The Concertgebouw Orchestra, conductor Klaus Mäkelä and two of the orchestra’s soloists transport you to distant worlds. Fairy tales by Ravel and Bartók and two works by the contemporary sound wizard Guillaume Connesson: four pieces of music to take in visually.

EPSG:4326

Klaus Mäkelä conducts Ravel, Bartók and Connesson

The Concertgebouw

6th Symphony Concert

Staatstheater Darmstadt

We’re full of surprises. Every Masterworks concert has a surprise inside – a short mystery piece that connects to the program in an unexpected way. Each one is Michael Francis’ little secret.

TFO: Prokofiev's Romeo & Juliet

Ruth Eckerd Hall

Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet

Duke Energy Center for the Arts

Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition depicts paintings by Viktor Hartmann, with each movement musically describing each painting in piquant detail.

Pictures at an Exhibition

Christchurch Town Hall

Michael Fowler Centre

Music Director Stéphane Denève takes us on a cinematic journey. In this program, we climb the Himalayas in music by John Williams. Soloist Akiko Suwanai leads us through the shimmering mist of Guillaume Connesson’s Violin Concerto. Then we venture to the 1950s, gripped by the action and adventure of America’s bustling ports in music by Adolphus Hailstork and Leonard Bernstein’s On the Waterfront.  

Bernstein and Williams

University of Missouri-St. Louis

Two phenomenal French stars return for a spirited evening of Russian masterworks. Stéphane Denève opens the program conducting Connesson’s Maslenitsa, written in celebration of the sunny Slavic folk festival. Then, powerhouse pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet performs Khachaturian’s pyrotechnic Piano Concerto. To close, Ravel’s majestic orchestration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition carries us through a gallery of soul-stirring emotion.

Stéphane Denève conducts Pictures at an Exhibition | Jean-Yves Thibaudet plays Khachaturian

Kennedy Center

Severance Music Center is Cleveland’s home for symphonic music and other presentations, including Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Concert Hall and Reinberger Chamber Hall. We are strongly committed to making everyone feel welcome. The doors to Severance open three hours prior to most performances.

An American in Paris

Severance Music Center

Subscription Friday 08 - Tim McAllister - Stéphane Dèneve

Opera Palace of A Coruña

**Symphonie Fantastique by The Philadelphia Orchestra**

Join us for an unforgettable performance of Berlioz's most famous work, "Symphonie fantastique," a mesmerizing tale of love and madness that continues to captivate audiences worldwide. This enchanting program features the exceptional talents of French conductor Stéphane Denève and renowned cellist Gautier Capuçon, bringing to life a vivid connection with composers uniquely identified with their country.

**Performance Details:**
- **Dates and Times:**
  - Friday, November 22, 2024, at 2:00 PM
  - Saturday, November 23, 2024, at 8:00 PM
- **Location:** Verizon Hall, newly rededicated as Marian Anderson Hall, home of The Philadelphia Orchestra.
- **Conductor:** Stéphane Denève
- **Soloist:** Gautier Capuçon, Cello
- **Program:**
  - Augusta Holmès: La Nuit et l’amour Interlude, from Ludus pro patria
  - Guillaume Connesson: Cello Concerto (U.S. premiere)
  - Hector Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique

**About the Performance:**
Experience the U.S. premiere of Connesson's virtuosic Cello Concerto, a work celebrated for its exuberant colors and technical brilliance, perfectly showcasing Capuçon's impeccable taste and Romantic ardor. Under the baton of Stéphane Denève, known for his fabulous ear and mastery of scores, this program promises an evening of emotional depth and musical excellence.

**Tickets and Subscription Packages:**
This performance is available as part of the 2024-25 Subscription Package, offering magnificent programming and exclusive subscriber benefits. Choose from packages including Friday Matinee A, Saturday Evening B, or Create Your Own for a personalized concert experience.

**Additional Information:**
- Programs, artists, dates, prices, and availability are subject to change.
- For ticket sales and subscriber services, please contact:
  - Ticket Sales: 215.893.1999
  - Subscriber Services: 215.893.1955
  - Group Sales: 215.893.1968
  - Donor Services: 215.893.3151

Don't miss this opportunity to witness a masterful blend of storytelling and symphonic music at the Kimmel Center's Verizon Hall. Reserve your seats now for a musical journey with The Philadelphia Orchestra that promises to be both fantastique and unforgettable.

