Gardiner conducts Berlioz and Elgar
The Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France joins forces with conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner and violist Antoine Tamestit for a concert featuring Italy and putting two composers in the spotlight: Hector Berlioz and Edward Elgar. With Harolde en Italie, Hector Berlioz invokes transalpine landscapes. Shaped by the period when the composer was resident at the Villa Medici, this symphony in four parts gives pride of place to the viola, played here by Antoine Tamestit – “one of the two or three greatest current performers” (Diapason). In the South (Alassio), composed between 1903 and 1904 by Edward Elgar, is still about Italy, pastoral atmosphere and Byronic colours. Brilliantly complex, this work, written in record time, is one of the peaks of romantic music. Let us travel a little deeper into Edward Elgar’s melancholy with his Sospiri. This adagio for strings composed at the dawn of the First World War is captivating in its romanticism and passion.
Innocence
Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho (*1952) draws listeners into her soundscape: From the brooding darkness of the opening bars, the audience finds itself dragged into the unfolding nightmare. The libretto by Sofi Oksanen interweaves two narratives of a school shooting. One focuses on the students and their teacher who were present at the time of the massacre. The second is set in the present day at a wedding with the family of the shooter celebrating their innocent son’s marriage. A thriller-like intensity shifts time levels and a mixture of nine languages. “The most powerful work Saariaho has written in a career now in its fifth decade” (The New York Times). Director Simon Stone approaches this multi-layered subject with sensitivity and empathy, supported by Susanna Malkki’s fine reading of the score on the rostrum of the London Symphony Orchestra and a great cast including Magdalena Kožena and Sandrine Piau. “A composer creates her masterpiece with Innocence” The New York Times
Carmen
The ancient Roman Théâtre antique d’Orange is offering its breath-taking ambience to George Bizet’s world-renowned love drama, Carmen. The principle roles are portrayed by the spectacular Kate Aldrich in her signature roll as the seductive temptress Carmen, and star tenor Jonas Kaufmann as the troubled and jealous army officer, Don José. “Aldrich makes Carmen a magic presence by sheer vivacity of personality”, writes Opera Today on her exceptional festival debut. The rest of the cast, too, are nothing less than outstanding – most notably Inva Mula as Micaëla and Kyle Ketelsen as Escamillo, whose wit and playfulness delight his audience. In the pit are the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, and their new principal conductor, Mikko Franck. The directing of Louis Désiré, who also designed the set and costumes, fits ideally into this picturesque setting and paints a naturalistic image of society in keeping with Bizet’s intentions.
Le Concert de Paris 2019
«Le Concert de Paris» is an exceptional event held each year on Bastille Day at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, as a prelude to the traditional July 14th fireworks display. Two of Radio France’s most prestigious musical institutions, the Orchestre National de France and the Radio France Chorus, under the baton of maestro Alain Altinoglu, propose a top-quality programme, giving pride of place to the voice and brings together some of the world’s greatest soloists, including Khatia Buniatishvili, Roberto Alagna, René Pape, Gautier Capuçon, Gaëlle Arquez, Jakub Orlinski and many more!
Le Concert de Paris 2018
«Le Concert de Paris» is an exceptional event held each year on Bastille Day at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, as a prelude to the traditional July 14th fireworks display. Two of Radio France’s most prestigious musical institutions, the Orchestre National de France and the Radio France Chorus, under the baton of maestro François-Xavier Roth, propose a top-quality programme, giving pride of place to the voice and brings together some of the world’s greatest soloists, including Aida Garifullina, Joyce DiDonato, Philippe Jaroussky, Matthias Goerne, Patricia Petibon, Katia Buniatishvili and Renaud Capuçon.
Le Concert de Paris 2024
The 2024 Concert de Paris was hosted in occasion of the worldwide followed celebration of the Olympic Games. For this unique occasion, the stage was placed in front of an iconic point of the city: the Hôtel de Ville. Several classical music stars participated in the event: pianists Lang Lang and Khatia Buniatishvili, singers Nadine Sierra, Pene Pati and Fatma Said, cellist Gautier Capuçon and violinist Renaud Capuçon just to mention a few. With them on stage, the Orchestre National de France and the Chorus of Radio France conducted by Cristian Macelaru presented an extremely various program that can be enjoyed by the broadest audience: from the famous Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto no. 2, to the well known French song “Sous le ciel de Paris” and opera arias from the French and Italian tradition.
Le Concert de Paris 2023
The Concert de Paris celebrates its 10th edition: like every year on July 14, the Orchestre National de France welcomes the warm season with a large musical gathering at the foot of the Eiffel Tower! Conducted by Cristian Macelaru, and accompanied by the Chorus of Radio France, the orchestra invites the audience around the world and thousands of people on the spot, to experience great arias and famous concert pieces in the company of prestigious soloists like Ermonela Jaho, Daniil Trifonov, Vilde Frang, Pretty Yende, Franceso Demuro, Ludovic Tezier and Stephanie d’Oustrac.
Le Concert de Paris 2022
It is now a well-established tradition: every year, on July 14, the Orchestre National de France welcomes the summer with a large musical gathering at the foot of the Eiffel Tower with stunning fireworks! Conducted by Cristian Macelaru, and accompanied by the Chorus of Radio France, the orchestra invites the audience around the world and thousands of people on the spot, to experience great arias and famous concert pieces in the company of prestigious soloists like Alice Sara Ott, Nadine Sierra, Lea Desandre, Stanislas de Barbeyrac, Gautier Capuçon Erwin Schrott and Leonidas Kavakos.
Le Concert de Paris 2021
It is now a well-established tradition: every year, on July 14, the Orchestre National de France welcomes the summer with a large musical gathering at the foot of the Eiffel Tower with stunning fireworks. Conducted by Simone Young, and accompanied by the Chorus of Radio France, the orchestra invites the audience around the world, to experience great arias and famous concert pieces in the company of prestigious soloists like Pretty Yende, Piotr Beczala, Renaud Capuçon, Ksenija Sidorova, Clementine Margaine, and Ibrahim Maalouf!