Fiesta! Philippe Jordan’s Spanish postcard from the Festival Ravel

Philippe Jordan

The Orchestre National de France in the Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste

Corina Belcea, Bertrand Chamayou and Jean-Guihen Queyras

Jean-Guihen Queyras and cellists from the Académie Ravel 2025

Bertrand Chamayou and the Orchestre National de France

By Mark Pullinger, 05 September 2025

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“erupting into a fiesta of colour, strutting trumpet and hip-swinging rhythms”

Reviewed at Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Saint-Jean-de-Luz on 4 September 2025

Ravel, Pavane pour une infante défunte

Ravel, Piano Concerto in G major

Ravel, Trois Chansons: Trois beaux oiseaux du paradis (arr. Chamayou)

Ravel, Rapsodie espagnole

Ravel, Miroirs: Alborada del gracioso

Ravel, Boléro

Bertrand Chamayou, Piano

Orchestre National de France

Philippe Jordan, Conductor

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Reviewed at Couvent des Récollets, Ciboure on 4 September 2025

Ravel, Berceuse sur le nom de Gabriel Fauré

Ravel, Piano Trio in A minor

Ravel, Sonata for Violin and Cello

Boulez, Messagesquisse, for solo cello & 6 cellos

Corina Belcea, Violin

Jean-Guihen Queyras, Cello

Bertrand Chamayou, Piano

Jeunes solistes de l'Académie Ravel

Johannes Gray, Cello

Jana Bojanowski, Cello

Emilie Richter, Cello

Hugo Domínguez Fernández, Cello

Pierre Fontenelle, Cello

Mathilde Reuzé, Cello

Spectacular Orchestre National de France program at Carnegie Hall

Susan Stempleski, 9th November

Cristian Mǎcelaru elicits enthralling performances from the ONF, Daniil Trifonov blends stunning virtuosity with poetic insight in a crowd-pleasing French program.

*****

Dances of reinvention: Măcelaru and the ONF at the Enescu Festival

Edward Sava-Segal, 19th September

Venturing into Gershwin, Rudolf Buchbinder joins an Orchestre National de France programme at the George Enescu International Festival marked by surprises.

****1

Măcelaru and the Orchestre National de France charm at the Proms

Christopher Woodley, 23rd July

Măcelaru's eclectic programming elicits passionate performances from the Orchestre National de France, and Randall Goosby shows his versatility with elegant and impassioned artistry.

****1

Saint-Saëns illuminated by the Orchestre National de France in Seoul

SangKwon Lee, 29th April

A sumptuous exploration of Saint-Saëns at Lotte Concert Hall in a programme forming a cohesive tapestry woven from the composer’s fascination with colour, all traced back to a distinctly Parisian sensibility.

****1

Fabien Gabel brings the maison down in Paris with rare Florent Schmitt

Phillip Nones, 12th May

Outstanding performances of two Florent Schmitt scores anchor a winning concert by the Orchestre National de France at the Maison de la Radio.

*****

Kitchen sink Carmen: Măcelaru rounds off the ONF season in style

Mark Pullinger, 23rd July

The percussion department of the Orchestre National de France took their turn in the spotlight for Rodion Shchedrin's ballet.

****1

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Mark Pullinger

Mark has been a Bachtrack editor since 2014. He is also an experienced critic, writing hundreds of reviews for the site, as well as a freelancer writing for other magazines and newspapers. He also writes programme notes and blogs on Substack. Mark has a particular passion for the operas of Verdi as well as Russian and French repertoire. Outside the concert hall and opera house, Mark enjoys cooking and travel and is probably at his happiest let loose in a French patisserie or a Viennese coffee house.