Symphonie fantastique

Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

Sonic Spectrum I

Samuel B. & David Rose Building

Sign up for our unique concert endeavor, ICA Steinway Soirées. These events
are limited to 20 people and provide an incredible opportunity to hear world-class musicians in a casual, intimate environment. Enjoy heavy appetizers, an exquisite dessert, and wine.

ICA Steinway Soirée 

The Godon Residence

This sumptuous program celebrates the French musical voice, with its distinctively dazzling variety of tonal effects. First up, a sextet for winds, strings, and piano by Guillaume Connesson—one of today’s most widely performed French composers—whose music has been called “a celebration of life, filled with joyous melodies, rhythmic vitality, and a sense of wonder" (American Record Guide). An elegiac oboe sonata by Poulenc, dedicated to the memory of his close friend (and bridge partner) Prokofiev, is followed by an original arrangement of Debussy's dreamy sunset in song. Finally, the gorgeous opulence and exuberance of Fauré’s first Piano Quartet. C’est magnifique!

Program II: Musique Fantastique

University of Southern Maine

This phenomenal instrument is a conduit for drama. And when all the stops are out, it’s electrifying – especially when in the presence of the Sydney Opera House Grand Organ, the world’s largest mechanical tracker-action pipe organ, consisting of an extraordinary 10,244 pipes.

Saint-Saëns’ Organ Symphony

Sydney Opera House

The ancient elements of earth, water and fire provide inspiration for this blockbuster concert headlined by violin superstar Joshua Bell. He has commissioned works by renowned composers Kevin Puts, Edgar Meyer and Jake Heggie, incorporating these elements thematically. You’ll hear a magical blend of old and new in these ingenious pieces. Also on the program is Henri Vieuxtemps’ virtuosic Fifth Violin Concerto. Vieuxtemps’ beautiful music and Joshua Bell’s phenomenal artistry are a heavenly match — romantic music indeed.

Joshua Bell and Ravel

Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

Conductor Stéphane Denève leads Spotlight Artist James Ehnes in Bernstein’s Serenade, inspired by the philosopher Plato’s views on love, blending the composer’s signature classical, romantic, and modernist elements with hints of jazz and Broadway. Connesson's composition paints a musical vision of an enchanting, mythical city, and Gershwin’s love letter to Paris, with its classical-jazz fusion, stirs emotions with its seductive rhythms and harmonies.

James Ehnes + An American in Paris

David Pecaut Square

Reserve your seats today and enjoy unbeatable savings by subscribing to New World Symphony’s Saturday Two and Sunday Two subscription series. Starting at just $20 a concert, both series feature unforgettable performances with Stéphane Denève, Michael Tilson Thomas, pianist Emanuel Ax, jazz pianist Aaron Diehl and 87 of the world’s best young musicians.

Season Finale: Denève and Ehnes

New World Center

A jazz inflected foxtrot for orchestra, a saxophone concerto inspired by the legendary John Coltrane and one of Brahms’ most masterly symphonies make for an energetic and eclectic program. Saxophone master Timothy McAllister joins us for French composer Guillaume Connesson’s A Kind of Trane. Rei Hotoda brings her signature interpretive energy to Brahms’ Symphony No. 3, whose gorgeous Third Movement has been featured in multiple films and was recorded by the Ramsay Lewis Trio as You’ll Love Me Yet.

A Symphony Supreme

Paul Shaghoian Memorial Concert Hall

Our March concert bids a fond farewell to the dark days and starry night skies of winter – and, by the way, don’t forget to turn your clocks forward one hour after this concert for Daylight Savings on Sunday, March 10th – with a program that celebrates the nature of the universe, and the place music holds within it. French composer Guillaume Connesson’s fascinating Cosmic Trilogy explores the entire span of existence as we know it, posing question after musical question and offering gorgeous responses. Ralph Vaughn Williams’ Serenade to Music offers a ravishing paean to the music of the spheres, which reportedly brought audience member Igor Stravinsky to tears at its premiere performance. To conclude a mystical evening, prepare to enjoy Johannes Brahms’ magnificent masterpiece for soloists, chorus, and orchestra, his incandescent Deutsches Requiem. Join your Long Beach Symphony for an early celebration of Spring and new beginnings!

