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