That is going to be a lot of air miles and it will be interesting to see how he juggles these two prestigious positions in coming years. However, while the chorus and orchestra were not socially distanced – and in full numbers it appeared – they were still masked (though some sung holding it away from their face and others were seen playing their string instruments with it below their nose or chin).ĭudamel’s contract in Paris is initially for six seasons whilst he remains music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic until at least the end of 2026.

How wonderful to get an opportunity to see the Concert Inaugural to celebrate Gustavo Dudamel beginning his tenure as music director of the Opéra national de Paris and also possibly to the way things were before the pandemic.

Verdi – ‘Alto là! Chi va là’ from Falstaff (Falstaff: Gerald Finley, Alice: Jacquelyn Wagner, Nannetta: Sabine Devieilhe, Meg: Marie-Andrée Bouchard-Lesieur, Quickly: Clémentine Margaine, Fenton: Matthew Polenzani, Bardolfo: Tobias Westman, Dr Caius: Kiup Lee, Ford: Timothée Varon, Pistola: Aaron Pendleton) R.Strauss – ‘Marie Theres’!… Hab’ mir’s gelobt’ from Der Rosenkavalier (Marschallin: Jacquelyn Wagner, Octavian: Ekaterina Gubanova and Sophie: Sabine Devieilhe, Faninal: Gerald Finley) Osvaldo Golijov – ‘Mariana, tus ojos’ from Ainadamar (Ekaterina Gubanova and Marie-Andrée Bouchard-Lesieur)ĭe Falla – Dance from the second scene from La vida breveīritten – ‘Storm’ Interlude No.4 from Peter GrimesĪdams – ‘Batter my heart’ from Doctor Atomic (Gerald Finley) (JPr) Gustavo Dudamel conducts Clémentine Margaine (mezzo-soprano) and the Chorus and Orchestra of the Opéra national de Parisīizet – Prelude ‘L’amour est un oiseau rebelle’ (Clémentine Margaine) ‘La fleur que tu m’avais jetée’ (Matthew Polenzani) ‘Les voici, voici la quadrille…’ ( Carmen)

Filmed (directed by François-René Martin) at the Palais Garnier, Paris. France Gustavo Dudamel’s Concert Inaugural: Soloists, Chorus (chorusmaster: Ching-Lien Wu) and Maîtrise des Hauts de Seine (Children’s Choir of the Opéra national de Paris, director: Gaël Darchen), Orchestra of the Opéra national de Paris / Gustavo Dudamel (conductor).

Paris opera house 2013