Offenbach, the undisputed master of opéra bouffe during the Second Empire, reveals a whole new side to his artistic genius in this work. Based on the fantastical short stories of E.T.A. Hoffmann, The Tales of Hoffmann is an opera that brings together several tales about the unhappy loves of the writer, an iconic figure of European Romanticism. Unfortunately, Offenbach died before seeing his work performed on stage at the Opéra-Comique. Several revisions and additions that have been made to the work are both a real headache for musicologists and a veritable playground. There are several versions of The Tales that the German director explores.

This new production marks the return of an essential masterpiece to the Opéra-Comique repertoire. A regular at the institution, tenor Michael Spyres plays Hoffmann, opposite his Muse, played by Héloïse Mas. Conducting, Pierre Dumoussaud confirms his status as a leading interpreter of the Offenbach repertoire. Performances will run from 25 September to 5 October 2025 and are set to be one of the highlights of the opera season.

Get your tickets for The Tales of Hoffmann at the Opéra-Comique by clicking here!

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Les Contes d’Hoffmann – c – Klara Back – Opera National du Rhin janvier 2025

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When, in 2020, Klaus Mäkelä became Musical Advisor and then Music Director in September 2021, the Orchestre de Paris caused a stir by appointing such a young conductor, almost unknown to the wider public. A bold move that paid off: Mäkelä, then only 24, was quickly noticed by other major orchestras such as the Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Amsterdam has offered him the post of Chief Conductor beginning in 2027, while Chicago has called upon him to succeed Riccardo Muti, also from September 2027. With so many commitments—while still holding his post as Chief Conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic since 2020—the young Finnish maestro had to make a choice, and Paris was the one he sacrificed.

The appointment of Esa-Pekka Salonen, though sometimes anticipated, does not come with the same surprise as Mäkelä’s arrival. Salonen first conducted the Orchestre de Paris in 1988 and has returned almost every season since. A renowned conductor, composer, and initiator of cultural projects, Salonen has distinguished himself at the helm of several prestigious ensembles, including the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the San Francisco Symphony, where he has served as brilliant Principal Conductor or Music Director.

Olivier Mantei, General Director of the Cité de la musique – Philharmonie de Paris, stated: “We are very happy and proud to welcome to the head of the Orchestre de Paris an exceptional musician who has maintained a close relationship with the orchestra for many years, and who has left a lasting mark on the ensembles he has led worldwide through his talent and vision. Esa-Pekka Salonen is an artist deeply anchored in today’s world, and we look forward to working with him on the artistic and societal challenges of the present and future, through the chair specially created for him by the Philharmonie de Paris.”

At the head of the Orchestre de Paris, Salonen will follow in the footsteps of Charles Munch, Herbert von Karajan, Sir Georg Solti, Daniel Barenboim, Semyon Bychkov, Christoph von Dohnányi, Christoph Eschenbach, Paavo Järvi, Daniel Harding, and his fellow Finn, Klaus Mäkelä.

To discover the upcoming season of the Orchestre de Paris with Esa-Pekka Salonen, click here!

To learn more about the conductor’s latest news, click here!

Esa Pekka Salonen & Klaus Makela – c – Ava du Parc & Marco Boggreve

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About him, Stefano Pace states in the release: “His exacting standards, his sense of theatre, his musical generosity and his constant commitment are major assets for our institution, and make him a privileged partner.”

It is indeed true that the understanding between the two men seems perfect. Together, they are building a bold programme that is reshaping the operatic offering in Liège. Several great masterpieces that had never before been staged at the Théâtre Royal have finally been presented, to the great delight of Belgian and international music lovers.

This programming has also enabled the conductor to broaden his repertoire, as with the Tristan und Isolde adventure. This masterpiece, conducted by the maestro for the first time, also saw soprano Lianna Haroutounian’s role debut as Isolde.

The 2025–2026 season, faithful to the spirit of the grand repertoire, opens with a highly anticipated production: Gounod’s Faust, the great masterpiece of French opera, performed by a stellar cast including Nino Machaidze, John Osborn, Erwin Schrott and Markus Werba (from 12 September 2025), under the inspired direction of Giampaolo Bisanti, who thus launches his new season in Liège. He declares: “I am deeply honored by this renewal of my mandate, which moves me as much as it commits me. The Royal Opera of Wallonia-Liège has become a true artistic home for me, where I feel supported, inspired and stimulated with every production.”

Upcoming highlights include The Queen of Spades by Tchaikovsky in February–March 2026, and Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia in April!

To purchase  your tickets for the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège now, click here!

To learn more about his latest news, click here.

Giampaolo Bisanti – c – Jonathan Berger & visuals by ORWL

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This interest took root in 1895, when, having just won a silver medal at the prestigious Vienna Conservatoire, Enescu chose Paris to pursue his musical training. He entered the Paris Conservatoire, where he rubbed shoulders with the future greats of French classical music: Maurice Ravel, Alfred Cortot, Paul Dukas, all classmates…

In the midst of this artistic effervescence, Enescu made his mark, particularly with his opera Œdipe (1936). This monumental score took him almost twenty years to complete. He died in Paris, his adopted home, and is buried today in the Père-Lachaise cemetery.

