France's Les Arts Florissants was a pioneering ensemble when the group was formed in 1979, unearthing Baroque works from France and beyond and performing them in historically authentic style. The group's influence has hardly diminished over its four decades of existence; it has spawned numerous operatic careers and has established a successful training program, Le Jardin des Voix. Les Arts Florissants was founded by the harpsichordist William Christie. Les Arts Florissants attracted the attention of major French recording companies almost immediately and released a recording of works by Etienne Moulinié in 1980. The stability of the Les Arts Florissants sound has been partly due to the long-term leadership of Christie, who turned over some duties to tenor and conductor Paul Agnew in the late 2000s but has remained active and vital in his involvement with the group. Les Arts Florissants issued the album Schütz: Italian Madrigals in 2023.