116 musicians from the Opéra national de Paris leave the orchestra pit for the stage to perform Philopéra's inaugural concert, conducted by Daniel Harding.
A landmark evening: Philopéra's inaugural concert at Garnier Symphonic music is rarely heard at the Palais Garnier, a venue designed for opera and ballet. Yet on September 6, 2026, it will take center stage for one exceptional evening: the inaugural concert of Philopéra, an independent initiative bringing together 116 musicians, all from the orchestra of the Opéra national de Paris. Accustomed to performing in the orchestra pit, these musicians will step out of the shadows and into the spotlight, taking to the Garnier stage. Their playing, shaped by years of working alongside opera singers and dancers, takes on a new dimension here: attentive listening, flexibility, and a unique tone within the Parisian symphonic landscape. At the musicians' invitation, Daniel Harding will conduct this first concert, with a program bringing together two symphonists whose work was itself steeped in lyricism and theater: Schubert, a melodist above all, and Mahler, a towering opera conductor and composer. One final detail makes this evening particularly special: Garnier will close in July 2027 for five years of renovations. It is now or never to experience a great symphonic event in this legendary venue. Mahler and Schubert Schubert's Symphony No. 3, written when he was eighteen, overflows with melodies and an almost theatrical energy, already pointing toward the opera he would never quite manage to compose. Mahler's Symphony No. 1, meanwhile, was written by a man who was already conducting operas every day: marches, folk songs, and almost theatrical scenes can all be heard within it. The opening bars of the first movement, nature awakening over a sustained note, are a dreamlike beginning for this inaugural evening. Program Franz Schubert: Symphony No. 3 Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 1, “Titan” Philopéra Conductor: Daniel Harding Concert duration: approximately 1 hour 50 minutes Philopéra is an independent association made up of musicians from the orchestra of the Opéra national de Paris, conceived and created solely at the initiative of its members.
Source: paris.fr — photo: © Jean-Baptiste Millot