The Festival 2025 is a celebration of the French-language masterpieces that have marked the history of classical music. From 27 August to 21 September, lucky festival-goers will plunge into the world of Ravel, Poulenc, Bizet, Rameau and many others. True to its reputation for excellence, the George Enescu International Festival has invited the crème de la crème of international orchestras, with such great voices as Gaëlle Arquez, Benjamin Bernheim and Asmik Grigorian to perform the French repertoire (and others). Finally, two great operas will be performed: Ravel’s L’Heure Espagnole andEnescu ‘s famous Oedipus .

The 27th George Enescu International Festival is sure to cause a sensation, with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by the fiery Santtu-Matias Rouvali and the unmissable Martha Argerich with the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. French artists take the lion’s share, with Renaud Capuçon, Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Alexandre Kantorow, not forgetting ‘almost’ French conductors such as Cristian Măcelaru and Klaus Mäkelä, who conducts not the Orchestre de Paris but his other orchestra, the prestigious Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

The dates run until 21 September 2025. The ticket office is still open!

To get your tickets for the Bucharest festival, click here!

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Curated by Artistic Director Giorgos Koumendakis, the season features seven new productions, five revivals, a concert presentation, and two international tours. This programme is made possible by a grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) to enhance the Greek National Opera’s artistic outreach.

After 65 years, the GNO returns to the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus with the historic production of Medea, originally created for Maria Callas in 1961, while also reviving beloved classics such as Tosca and La Traviata at the Stavros Niarchos Hall.

Highlights include the grand opening with La Gioconda, a co-production with the Royal Opera House and Salzburg Easter Festival, and the long-awaited Requiem for the End of Love by Koumendakis, Papaioannou, and Currentzis.

Anna Pirozzi, Aleksandra Kurzak, Gaëlle Arquez, Marina Viotti, Alisa Kolosova, Anita Rachvelishvili, Roberto Alagna, Charles Castronovo, Arsen Soghomonyan, Andrea Carè, and Marcelo Puente are just a few of the international opera stars who will perform at the Greek National Opera during the new season. The season also includes the hosting of the International Opera Awards in Athens on 13 November.

For more information and the full programme, visit nationalopera.gr/en.

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Audiences will also have the chance to rediscover some of the opera’s lesser-known pages, brought to life by a stellar cast led by the much-anticipated tenor Julien Dran and soprano Vannina Santoni.

A familiar face at the Opéra-Comique, baritone Jérôme Boutillier—named ADAMI Revelation of the Year in 2016—returns to the stage as the devil’s emissary, Méphistophélès. Originally trained as a pianist, Boutillier first made his mark in 2018 when he stepped in at the last minute to perform the role of Luddorf in Gounod’s La Nonne sanglante, also at the Opéra-Comique. His acclaimed performance earned him public recognition. Seven years later, he returns to the same venue in another devilishly demanding role—a return to his roots and a true delight in store for the Parisian audience eagerly awaiting him.

This new Faust production, a co-production with the Opéra de Lille and the Palazzetto Bru Zane, brings the Opéra-Comique’s season to a close. Also on the program: Gluck’s L‘Île de Merlin ou Le Monde renversé, to be performed on June 24, 26, and 28, 2025—a fantastical, satirical tale, reimagined by Myriam Marzouki for the Opéra-Comique Academy.

To attend the last performances of the Opera-Comique’s season, click here!

And to discover the new Opera-Comique’s season, it’s here!

Performance of Faust – c – Opéra-Comique

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From 27 June to 14 July 2026, the Paris Opera Ballet will revive her masterpiece The Seasons’ Canon, a creation that has become iconic since its premiere in 2016.

Crystal Pite is one of the most beloved contemporary choreographers among Parisian audiences. Her monumental work Body and Soul, created in 2019 for the Paris Opera’s 350th anniversary, left a lasting impression with its dramatic intensity and groundbreaking choreographic storytelling.

With the return of The Seasons’ Canon, she invites spectators once more into her hypnotic world, set to Max Richter’s reimagining of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

The piece is renowned for its striking visual effect, with the dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet forming a human tide that moves in perfect unison, echoing the structure of a musical canon and creating the illusion of a constant flow. There are no solo stars here—only a celebration of the collective, where every body contributes to a living fresco in perpetual motion.

This much-anticipated revival already promises to be one of the standout events of the 2025–2026 season. Fans of contemporary dance and loyal followers of the Paris Opera alike are sure to snap up tickets to (re)discover the brilliance of Crystal Pite.

To be the first to have your tickets for the performance, click here!

The Season Canon by le Ballet de l’Opéra de Paris & Crystal Pite – c – Julien Benhamou & Anoush Abrar

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Just weeks before Jordan’s departure, after serving since 2020, the news takes on a very real turn as he bids farewell with performances of Tannhäuser, Wagner’s complete Ring Cycle, and the final notes of Götterdämmerung, marking the end of an important chapter.

