Paris Classique in February 2010

My selection of good operas and concerts to see in Paris during February 2010.

In January the bar has been set very very high. But what to say about February? Look at the program in Pleyel, TCE, Opera Comique, Opera National de Paris, Cite de la Musique...

I should emphasize that the following is my selection of classical events in Paris. Thanks for the mails and I'm aware of many-many more very good concerts in Paris but hey you've got to make some kind of selection. You can't see them all, now can you?! ;)


Salle Pleyel

• Mon and Tue, 1 & 2: Alan Gilbert will conduct  New York Philharmonic performing a set of assorted works (on the second night Thomas Hampson will jump in the mix ).
• Fri, Sat & Sun - 5, 6, 7: Daniel Barenboim will be the pianist and will conduct Staatskapelle Berlin - Beethoven and Schoenberg & Yours Truly has tickets ;)
  
• Thu 4: Very promising program for the recital of Philippe Jaroussky accompanied by Orchestre de Paris and Christoph Eschenbach.  
• Tie, Fri & Sun - 9, 12, 14: Giulio Cesare concert version of Bill Christie with Les Arts Florissants and Cecilia Bartoli, Andreas Scholl, Nathalie Stutzmann, Philippe Jaroussky and Christophe Dumaux. How about that!?
• Wed 10 & Thu 11: David Fray will give two concerts with Orchestre de Paris.
• Sat 13: A flow of talent - max level : Tugan Sokhiev with Orchestre de Toulouse  and  Denis Matsuev - the best of Rachmaninov.
• Mon 15, Tue 16 Barenboim comes back alone for two piano nights to celebrate the music by Chopin - aren't we in the year of Chopin?!
  
• Wed 17 & Thu 18: Waltraud Meier will sing La Mort de Cléopâtre and Orchestre de Paris will play Symphonie Fantastique. Love Berlioz!
  
• Sat 20: One night with Yo-Yo Ma and friends.
• Tue 23: Evgeny Kissin and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France lead by Myung-Whun Chung will play Chopin and Schumann.
• Fri and Sat, 26 & 27: Sir Simon Rattle and Berliner Philharmoniker are coming with a SUPERB program. Even Mitsuko Uchida will be with them on the first night.

Théatre des Champs-Elysées

• Mon, Wed, Fri - 1, 3, 5: "La Cenerentola", Irina Brook production with  Siragusa, Degout, Spagnoli, D'Archangelo and Genaux.
• Thu 4: Vladimir Jurowski will conduct Orchestra of the Age of Enlightment  for Beethoven's 4th and 7th.
• Sun 7: Lieder Abend (Schubert) with Dietrich Henschel.
• Mon 8: Oh yes, I've been waiting this for quite some time: Stéphane Denève will come with his Scottish Orchestra.
• 24, 26 & 28 - Wed, Fri & Sun : revival of the SUPERB Mario Martone production of Falstaff which I loved when it was premiered (May/June 2008) but this time Daniele Gatti will conduct. Strong cast lead by Anthony Michaels-Moore and Anna Caterina Antonacci.
• Sat 27: Seiji Ozawa was supposed to conduct Mahler Chamber Orchestra. I wonder who will replace him...It's Daniel Harding woohoo! :)
  

Théâtre du Châtelet

• Thu 4 : Mahler's Symphony 2 by Orchestre National de France conducted by Daniele Gatti. Soloists: Camilla Tilling and Marie-Nicole Lemieux.
• 15-20: 6 shows of "A Little Night Music" -  one week of notorious Broadway for you: Send in the clowns... 
  

Opéra national de Paris - Opéra Bastille

• February 1 and 4: Last two shows of Jacquot's "Werther", with the ridiculously awesome cast: Jonas Kaufmann, Sophie Koch, Anne-Catherine Gillet and Ludovic Tézier.
  
• February 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 23: Marco Arturo Marelli production of "La Sonnambula" with Javier Camarena and Natalie Dessay.
• February 11, 17, 20, 24, 27: My fave Don Carlo production signed Graham Vick with  marvelous Stefano Secco and Luciana D'Intino. Sondra Radvanovsky as Elisabetta de Valois...
  

Opéra national de Paris - Palais Garnier

• February 1, 4, 7, 10, 13: "Idomeneo", same-ole Luc Bondy production with Kasarova, Iveri, Workman... But you've got to go and see the Palais Garnier on the opera night!
  
• February 12: Simon Keenlyside - recital. Simon is at his best when singing  in Paris.
  

Opéra Comique 

• Wed, Fri, Sun - 24, 26, 28: "Béatrice et Bénédict", Dan Jemmett's production conducted by Emmanuel Krivine. Excellent cast includes Christine Rice, Allan Clayton, Edwin Crossley-Mercer , Élodie Méchain.
• Thu 25: A concert version of Monteverdi's "Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda"
  

Cité de la Musique

• Fri 5: Anne Sofie von Otter with Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France
  and Myung-Whun Chung  - programm full of Ravel!
• Sun 7: Paradise and the Peri, a concert version of this Schumann's work will be conducted by Laurence Equelbey, and the cast includes Solveig Kringelborn, Maria Riccarda Wesseling, Pavol Breslik, Shadi Torbey... Brussels Philharmonic and Accentus.
• Tue 9 : Takemitsu, Schoenberg and Mahler on the program ; performers - Ensemble intercontemporain conducted by Susanna Mälkki, singers  Lilli Paasikivi and Daniel Kirch
• Sun 28: Berliner Barock Solisten - Bernhard Forck, Genia Kühmeier, Bernarda Fink will sing Hasse, Gallo, Pergolesi
  
  

Auditorium du Louvre

• Wed 10: Le Printemps du Baroque host "Cantus Cölln" conducted by Konrad Junghänel, for
  Mazzocchi's Vêpres de la Vierge.

Musée d'Orsay

• Sat 13: Vincent Le Texier and Marie-Josèphe Jude for a cosy evening with Fauré's songs.
• Tue 16: Salomé Haller and Christoph Eschenbach for a Schubertian Liederabend.