FEARLESS

ORCHESTRE DE PARIS

In 1967, the French Minister of Culture, André Malraux, initiated the founding of the Orchestre de Paris: it succeeded the legendary Conservatoire orchestra, which had existed since 1828 and, over the course of its long history, had premiered a multitude of new works, including Berlioz’s "Symphonie fantastique" and Franck’s Symphony in D minor. Since 2015, the orchestra’s home has been the Philharmonie de Paris in the north-east of the city. In addition to numerous tours and guest performances, its artistic directors have been key to its international reputation; in the past, several came from Germany (Karajan, Dohnányi, Eschenbach), whilst the current ones hail from the Baltic region. Paavo Järvi took the helm in 2010; in 2027, Klaus Mäkelä will pass the baton to his Finnish compatriot Esa-Pekka Salonen.

ANDRÉS OROZCO-ESTRADA

Andrés Orozco-Estrada, General Music Director of the City of Cologne and Gürzenich Kapellmeister, combines a deep understanding of music and precise technique with an exuberant love of music. Born in Medellín (Colombia), Orozco-Estrada began his musical training on the violin. At the age of 15, he received his first conducting lessons and in 1997 went to study under Uroš Lajovic at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. Orozco-Estrada is Principal Conductor of the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai and, from 2026/27, of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Previously, he was Principal Conductor of, amongst others, the Houston Symphony Orchestra and the hr-Sinfonieorchester. He has appeared as a guest conductor at renowned opera houses such as the Vienna State Opera, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, the Semperoper Dresden and La Scala in Milan, and has worked with orchestras including the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestras, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and, in Asia, the NHK Symphony Orchestra and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.

GAUTIER CAPUÇON

Like his older brother Renaud, Opus Klassik award-winner Gautier Capuçon decided at an early age to pursue a professional career in music. He initially studied at the Paris Conservatoire before moving to Vienna to study under the legendary cellist Heinrich Schiff; his membership of the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra rounded off his training. Today, Capuçon is one of the most sought-after cellists in the world, with a packed schedule stretching from Japan to the USA. Within a few years, he had recorded concertos by Dvořák, Prokofiev, Shostakovich and Lutosławski, as well as chamber music ranging from Schubert to Fauré. He is a regular guest at the ‘Martha Argerich and friends’ concert series in Lugano, has collaborated with the Konzerthaus Dortmund for many years and founded his own foundation in 2022 to support talented young musicians.

MAX RICHTER: CONCERTO FOR CELLO AND ORCHESTRA

Max Richter is best known as a composer of film music: he achieved his international breakthrough in this genre in 2008 with “Waltz with Bashir”, and in 2026 he received his first Oscar nomination for his score for the highly acclaimed drama “Hamnet”. However, the German-British composer received a thoroughly classical education in Edinburgh, London and with Luciano Berio in Florence, and performed works by Reich, Glass and Pärt as a pianist. Gautier Capuçon, meanwhile, always on the lookout for new repertoire, featured a short solo piece by Richter on his CD ‘Gaïa’ (2024). Now the collaboration between the two is set to continue: the world premiere of Richter’s Cello Concerto, performed by Capuçon, is scheduled for April 2027, followed just a few days later by the Swiss premiere as part of the Migros Culture Percentage Classics concert series.

PYOTR TCHAIKOVSKY: SYMPHONY NO. 5 IN E MINOR, OP. 64

Music as a confession of life: this characteristic applies to all three of Peter Tchaikovsky’s late symphonies, perhaps most strongly to No. 5. For the usual symphonic arc – from initial conflicts through immersion in the inner world and dance-like distraction to the final breakthrough – is here overlaid by a sombre ‘fate theme’ that relativises any positive development. Even the triumphant final movement suddenly sounds inauthentic, as if under duress.

It is obvious that Tchaikovsky, the outsider, wanted to use this work to pour out his very own troubles and fears.