Philippe Jordan will then return to Paris, where he is set to become Music Director of the Orchestre National de France in 2027.

A passionate interpreter of Wagner, the former Music Director of the Paris Opera has never hidden his visceral attachment to the composer of Bayreuth, describing his music as “elemental, filled with a raw energy, which at first glance seems simple but goes incredibly deep, where emotion guides reason and the narrative is elevated by the music.”

Five masterpieces by the German Romantic genius will be performed from 22 May to 28 June 2025 at the Vienna State Opera, including Tannhäuser from 22 May to 4 June, Das Rheingold from 28 May to 20 June, Die Walküre from 2 to 22 June (already sold out), Siegfried from 8 to 25 June, and finally Götterdämmerung from 15 to 28 June 2025.

On stage, the great Wagnerian voices take centre stage, with tenor Andreas Schager—a key figure in the repertoire—starring in Siegfried, Götterdämmerung, and Die Walküre, alongside Anja Kampe as Brünnhilde and the powerful Simone Schneider, stepping in for new mother Lise Davidsen as Sieglinde. The production by Sven-Eric Bechtolf is a revival of the cycle created over several seasons between 2007 and 2009.

In Tannhäuser, rising star Clay Hilley takes the title role, partnered by the fiery Venus of Ekaterina Gubanova and the noble Elisabeth of Malin Byström. However, French baritone Ludovic Tézier, originally cast as Wolfram von Eschenbach, will not take part in the production and is replaced by Martin Gantner.

A blazing month of June awaits at the Wiener Staatsoper, where, between the fire of the Valkyries and the twilight of the gods highlighted by Philippe Jordan, this Wagnerian immersion is sure to be a major event.

TO ATTEND ONE OF THE FIVE OPERAS IN VIENNA, CLICK HERE!

Philippe Jordan – c – Christian Michelines

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At just 38 years old, Lionel Bringuier already boasts an impressive career. In 2005, aged only 15 years old, he won the prestigious Besançon International Competition for Young Conductors. Two years later, he flew off to Los Angeles, where he was appointed Assistant Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, working alongside the celebrated Venezuelan maestro Gustavo Dudamel.

Following stints in Spain and Zurich, Bringuier returned to Nice in 2019, first as Associate Conductor of the Nice Philharmonic, and later rising to Principal Conductor in 2023. In January 2024, he announced his upcoming move to Liège.

Under the evocative title “Lionel Bringuier: A Shared Passion”, the RPHO and its future Music Director are preparing to explore a rich repertoire together, focusing on French masters (Ravel, Dukas, Roussel), Russian giants (Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky), and Ukrainian legend (Prokofiev) — a programme that promises true artistic synergy between conductor and orchestra.

As Bringuier himself puts it: “With the RPHO, I instantly felt we were speaking the same language, that we shared a common identity and the same way of thinking about music.”

Exciting new projects are already on the horizon — including a series of concerts dedicated to the Modern Classical movement, featuring prominent figures like Max Richter and Belgian ensemble Echo Collective, injecting a breath of fresh air into the orchestra’s future seasons.

But before settling into the “Cité ardente”, Bringuier will offer one last enchanted interlude in Nice, conducting the Philharmonic Orchestra on 29 and 30 July 2025 at the Auditorium du Parc du Château de Florans. On the programme: Tchaikovsky and Mussorgsky with Bruce Liu at the piano, followed the next day by a performance with Bertrand Chamayou, joining Bringuier for Ravel’s piano concertos — with the iconic Boléro to top it all off. A fitting tribute in this Ravel anniversary year! 

To attend those concerts in Nice, click here!

Lionel Bringuier – c – ORPL Website

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Composed to a libretto by Georg Kaiser, Der Protagonist was Kurt Weill’s very first opera. Premiered on 27 March 1926 at the Semperoper in Dresden, the work is notable for its bold musical language – blending jazz influences, harmonic dissonances and syncopated rhythms. These stylistic traits sharply contrast with the romantic and lyrical tradition typically associated with La Fenice, where Italian giants like Verdi and Puccini so often reign supreme.

By programming a rarely performed German opera, this prestigious Italian house asserts its originality and places itself firmly among the ranks of international stages, in a country known for passionately defending its own operatic repertoire.

The choice also reflects La Fenice’s commitment to breathing life into the great 20th-century works – a refreshing move that might just stir the habits of its devoted audience.

In this captivating opera, each character embodies a “concept” rather than a fully fleshed-out individual. The title role of “The Protagonist” represents the artistic ideal, while another central figure – The Sister – symbolises love in its most human expression.

In the leading roles, Matthias Koziorowsky and Martina Welschenbach share the spotlight in this production running at the Teatro Malibran until 15 May 2025.

TO ATTEND THOSE PERFORMANCES AT LA FENICE, CLICK HERE!

Affiche de la production de Der Protagonist & l’intérieur du Teatro Malibran – c – La Fenice Website

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