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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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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A towering figure on the international music scene, Dudamel made a name for himself from the very start. In 1999, at just 18 years old, he became the conductor of the Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar of Venezuela and of El Sistema, the acclaimed music education program that garnered worldwide praise. Global recognition soon followed. At the age of 23, he recorded his first album, dedicated to Beethoven’s Symphonies No. 5 and No. 7. Today, his discography boasts over 65 recordings and around 14 full albums.

Since the early 2000s, he has held the role of Music Director with leading institutions such as the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Opéra National de Paris (where he served as Music Director for two years), and, since 2023, the New York Philharmonic. Gustavo Dudamel also conducts orchestras across the globe, such as in Barcelona with the LSO.

Two vibrant and eclectic evenings are planned: on May 10, works by Ravel and Richard Strauss, featuring the sublime Marina Rebeka singing Shéhérazade; and on May 11, a program of Mozart and Mahler.

These two concerts promise to be standout moments of the Catalan musical season.

To attend those performances of Gustavo Dudamel, click here!

Gustavo Dudamel – c – Unison Media la Phil – Georgios Tsichlis

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Find all the Verbier Festival program

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To mark the occasion, the Philharmonie de Paris is devoting to him an exhibition of a new kind for this major centre of French musical life. From December 3, 2024, to June 15, 2025, at the Musée de la Musique (Cité de la Musique), visitors will not see the usual displays on a composer’s life and works but rather an exploration of the creation and legacy of one piece—Ravel’s most iconic work: le Boléro!

Pierre Korzilius, the curator of the “Ravel Boléro” exhibition, offers an immersive audiovisual experience along with a display of the inspirations and genesis of the Boléro, presented through nearly 200 items, including manuscripts, photos, paintings, and costume sketches.

A series of concerts and lectures focused on Ravel’s work will also take place at the Philharmonie throughout the exhibition.

To attend these Ravelian concerts at the Philharmonie de Paris, click there!

Paris Philharmonic and Ravel © Getty

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Every self-respecting Frenchman is a master of the art of criticism. Parisians even have the reputation of being champions in this field, as it is well known that “J’aime rien, je suis parisien” (‘I don’t like anything, I’m Parisian’). The famous opening ceremony was therefore awaited with posed detachment before arousing enthusiasm and joy, the last note of music heard. Céline Dion brought an emotional close to an event where diversity and celebration seemed to be the watchwords.

It came as no surprise that Thomas Jolly, a well-known theatre and opera director, had not forgotten classical music, though his strong presence was a surprise. Throughout the parade, music lovers recognised the familiar tunes of Saint-Saëns, Ravel and Offenbach in a surprising and explosive mix of genres. Everyone will remember Gojira‘s hard rock accompaniment to a revolutionary Carmen sung by Swiss mezzo Marina Viotti. Jakub Józef Orliński, break dancer and superb countertenor, created a surprise by performing ‘Viens Hymen’, from Rameau’s Indes Galantes usually sung by a soprano.

The Orchestre National de France conducted by Cristian Măcelaru was also in the spotlight, as were the star dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet, Germain Louvet and Guillaume Diop, who performed an unforgettable solo over the rooftops of Paris. Alexandre Kantorow, a super-talented young pianist, played Maurice Ravel’s Jeux d’eau in the pouring rain, looking like nothing!

But the image that the whole world will remember forever is that of French mezzo Axelle Saint-Cirel draped in the blue-white-red flag, proudly posed at the very top of the Grand Palais. The 2023 winner of the Concours des Voix des Outre-mer performed Rouget de Lisle’s La Marseillaise in a gentle version arranged by Victor Le Masne (the evening’s music coordinator), in a moment of appeasement and universalism where the communion of peoples was also based on music. 

Discover all upcoming performances by these artists here

Axelle Saint Cirel © AFP

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© Festival Radio France Occitanie Montpellier

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(c) François-Xavier Roth

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