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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She was supposed to make her stage debut at the Paris Opera in Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades, but the production was unfortunately canceled due to the pandemic. Now, at last, audiences at the Opéra Bastille will have the chance to fully discover Asmik Grigorian’s talents—not just once, but three times over!

Indeed, the magnificent soprano will finally take the stage in an opera from April 29 to May 28, 2025, and not just any opera. Puccini’s Il Trittico is a cycle of three operas (Gianni Schicchi, Il Tabarro, and Suor Angelica), in which Asmik Grigorian will perform the three leading female roles (Lauretta, Giorgetta, and Suor Angelica)—a true vocal and theatrical marathon.

Even more so since the production has been entrusted to Christof Loy, who is making his debut at the Paris Opera after the great success of his Werther at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. The stage director has chosen to present the works in an unusual order: first Gianni Schicchi, a burlesque farce set in medieval Florence, then Il Tabarro, a passionate drama unfolding on a barge along the banks of the Seine, and finally Suor Angelica, a heartrending tragedy and certainly one of the most moving soprano roles in all of opera—a universe already rich with emotion—composed by the genius Puccini.

To admire Asmik Grigorian in Il Trittico, click here!

And tout know more about the news of the Opéra national de Paris, it’s here!

Asmik Grigorian & Affiche d’Il Trittico – c – Algirdas Bakas & OnP Website

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This revival is all the more symbolic as Sylvia was the very first classical ballet choreographed at Garnier in 1876, just one year after the inauguration of this true cultural temple and one of Paris’ most iconic landmarks.

Created by Louis Mérante, a former Étoile dancer who became the ballet master of the prestigious institution, it is one of the great classical ballets that defined its era. Despite its renown, this work remains rare and is seldom performed in the repertoire of the Paris Opera Ballet.

Long forgotten, Sylvia experienced a resurgence in 1952 thanks to the choreography of Frederick Ashton, artistic director of the Royal Ballet. His version quickly became a staple in the repertoire of the world’s leading ballet companies.

Today, Manuel Legris carries the torch for the Paris Opera Ballet. Created in 2018 for La Scala Ballet in Milan, his choreography now officially enters the repertoire of the Paris Opera Ballet.

With a renewed approach while remaining deeply faithful to classical dance, Manuel Legris brings a deeper dimension to the characters, particularly Diana, goddess of the hunt, and Sylvia, a prisoner of her own laws. This enriched vision adds an extra layer of dramatic intensity to a work that has left its mark on Garnier’s stage history. Like Rudolf Nureyev before him, Manuel Legris gives greater prominence to male roles, elevating them to the same technical level as the female characters.

An event not to be missed, where the grace and power of ballet promise to captivate the audience at the Palais Garnier!

To book your tickets, click here!

Affiche Sylvia – c – OnP

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The Requiem, an absolute masterpiece by Fauré and a cornerstone of Western musical literature, will be conducted by Raphaël Pichon at the helm of Ensemble Pygmalion during a European tour from May 11 to 20, 2025.

The conductor, currently one of the most sought-after on the international scene, and his breathtaking ensemble are highly anticipated in this work—especially with the exceptional cast Pichon has assembled. Baritone Stéphane Degout is undoubtedly one of the finest interpreters of Fauré’s Requiem, alongside soprano Sabine Devieilhe, whose crystalline timbre will shine in the Pie Jesu.

As a bonus, the conductor had the brilliant idea of bringing these two great French stars together for excerpts from Hamlet by Ambroise Thomas, following their immense success on the Opéra-Comique stage in 2022.

Unfortunately, French audiences who have not yet secured their tickets for this Requiem for Ophélie may be disappointed. The Auditorium de Bordeaux on May 15, 2025, and the Philharmonie de Paris on May 20 are already sold out! To avoid missing the event, they will have to rush for the last remaining seats in Vienna (Konzerthaus, May 17), Valencia (Palau de la Música), or Madrid (Teatro Real)—fingers crossed!

Book your tickets now, click here!

Stéphane Degout & Sabine Devieilhe – c – Anna Dabrowska et Jean-Baptiste Millot

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The in-depth musicological research, notably conducted by PD Dr. Kai Hinrich Müller, has allowed for the rediscovery of period instruments, such as those specially commissioned by Wagner himself. The result is simply breathtaking! After Das Rheingold in 2022 and Die Walküre in 2023, Siegfried is now scheduled as part of the Dresdner Musikfestspiele this summer (specifically on June 14, 2025).

The fortunate audiences in Prague, Paris, and Cologne, ahead of those in Lucerne, will have the privilege of attending the performances first. Kent Nagano will return to the magnificent Státní opera in Prague for the first performance of Siegfried on April 1, 2025.

Then, it’s Paris’ turn, on April 4, 2025, to host the project for the first time, hoping that Götterdämmerung will be featured in 2026. Wagner’s masterpiece will then be performed on April 10, 2025, at the Köln Philharmonie before Dresden and finally Lucerne, which will host the event on September 12, 2025, as part of its prestigious Festival.

As an interesting note, Parisians will have the chance to see Derek Welton in the role of the Der Wanderer, having discovered him by chance in Das Rheingold when he stepped in at the last minute to replace the artist originally cast as Wotan. This promises to be a remarkable evening, an unprecedented Wagner performance rejuvenated!

To see Siegfried at the Philharmonie of Paris, click there!

Kent Nagano – c – Daniel Reinhardt

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Unfortunately, the greatest baritone of his generation is suffering from the flu, which prevents him from attending all the necessary rehearsals for this role debut. From January 29 to February 19, 2025, Iain Paterson will replace the god Wotan for all performances at the Opéra Bastille.

To see Ludovic Tézier in other roles this year, visit our website

Ludovic Tézier – c – Gregor Hohenberg

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Since fall 2024, the artists have returned to the salons of the Musée Jacquemart-André, which serve as a natural backdrop for an exceptionally lifelike production of La Traviata. Buoyed by success, a new title is now being staged: Verdi’s Rigoletto.

On this occasion, the troupe has welcomed prestigious new members who mingle with the audience, transformed, on performance nights, into accomplices of the depraved Duke of Mantua. Champagne flows freely in the grand hall of the palace, where the ball is held, as it should for such a celebration!

To learn more about the performance and to book your tickets : click there !

Rigoletto (c) Opera a Palazzo

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Following a fiery performance as Maddalena di Coigny in Andrea Chénier by Giordano in Paris and Lyon, she will take on the role of Aida, Verdi’s famed Ethiopian slave, in London in a production directed by Robert Carsen (from January 28 to February 12, 2025).

She will then return to Puccini in Hamburg and Naples. From March 21 to April 4, 2025, at the Staatsoper, and from April 16 to 29, 2025, at the Teatro di San Carlo, she will perform as Minnie in La Fanciulla del West, a rarely staged opera composed by the Italian master.

To book your tickets, click there !

Anna Pirozzi (c) Julian Hargreaves

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Let’s remember that this record-breaking masterpiece premiered at the Palais des Sports in Paris in 1980. Since then, despite a revival at the Mogador Theater in 1991, the show had not returned to a Parisian stage.

For this major comeback, an entirely new production will be presented in French, directed by Ladislas Chollat. On this occasion, the creators, Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, have reworked the score from the original and the English version.

To book our last tickets for this event, click there!

Michael Ball in Les Misérables © Danny Kaan

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Discover Marianne Crebassa in Picture a day like this

Marianne Crebassa © Simon Fowler

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