Cristian Macelaru to conduct two concerts featuring French pianist Alexandre Kantorow

Pianist Alexandre Kantorow (Sasha Gusov)
Pianist Alexandre Kantorow (Sasha Gusov)

Conductor Cristian Macelaru (Christophe Abramowitz)
Conductor Cristian Macelaru (Christophe Abramowitz)

The Orchestre National de France is set to return to South Korea for the first time in 29 years, with two highly anticipated performances in April. Under the baton of music director Cristian Macelaru, making his Korean debut, the orchestra will be joined by celebrated pianist Alexandre Kantorow.

The April 29 concert at Lotte Concert Hall will be a celebration of Camille Saint-Saens, showcasing the third movement from "Trois tableaux symphoniques d’apres La foi," Op. 130, in its Korean premiere. The program will also feature the French composer’s Piano Concerto No. 5 in F major, Op. 103, “Egyptian,” along with the majestic Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 78, “Organ,” renowned for its grandeur and rich orchestral textures, with the organ as a central element.

The April 30 concert at Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall will offer a diverse selection of classical masterpieces including Georges Bizet’s "L'Arlésienne" Suite No. 2, Rachmaninoff’s "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini” and Mussorgsky’s "Pictures at an Exhibition," orchestrated by Ravel.

Founded in 1934 as France's first symphony orchestra, the Orchestre National de France has long been recognized as a standard-bearer of French musical interpretation. Over the decades, it has collaborated with legendary composers and conductors, including Olivier Messiaen, Pierre Boulez and Dmitri Shostakovich. Most recently, the orchestra performed at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games opening ceremony, reaching a global audience of 1.5 billion viewers.

Macelaru, the orchestra’s music director since 2020, is an award-winning conductor who has led prestigious ensembles worldwide, including the Philharmonia Orchestra, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and New York Philharmonic. He has also been named music director designate of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra for the 2025/26 season.

Kantorow won the first prize, gold medal and the Grand Prix at the 2019 Tchaikovsky International Competition, becoming he first French winner in the history of the competition. In 2024, the 27-year-old pianist was named the youngest recipient of the Gilmore Artist Award, one of the highest honors in the piano world.

Tickets range in price from 80,000 won ($55) to 250,000 won.