The Virginia Arts Festival presents a rare evening of period music conducted by one of the most revered names in early music performance, William Christie, on Tuesday, April 15, at Norfolk’s First Lutheran Church. Mr. Christie will lead the musicians of Juilliard415, the principal period-instrument ensemble of The Juilliard School, and singers from Juilliard Opera in Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s 18th-century treasure, Actéon.
For music lovers, this is like a visit from royalty: a conductor, harpsichordist, musicologist and teacher, William Christie is acclaimed by critics, artists, and audiences as the inspiration behind one of the most exciting musical adventures of the last thirty years: the rediscovery of a rich lode of music created for concert and stage by 17th- and 18th-century French composers. The New York Times praises William Christie as a master who “has galvanized—not to say, created—the early-music scene in Paris…and brought the Baroque to vivid life,” noting that a performance with Mr. Christie “ranks among the highlights of a season.” American-born, Christie has been many times honored by his adopted country France, which has designated him Commandeur dans l’Ordre de la Légion d’Honneur as well as Officier dans l’Ordre
des Arts et des Lettres.
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