Esa-Pekka Salonen | News Music & Opera

The Orchestre de Paris remains under Finnish leadership

admin_mowp — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 14:04:52 +0000

The news had been eagerly awaited: who would succeed Klaus Mäkelä at the helm of the Orchestre de Paris, one of the greatest French ensembles, if not the finest orchestra in the country? The answer has now arrived: the eminent Esa-Pekka Salonen has been appointed Chief Conductor of the Orchestre de Paris and will also hold the Chair of Creation and Innovation at the Philharmonie de Paris, starting in 2027. Both Esa-Pekka Salonen and Klaus Mäkelä were born in Helsinki.

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!

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

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Esa-Pekka Salonen will not be staying in San Francisco

admin_mowp — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 09:00:12 +0000

After successfully leading major orchestras such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Philharmonia, the legendary conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen, currently Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony, has announced that he will be stepping down from his contract in June 2025. He states that he does “not share the same goals for the future of the institution as the Board of Governors”.

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Esa-Pekka Salonen © Hiroyuki Ito

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Three Philharmonies for San Francisco

admin_mowp — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 09:00:07 +0000

In 2020, Covid almost overshadowed the appointment of Esa-Pekka Salonen as Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony. For his very first tour, the great conductor has chosen three European institutions with which he has strong ties. The Paris Philharmonie (9 to 12 March 2023), the Luxembourg Philharmonie (13 March) and the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie will welcome the prestigious American ochestra to perform works by Balter, Barber, Bartók, Muhly, Rachmaninov, Sibelius, Smith and Stucky with soloists Claire Chase, Nico Muhly, Johan Dalene and the flamboyant pianist Yuja Wang.

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Esa-Pekka Salonen (c) Mathias Benguigui

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Rattle, Salonen, Chailly, all at the Philharmonie!

admin_mowp — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 09:00:16 +0000

January is a fruitful month for the Philharmonie de Paris, which welcomes three of the most prominent conductors. Sir Simon Rattle opens the ball on 14 and 15 January 2023 with the London Symphony Orchestra and two fine programmes, Sibelius/Bruckner then Beethoven/Stravinsky. The Orchestre de Paris meets Esa-Pekka Salonen on 25 and 26 January for the French premiere of his Organ Concerto (with Olivier Latry). Finally, the forces of La Scala de Milan led by Riccardo Chailly will be on stage at the Philharmonie on Sunday 29 January in a programme that is not Italian but Russian with Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky.

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Sir Simon Rattle (c) Mark Allan

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