French National Orchestra visits Korea for the first time in 29 years... Collaboration with Kantorov, winner of the Tchaikovsky Competition

The Orchestre National de France is making its first visit to Korea in 29 years. Arriving at the end of April, they will perform works by France's representative composers Camille Saint-Sa?ns and Maurice Ravel. Pianist Alexandre Kantorow, the first French performer to win the International Tchaikovsky Competition, will collaborate as a soloist. Christian M?celaru, who has served as the orchestra's music director since 2020, will be visiting Korea for the first time.

The Orchestre National de France will perform at Lotte Concert Hall on April 29, at the Seoul Arts Center on April 30, at Daegu Concert House on May 1, and at Bucheon Art Center on May 2. At Lotte Concert Hall, they will perform three works solely by Saint-Sa?ns: the third movement of "Three Symphonic Sketches on an Oath," Piano Concerto No. 5 "Egyptian," and Symphony No. 3 "Organ." On April 30 at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall, they will perform Georges Bizet's "L'Arl?sienne Suite No. 2," Rachmaninoff's "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini," and Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" arranged for orchestra by Ravel.

Alexandre Kantorov [Photo provided by Labora Arts Planning, (c) Sasha Gusov]

The Orchestre National de France was founded in 1934 as France's first symphony orchestra. Renowned conductors such as Lorin Maazel, Charles Dutoit, Kurt Masur, Daniele Gatti, and Emmanuel Krivine have led the orchestra.

Last year, under the baton of M?celaru, the Orchestre National de France released an album on the Warner Classics label featuring works by Rachmaninoff, which won the Diapason d'Or award. The jury praised the orchestra's rich yet harmonious performance and M?celaru's outstanding conducting for capturing the essence of Rachmaninoff's music.

Music director M?celaru gained attention by conducting the Radio France Choir and the Olympic Hymn at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Additionally, the pianist who performed Ravel's "Jeux d'eau" in the rain during the ceremony was Kantorow.

In January 2020, M?celaru won the Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo at the 62nd Grammy Awards for the album "Fiddle Dance Suite," a violin concerto by Wynton Marsalis released in 2019. The album featured M?celaru conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra with violinist Nicola Benedetti as soloist.

Christian Machellaru [Photo provided by Labora Art Planning, (c)Christophe Abramowitz]

M?celaru also serves as the artistic director of the George Enescu Festival and Competition, music director and principal conductor of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, and principal conductor of the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne. Starting from the 2025?2026 season, he will also assume the role of music director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. He has recorded the complete Saint-Sa?ns symphonies with the Orchestre National de France on the Warner Classics label and released numerous albums with the WDR Symphony Orchestra on the Linn Records label, which were selected as the "Best Classical Music Albums of 2024."

Kantorow won the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 2019 at the age of 22, becoming the first French musician in history to do so. Last year, he was named the youngest recipient of the Gilmore Artist Award, a prestigious piano prize awarded once every four years, and received the Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French government. Kantorow debuted at age 16 with the Warsaw Sinfonia and records exclusively for the BIS label. He has received numerous album awards, including the Diapason d'Or and Classica Album of the Year.