Christoph Eschenbach, the Orchestre de Paris and Maxim Vengerov

Beginning of October, reunion between Christoph Eschenbach and the Orchestre de Paris. The German maestro was the musical director of the orchestra during 10 years, and he regularly comes back to conduct them. They were playing with violinist Maxim Vengerov, born in the USSR some 40 years ago.

Gathered at the Philharmonie de Paris, violinist, conductor and orchestra gave a very fine reading of Jean Sibelius’ Violin Concerto, in its original version, with a 1st movement Allegro moderato absolutely fabulous, all performers being on the same page.

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Schubert’s Schwanengesang by Matthias Goerne & Christoph Eschenbach

Matthias Goerne, Christoph Eschenbach, Salle Pleyel, Paris, May 11 2012

The Schwanengesang evening by Matthias Goerne & Christoph Eschenbach in Salle Pleyel was the last of 3 concerts dedicated to Schubert’s lied cycles.

Since the early retirement of Thomas Quasthoff a few months ago, Goerne is without doubt the most accomplished lied baritone singer of our time. Eschenbach – today mainly active as a noted conductor – remains an excellent pianist. His career as a pianist was always shared between “standard” repertoire and lied accompaniment: his recording of Schumann’s Dichterliebe with the legendary Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau is among the very finest. I also keep in mind the Schöne Müllerin concert in Pleyel 2 decades ago – a memorable evening, fortunately available on DVD. Fischer-Dieskau, who taught both Goerne & Quasthoff, has died just a few days after this concert and 10 days short of his 87th birthday and will be sadly missed by all opera, religious music and lied lovers.

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