A tribute to Hugues Gall

In 1995, when Hugues Gall was appointed head of the Opéra national de Paris, he was the first of this great house to open up the repertoire to Baroque music, enabling Les Arts Florissants to premiere Rameau's opera Hippolyte et Aricie in 1996, in Jean-Marie Villégier's celebrated staging. This was followed in 1999 by Handel's Alcina with Robert Carsen and Rameau's memorable Indes Galantes with Andreï Serban, and in 2003 by Rameau's Les Boréades, also with Carsen. Thanks to him, these creations have stood the test of time, becoming an integral part of this prestigious institution's repertoire.

Hugues Gall was also William Christie's colleague at the Académie des Beaux-Arts, where he delivered the installation speech for William Christie in January 2010. "In truth, it is a whole forgotten world that you wish to recreate [...], so that the genius of these works [...] may shine forth without misunderstanding [...], so that the centuries that followed them and that owe them so much may be illuminated in a fairer light", he said on that occasion.

Today, we pay him our last tribute, in gratitude for all he has contributed to the French cultural landscape, and to Les Arts Florissants in particular.