The Orchestre National de France, conducted by Cristian Măcelaru, opens the symphonic season at the Auditorium of the Maison de la Radio with a program that bridges Ravel’s dazzling theatricality and Gershwin’s American freshness. The concert begins with the orchestral version of Maurice Ravel’s celebrated La Valse, welcoming the audience with its chaotic, contradictory energy, an emblem of modernity poised between elegance and disintegration. This is followed by George Gershwin’s Concerto in F, performed by pianist Rudolf Buchbinder - a meeting of orchestral Jazz and urban lyricism, where each musical phrase pulses with a uniquely American vibrancy. It was Ravel himself who advised Gershwin to "stay true to himself", a call to authenticity that still resonates in every note. The concert concludes with a rare orchestration of Ravel’s Trio in A minor, arranged by Tortelier: a chamber piece reimagined in symphonic scale, heightening the emotional depth of its themes. The rapport between Măcelaru and the Orchestre National de France is evident throughout this program, conceived to mark the 150th anniversary of Ravel’s birth. The music director skillfully brings into dialogue the European and American roots of modern music, highlighting both their affinities and contrasts. With its calibrated acoustics and intimate scale, the Auditorium of Radio France proves to be an ideal setting, one that enhances timbral nuances and formal clarity, preserving the poetic tension of the works performed.
