The rare biblical opera 'David and Jonathas' is, like 'Médée', one of the major works of the French Baroque composer Marc-Antoine Charpentier. The opera has been in the repertoire of Les Arts Florissants since 1988 and was first presented in a stage production by William Christie at the Aix-en-Provence Festival 2012. This DVD release is a special event for all Baroque music lovers.

Written a year after the death of Lully, this lyric tragedy allows Charpentier to develop, beyond the religious dimension, a story of male friendship and forbidden love between David and Jonathas.

An excellent cast gathered around William Christie and Les Arts Florissants brings young singers to the title roles: Pascal Charbonneau, a tenor and a former student of the European Academy of Music, sings David. The role of Jonathas is given to a woman: soprano Ana Quintans.

The staging by Andreas Homoki (Director of the Zurich Opera since summer 2012) focuses on the psychological aspect of this forbidden love story, giving a moving reading of the drama.

Cast:
- Pascal Charbonneau [David]
- Ana Quintans [Jonathas]
- Neal Davies [Saul]
- Frédéric Caton [Achis]
- Krešimir Špicer [Joabel]
- Dominique Visse [La Pythonisse]
- Pierre Bessière [L’Ombre de Samuel]

Direction: Andreas Homoki
Scenography: Paul Zoller
Costumes: Gideon Davey
Lighting: Franck Evin

Press reviews:
“Paris-based Les Arts Florissants have an admirable capacity for boldly reimagining the Baroque for the modern day, as their adaptation of David et Jonathas shows” - The Telegraph

“Conductor William Christie brings the score dazzlingly to life… through buoyant, tripletime dances and aching laments.” - The Guardian