Lully: Atys (Complete opera recorded in 1987)

All those present at the Opéra-Comique in Paris in January 1987 have a vivid memory of this key moment when an amazed France rediscovered a hitherto forgotten genre: the tragédie en musique. An unprecedented triumph on stage, followed by an international success on record, Atys was also the starting point for a new view of French Baroque music. To mark the fourtieth anniversary of Les Arts Florissants, this copiously illustrated CD-book pays tribute to the pioneering work of William Christie and his team.

A glorification of Louis XIV, Atys was such a success in 1676 that it became "the opera of the Sun King".Three centuries later its unforgettable revival directed by Jean-Marie Villégier toured the world in a record 80 performances. Conductor and harpsichordist William Christie has been conducting the first production of Purcell's Fairy Queen, at Glyndebourne Festival and returns to the Barbican this Autumn as part of the Great Performers Series with his acclaimed period instrument ensemble Les Arts Florissants to celebrate the music of the Baroque.