Brahms Requiem

Terrace Theater, Long Beach Performing Arts Center

The Austrian conductor Katharina Wincor makes her debut with the BBC Symphony Orchestra with three works which showcase the sound of the orchestra – two by Austrian composers.

Katharina Wincor conducts Strauss, Berg and Connesson

BBC Maida Vale Studios

French Riviera

First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley

Graduation recitals display the skill and passion of Curtis Institute of Music students on the cusp of professional musicianship. Members of the current class will share the breadth of their talent through a culminating graduation recital. Admission requires advance registration and is complimentary.

Subin Lee, harp

Curtis Institute of Music

Ravel’s exuberant Piano Concerto in G major is performed by Víkingur Ólafsson, a star among a new generation of pianists. Stéphane Denève returns to conduct several French works based on fictional and mythological characters, including Guillaume Connesson’s Celephaïs, Roussel’s Bacchus et Ariane Suite No. 2, and Ravel’s shimmering Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2.

Víkingur Ólafsson Plays Ravel

Lincoln Center

Immerse yourself in the enchanting world of chamber music with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks at their upcoming Chamber Concerts. Set against the backdrop of the exquisite Munich Residence in the Max Joseph Saal, the first concert will take place on Saturday, 2nd July 2022, at 8:00 pm. The musical journey continues at the Evangelische Akademie in Tutzing on Sunday, 3rd July 2022, at 6:00 pm.

The program promises a mesmerizing evening featuring works that highlight the harp's unique charm in French music. The repertoire includes Camille Saint-Saëns's "Fantasy for Harp and Violin, op. 124," Guillaume Connesson's "String Quartet," Claude Debussy's "Danse sacrée et danse profane," Jacques Ibert's "Deux Interludes for Flute, Violin and Harp," and Jean Cras's "Quintet for Flute, Harp and Strings."

Esteemed performers Magdalena Hoffmann (harp), Ivanna Ternay (flute), Korbinian Altenberger (violin), Jehye Lee (violin), Christiane Hörr-Kalmer (viola), and Hanno Simons (violoncello) will bring these compositions to life, showcasing the delicate interplay between the harp, flute, and strings that characterizes French chamber music.

This concert series is a must-attend for lovers of classical music and those looking to experience the sublime beauty of chamber music performed by world-class musicians. Don't miss this opportunity to be part of a memorable musical experience.

Chamber Concert

Munich Residence

Evangelische Akademie

Mahler's Titan

Take a trip to a lavishly equipped musical zoo when two pianists together with solo instruments from all the orchestra's groups embark not only on Saint-Saëns' immortal Carnival of the Animals - with giant hits such as 'The Swan' and 'Aquarium' - but also with the forward-thinking French composer Guillaume Connesson's prehistoric version for the same chamber ensemble. There's bang for the buck when the musical Tyrannosaurus Rex stomps through the Pro Musica hall, flanked by flying lizards, water dinosaurs and worse. This concert, where we play with the concert form, is an obvious place to start if you are curious about chamber music but don't quite know where to embark - here are both notes and melodies that everyone knows, as well as fresh new ones sound with a rhythmic edge and broad appeal. A concert for music lovers of all ages.

Carnival Of The Animals

Odense Concert Hall

Conductor Stéphane Denève joins the San Francisco Symphony for an extraordinary program featuring two powerhouses of the French symphonic organ tradition, performed by Olivier Latry. Poulenc’s Organ Concerto was inspired by the intricate organ fantasies of Buxtehude, Bach, and other Baroque composers. “This is not the happy-go-lucky Poulenc,” he confessed in a letter, “but a Poulenc en route to the cloister—a 15th-century Poulenc, if you like.” Saint-Saëns’ Organ Symphony has been a hit with audiences since 1886, when the composer led the Royal Philharmonic Society in its world premiere. His writing for the organ—quietly shaded at first, commanding later—is the perfect showcase for Davies Symphony Hall’s magnificent Ruffatti Organ.

Guillaume Connesson

Events

Upcoming events

May 13, 2025

Carnival Of The Animals · Odense Symphony Orchestra

25 - 27 Jun, 2026

Denève Conducts Saint-Saëns’ Organ Symphony · San Francisco Symphony

Past events

16 - 17 Apr, 2025

Klaus Mäkelä conducts Ravel, Bartók and Connesson · Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

13 - 14 Apr, 2025

6th Symphony Concert · Staatstheater Darmstadt

About

Guillaume Connesson hasn't added a bio