Visits from Les Arts Florissants—based in Montpelier, France, and dedicated to breathing fresh life into often-forgotten Baroque-era masterpieces—are always welcome. The troupe, led—first from the harpsichord, then from the organ—by its American founder, William Christie, returned to Alice Tully Hall, early this month, with semi-staged performances, directed by Vincent Boussard, of a pair of short operas by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, in which music, art and peace vanquish their foes. These presentations commemorated the tercentenary of Charpentier’s death, as well as the company’s 25^th anniversary.

Singing expressively, even aggressively, as guided by Christie, as if to prove that these late 17^th century works were no remote museum pieces, the soloists served as chorus as well and shared the stage with the instrumentalists. The women wore pastel dresses, which evoked antiquity and were designed by Christian Lacroix, and the men, dress shirts and tuxedo pants and, later, jackets.

In “Les Arts florissants,” from which the group takes its name, Peace banishes Discord and the Arts salute King Louis XIV for creating an atmosphere in which they can flourish. Sweet-voiced soprano Sophie Daneman portrayed la Paix (Peace), who confronted lyric baritone Nicolas Rivenq as belligerent la Discorde. During the battle, the Arts hid beneath their scores, in a garden of whimsical flowers (with lights in them) on poles, set in bases that rocked. Sopranos Olga Pitarch, radiant as la Musique (Music), and Sunhae Im, as pensive La Poésie (Poetry), and mezzo-soprano Stéphanie d’Oustrac and high tenor Cyril Auvity, as lofty l’Architecture (Architecture) and la Peinture (Painting), were the Arts. The singers were also warriors and furies.

As “La descente d’Orphée” has come down to us, complete or not, it ends abruptly, just as the musician Orpheus retrieves his beloved Euridice from the Underworld and its denizens regret their departure. High tenor Paul Agnew, as Orphée, delivered plaintive laments for his lost love and pleas to Pluton, god of Hades, for her return, as well as a soothing song that relieved the torments of the damned. The plucking of strings of the viola da gamba described the muting of his lyre as he mourned. Daneman returned for a poignant death of Euridice and Rivenq, for Apollon’s firm exhortation to his mortal son to appeal to Pluton. Rivenq also portayed one of a trio of the doomed, along with Auvity and high tenor Jean-Yves Ravoux. Bass João Fernandes was the stern, then clement ruler of Hades and Pitarch, his sympathetic consort, Proserpine. The ensemble played nymphs and shepherds, Euridice’s companions, in the bucolic first act and furies in the second.

February 5 & 7

Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center