness of tone and rhythmic precision.

—The Guardian

PROGRAM

‘Volgendo il ciel’ (From Madrigals, Book 8)
‘Baci soavi e cari’ (Book 1)
‘Ecco mormorar l’onde’ (Book 2)
‘Chiome d’oro’ (Book 7)
‘Lamento della Ninfa’ (Book 8)
‘Sfogava con le stelle’ (Book 4)
‘Si ch’io vorrei morire’ (Book 4)
‘A quest’olmo (Book 8)
‘Il Combattimento’ (Book 8)
‘Romanesca’ (Book 7)
‘Zefiro Torno’ (Book 6)
‘Ballo ‘Tirsi e Cloro’ (Book 7)