The ECM Explorations series evoke the diversity and abundance of a label with over a thousand records. Discovered in the early 2010s, pianist Shai Maestro’s musical language is rich in nuance and lyricism. For ECM, he has chiselled The Dream Thief (2022), a jewel recorded with Jorge Roeder (double bass) and Ofri Nehemya (drums). In occasion of this concert at the stunning Philharmonie de Paris, Shai Maestro shares the stage with Barak Mori at the bass and Francesco Ciniglio at the drums.
Zoë Më plays Baloise Session
Zoë Më is one of the most exciting young voices on the Swiss pop scene. With her bilingual, poetic and emotionally charged music, she caused a sensation at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2025 and showed that some songs find their listeners online rather than live in the audience in the streaming age. But Voyage remains her standout hit – a song for the heart with a social message and growing international relevance.
Berlioz plays Baloise Session
Berlioz, a Cape Town-born, UK-based musician and producer, blends contemporary jazz, Afro-inspired rhythms, and euphoric House into expressive, textured soundscapes. Known for intricate musicianship, he recently self-produced his acclaimed debut album, open this wall.
Giovanni Antonini conducts Haydn’s Daytime Symphonies
More than 250 years after their premiere, conductor Giovanni Antonini and his ensemble Il Giardino Armonico are bringing Joseph Haydn’s three symphonies based on the times of day back to their place of origin, the magnificent Haydn Hall at Esterházy Palace in Austria. A musical journey through the day, in which the location, the work, and the musicians form a magical connection. Historical and very contemporary.
“The Morning.” “The Noon.” “The Evening.” Not just three times of day, but also three symphonies composed by Joseph Haydn, with which he probably celebrated his debut at the magnificent court of Prince Esterházy in 1761. More than 250 years later, Il Giardino Armonico, conducted by Giovanni Antonini, once again perform the cycle in the historic setting of its premiere: in the magnificent Haydn Hall of Esterházy Palace in Eisenstadt in Burgenland, Austria. Long Version includes additionally Haydn: Arianna a Naxos with Kate Lindsey
Premieres Revisited – Haydn’s Daytime Symphonies at Schloss Esterházy
Il Giardino Armonico, conducted by Giovanni Antonini, performs the three Daytime Symphonies two and a half centuries after their premiere at their original concert venue, the magnificent Haydn Hall at Esterházy Palace. Premieres Revisited provides insight into the three works and combines their background with interviews and a passionate and virtuoso performance to convey an impression of the premiere at that time.
La Haine live
Almost 30 years ago, the cult film LA HAINE by Mathieu Kassovitz was released, a symbol of a generation, a great classic of French cinema, revealed and rewarded at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival, then with 3 awards including that of best film at the Césars. Acclaimed by critics, including internationally, drawing the admiration of personalities such as Steven Spielberg who said he “loved the movie.” In 2024, Kassovitz is back with a living and immersive creation. The director revisits the history of his cult film by adapting it on stage and highlights the eminently current nature of the film. The story of these 3 young people facing economic, social and political difficulties, the condition of women and which, in parallel with ist codes, is an ode to love, solidarity and friendship. A project rooted in current events, therefore, and whose innovative form intends to plunge the viewer into a “wrinkle” through Paris and ist suburbs thanks to a unique device that makes the scene and the screen interact: 15 paintings inspired by the film, redesigned by Mathieu Kassovitz, are broadcast on a projection system, coupled with the sets and especially with the performance of the actors on stage. This show therefore combines dance, cinema, rap, theater and live performance in an augmented, resolutely modern and unique form, supported by an original soundtrack that also makes the link between the 90s and today.
Sol & Lise
Lise Cristiani, born in the gutters of Paris, was the first cellist to dare to perform on stage in 1844. A woman with a cello! Obscene! A taboo. Until then, the instrument had only been played by men. With her Stradivarius, Lise Cristiani conquered the concert halls of Europe. On an adventurous journey, she even took her music to the farthest corner of Siberia, as Lise wrote, ‘to places where no artist had ever gone before.’ Sol Gabetta, virtuoso cellist of today, traced the history of her predecessor, searched for Lise’s repertoire, and wanted to create her own concert. The solo cellist found herself in roles entirely new to her. Like Lise once did, she also became a dramaturge and concert presenter. Lise Cristiani’s adventurous life is interwoven into the musical creation of the concert and her first performance.
The Faces of Carmen – Aigul Akhmetshina
Georges Bizet’s “Carmen” is one of the greatest and most popular operas of all time. But who is Carmen herself? A heroine? A victim? A betrayer? Few characters in opera are as open to interpretation as the free spirit at the heart of Bizet’s masterwork. “The Faces of Carmen” takes an unusual approach to exploring this evergreen piece. The film follows rising 28-year-old opera star Aigul Akhmetshina as she undertakes a truly unique journey, performing the role of Carmen in six different productions in a single year. Her Carmen year takes her, and us, to some of the world’s greatest opera stages – Arena di Verona, Vienna State Opera, Teatro Real, London’s Royal Opera House, the Glyndebourne Festival and the Metropolitan Opera – as she brings Carmen to life in a range of differing productions. Some are modernized, others traditional; some are directed by men, and some by women; some are new, some revivals. We hear about each interpretation in interviews with the directors and see excerpts from the finished productions. Additionally, extensive biographical material reconstructs Bizet’s life and his work on the opera.
Nelsons conducts Shostakovich No 7
At the centre of the Shostakovich Festival 2025 in Leipzig was a performance of Shostakovich’s “Leningrad” Symphony, in which Andris Nelsons led the combined forces of the Gewandhausorchester and the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the Gewandhaus. Since 2018, both orchestras, at the helm of both of which Andris Nelsons stands, have continuously developed an ever-closer transatlantic partnership. Shostakovich’s 7th Symphony, known as the “Leningrad Symphony”, was composed during World War II and stands as a masterpiece of both artistic and historical significance. PROGRAM Shostakovich: Symphony No 7
Nelsons conducts Shostakovich
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Dmitri Shostakovich’s death in 2025, the Leipzig Gewandhaus organized a unique festival featuring world-class artists and orchestras. The opening concert was the first highlight: the Gewandhausorchester, under the baton of its music director Andris Nelsons, performed Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the acclaimed pianist Daniil Trifonov as well Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 4. PROGRAM Shostakovich: Festive Overture, Piano Concerto No 2, Symphony No 4