The Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo made its grand return to the stage at Auditorium Rainier III on Sunday, September 13, following its summer break, opening the 2026-2027 season with a programme centred on works by Henri Dutilleux and Maurice Ravel.
Norwegian cellist Truls Mørk took centre stage as soloist for the evening, performing under the baton of conductor Bertrand de Billy in a programme that opened with Dutilleux’s “Tout un monde lointain,” a cello concerto inspired by the poetic world of Charles Baudelaire, before turning to the second half of the evening, dedicated to Ravel’s Suites No. 1 and No. 2 from “Daphnis et Chloé,” drawn from the ballet first staged in the early 20th century. Ahead of the concert, musicologist André Peyrègne gave a public introduction to the evening’s programme at 5pm, with the concert itself beginning at 6pm and running approximately two hours including an interval.
This year’s opening concert carries particular significance for the orchestra, marking the start of a season celebrating 170 years of musical history in the Principality. Season highlights include Jules Massenet’s “Roma,” presented in concert version on September 26 under conductor Diego Ceretta with the participation of the Chœur de Radio France, as well as two dedicated spiritual concerts: Joseph Haydn’s “Le Sept Dernières Paroles du Christ en croix” on March 18, 2027, offered with free admission, and a further performance on April 4, 2027, conducted by Ton Koopman with the Ensemble Vocal de l’Académie Rainier III.
The season will bring together an extensive roster of international conductors and soloists throughout the year, including Marek Janowski, Lawrence Foster, Cristian Măcelaru, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Charles Dutoit and Nathalie Stutzmann, alongside performers such as Randall Goosby, Alexandra Dovgan, Daniel Lozakovich, Johan Dalene, Janine Jansen, András Schiff, Elīna Garanča and Christian Van Horn. A dedicated series of piano recitals will also feature prominently, with artists including David Kadouch, Piotr Anderszewski, Dmitry Shishkin, Lucas Debargue, Grigory Sokolov, Jorge Luís Prats, Emmanuel Ax and Arcadi Volodos among those taking part over the course of the year.
The season will draw to a close on July 4, 2027, with “Hommage au cinéma américain,” a concert conducted by Yvan Cassar celebrating some of the most memorable music associated with American film history, a fitting bookend to a season the orchestra has built around both its deep-rooted French tradition and a genuinely international outlook.
Image courtesy of Direction de la Communication – Manuel Vitali