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The second stop on the Europe 2024 Tour took the CSO to the City of Light—Paris, France. A day of travel was followed by a day of sightseeing and enjoying French cuisine, masterclasses with members of the CSO brass section and a sold-out concert at Philharmonie de Paris’ Grande Salle Pierre Boulez on Saturday, January 13.
CSO violin Cornelius Chiu boards a bus en route to Paris, France, the destination of the second concert of the CSO’s Europe 2024 Tour. The bus ride from Brussels to Paris takes approximately four hours with a break for lunch about halfway through the journey.
Todd Rosenberg Photography
CSO piccolo and flute Jennifer Gunn and husband, Jonathan Gunn, pose for a photo in front of the Arc de Triomphe, which was designed to honor veterans of the French Revolutionary War. Construction began on this monument in 1806, the year following the premiere of Beethoven’s Third Symphony, which initially was dedicated to Napoleon Bonaparte but famously changed by the composer after the French Revolutionary War hero declared himself emperor.
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A trip to Paris would not be complete without a glimpse of the iconic Eiffel Tower.
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CSO assistant principal oboe Lora Schaefer looks at some housewares that horn Susanna Gaunt points out as they window shop in Paris.
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A boulangerie displays a batch of fresh baguettes.
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Patrons enter Philharmonie de Paris, which opened in 2015 and is located in the outskirts of the city in the 19th arrondissement. Designed by architect Jean Nouvel, the building features a mosaic composed of 340,000 aluminum birds that shimmer on the exterior.
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The Philharmonie de Paris’ main concert hall, Grande Salle Pierre Boulez, is named for the late eminent French composer and conductor who served as Principal Guest Conductor of the CSO. The concert hall, which Nouvel designed in collaboration with acoustician Sir Harold Marshall, was created in such a way that no seat is farther than 32 meters from the conductor’s podium.
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CSO Music Director Emeritus for Life Riccardo Muti leads the CSO in an Italian-inspired program that includes Philip Glass’ The Triumph of the Octagon, Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4 (Italian) and Strauss’ Aus Italien on Saturday, January 13. Muti and the CSO last performed in Paris in January 2020.
Todd Rosenberg Photography
CSO assistant principal oboe Lora Schaefer performs a solo in the opening piece of the concert, The Triumph of the Octagon by Philip Glass. Glass, who was commissioned by the CSO to write this work, took inspiration from a photograph he saw on the wall of Maestro Riccardo Muti’s studio that depicts the octagon-shaped Castel del Monte, a 13th-century citadel in the Apulia region of Muti’s native Italy.
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The woodwind and horn sections perform during Strauss’ Aus Italien. This work was performed by Maestro Muti and the CSO in the now venerated conductor’s debut residency with the Orchestra in 1973 at the Ravinia Festival.
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Members of the violin section dig in to a passage in Strauss’ Aus Italien. The fourth movement includes the tune to a Neapolitan standard regularly depicted in popular culture today, Funiculì, Funiculà.
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Audiences around the world are awed by the power of the CSO’s legendary brass section. Here they are pictured performing during the encore, Verdi's Overture to Giovanna D'Arco.
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Maestro Muti and Chicago Symphony Orchestra acknowledge the audience’s applause and bid adieu to Paris. This concert marks the 23rd time the CSO has performed in Paris.
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Prior to the concert, masterclasses led by CSO brass players were held for students at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. Pictured is CSO principal tuba Gene Pokorny, who last year performed the world premiere of a new tuba concerto written for him by Lalo Schifrin, the composer of many film and television scores, including the Theme to Mission: Impossible.
Todd Rosenberg Photography
CSO principal trumpet Esteban Batallán leads a masterclass for a studio full of trumpet students at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. Batallán, who was appointed to the CSO by Maestro Riccardo Muti in 2019, frequently engages with brass students and fans around the world through his robust social media presence.
Todd Rosenberg Photography
Principal horn Mark Almond, the newest member of the CSO horn section, works with students participating in a masterclass at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. A native of England, Almond earned a doctorate in virology and worked as a respiratory physician before becoming a full-time horn player.
Todd Rosenberg Photography
Charles Vernon leads a trombone and bass trombone masterclass for students at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. Vernon’s musical history with Maestro Riccardo Muti dates back to 1981, when Muti appointed Vernon to the Philadelphia Orchestra. Vernon joined the CSO five years later.
Todd Rosenberg Photography
