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With Christoph Koncz, the Orchestre National de Mulhouse punches above its weight to bring to a close a delightful and varied stay at the Festival International de Colmar.

Lucie Horsch shows that her star is fully risen in Vivaldi and Telemann. Grigory Sokolov demonstrates why he has been in the top rank of pianists for many years.

Klaus Mäkelä and the Orchestre de Paris give us an orchestral kaleidoscope, Kosky's pared-down staging allows the emotions of Strauss and Hofmannstahl's work to shine through.

The Paris Opera Ballet presented three contemporary works, each piece showcasing the breadth of contemporary dance and the artistry and talent of the formidable company.

Jessica Pratt lights up the Parisian skies with her Konstanze in Florent Siaud’s new production of Mozart's Singspiel at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. 

Leonardo García-Alarcón's exhumation of Bembo's work proves a winner, in a hyper-quirky staging by Netia Jones with Julie Fuchs as the pick of the fine singers.

Two prodigies, with a surplus of imagination and more interest in the moment than in creating long arcs of music, join the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse in Paris. 

Late step-in Nicole Chevalier, baritone-turned-director Matthias Goerne and conductor Frank Beermann combine their talents to create a landmark production at the Capitole de Toulouse.

Crisp and elegant cello and piano playing is more successful in French and early repertoire than in Brahms.

The Opéra de Lyon presents Britten’s masterpiece for the first time: a triumph, both visually and musically, which is received with great enthusiasm by the audience.

A new production of Les Enfants terribles at the Opéra de Lille drags the audience into a terribly marvelous labyrinth, courtesy of conductor Virginie Déjos and directors Matthias Piro and Lisa Moro.

In Bach, Beethoven and Schubert, the Icelandic pianist demonstrates how perfect technique and total control can lead to expressivity.

Excellent vocal acting from Thomas Hampson, Renée Fleming, Xiaomeng Zhang and a magnificent orchestral performance conducted by Kent Nagano can't make Valentina Carrasco's production fully grip.

A deeply psychological version of the fairytale, Jean-Christophe Maillot's Cendrillon provides ample opportunities for the whole cast to delve into their characters and rise to the technical challenges.

Kornél Mundruczó brings the characters to life in Janáček’s drama of eternal youth; the brilliance of Dennis Russell Davies and the Orchestre National de Lille come close to overwhelming the proceedings.

Tight orchestral playing, minimalist stage design: the conductor and director are perfectly in tune with each other, transforming Massenet's work into an intimate and timeless drama.

Vigour and vibrato: Les Arts Florissant bring gallic refinement to Bach’s Christmas Oratorio at the Philharmonie de Paris. 

Strong drama and powerful central performances of Massimo Moricone's Romeo and Juliet in Bordeaux for the first time.

The Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France impress mightily under the baton of their new Principal Guest Conductor. Gidon Kremer disappoints in Weinberg.

Bach’s virtuosic keyboard work is transformed into a uniquely dynamic and expressive showpiece for two guitars at Paris’ Cité de la Musique.

Born to a Basque mother just ten miles from the Spanish border, Ravel excelled at authentic Spanish flavours as heard in this splendid festival concert by the Orchestre National de France.

Don Quixote provides the inspiration for songs by Ravel and Ibert, the high point of a bitty programme in contrast to an early evening recital which followed the perfect trajectory.

At the Festival Ravel, Bertrand Chamayou, Pierre-Laurent Aimard and Hyunji Kim perform all the solo piano works at the Église Saint-Vincent, a stone’s throw from the house where Ravel was born.

The Uzbek conductor shows that he's a force to be reckoned with, revealing unimaginable amounts of detail in Stravinsky's score. Jan Lisiecki gives a carefully weighted account of Mozart.

Gautier Capuçon, Pierre Bleuse and the Orchestre du Festival Casals bring a devastating Shostakovich First Cello Concerto to Aix-en-Provence's Festival de Pâques. 

Beatrice Rana, Mikko Franck and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France bring a thrilling Tchaikovsky First Piano Concerto to the Festival de Pâques, even if their Shostakovich 10 is more of a beauty than a bully. 

Although Karine Deshayes role change from Adalgisa to Norma is a work in progress, Luciano Ganci and Roberto Scandiuzzi shine in a staging charged with mythic symbolism.

Massenet’s take on Goethe’s blockbuster novella of unrequited love and suicide is handled with great subtlety by Christof Loy and Marc Leroy-Calatayud. Benjamin Bernheim and Marina Viotti lead a starry vocal cast.

Berg's concerto “To the Memory of an Angel” is played with heart-melting beauty; David Afkham and the Orchestre national de Lyon offer pleasant, but unmemorable, Beethoven and Brahms. 

Paris Opera Ballet has triumphantly revived Kenneth MacMillan’s Mayerling, two years after its company premiere in 2022. 

Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto turns out to be a shipwreck for the Georgian pianist, despite an admirable Orchestre de Paris and conductor (Kirill Karabits). 

The conducting of Jordi Savall thrills during the Ballet du Capitole's double bill of ballets by Gluck.

The superstar countertenor revisit the site of one of their early successes, with hits from Monteverdi and the court of Louis XIII. It makes for an extraordinary evening.

Young countertenor Figuier gives an accomplished vocal performance, sometimes overpowered by the energy of Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques. Oboist Gilles Vanssons steals the show.

The Lyon orchestra show their rapport with their former Music Director with an exuberant Copland symphony and an introspective Shostakovich concerto

Silliness can find a place in art, as we see in some of Erik Satie’s work titles, but sometimes it is just silly. 

Jordi Savall explores the music of Maurice Ravel within the context of the French Baroque and beyond. 

Star-dancing or star-gazing? A celestial occasion with Ensemble Hegiak in South-West France.

One of Handel's lesser operas receives a deluxe concert performance at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, with Il Pomo d'Oro and a fine array of singers. 

Paris Opera Ballet tackles a British classic with aplomb but needs to delve deeper into the quintessentially British humour and charm.

An historic moment at the Philharmonie de Paris, with a conductor and ensemble in perfect harmony in a work that is difficult because it is so heavily linked to the sound of its era.

The French premiere of the British composer's opera will be the undisputed high point of the Grande Boutique's season: a perfect confluence of music, staging and cast.

Zingarelli's Giulietta e Romeo won the favour of no less than Napoleon I himself and a new production at the Opéra Royal offers an appropriately regal setting in which to see Gilles Rico's new production of this once famous opera.

An all-Dvořák programme given by the Paris Opera Orchestra fails to full satisfy, despite a couple of exciting concert openers.  

Vilde Frang and Bertrand Chamayou join the Belcea Quartet for a musical feast including Chausson's sumptuous Concert. 

Sonatas by Ravel frame Renaud Capuçon and Jean-François Heisser's recital in the Basque seaside town of Saint-Jean-de-Luz. 

Ravel arranged for the French a cappella choir gives mixed results, from outstanding to imperfect. 

At the Promenades musicales du Pays d'Auge in Normandy, the Toulouse-born pianist impresses with a rare ability to communicate emotion.

In a magical outdoor environment, one of the elder statesmen of French piano traces the progression of Beethoven's style through his sonatas.

Yip Wing-sie and the HK Sinfonietta show admirable qualities in their Beethoven cycle. François-Frédéric Guy plays a splendid Third Piano Concerto but Anne Queffélec is disconnected from the orchestra in the Fourth.