Mahler in France: first announced concerts for the upcoming season

As the new season approaches, Gustav Mahler is set to feature prominently in France’s leading musical institutions. Paris will be the main hub, with a remarkable concentration of concerts at the Philharmonie de Paris and in the seasons of Radio France’s ensembles, while Bordeaux will also offer an interesting event. Between major symphonic landmarks, vocal cycles and distinguished Mahler interpreters, the months ahead once again confirm the composer’s central place in French musical life.

Chronological highlights

Philharmonie de Paris

At the Philharmonie de Paris, the season opens in spectacular fashion with Klaus Mäkelä and the Orchestre de Paris in Symphony No. 3 on 9 and 10 September 2026, with Wiebke Lehmkuhl and the Orchestra’s chorus: a vast, elemental opening fully in keeping with the Finnish conductor’s affinity for Mahler’s great architectural spans. A few weeks later, on 7 and 8 October 2026, Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts Das Lied von der Erde with the Orchestre de Paris, Karen Cargill and Andrew Staples, in a programme that places Mahler at the summit of the art of farewell. On 16 and 17 December 2026, Alan Gilbert returns to the Orchestre de Paris for Symphony No. 6, the “Tragic”, with Joshua Bell in Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy in the first half: an evening both brilliant and dark, in which Mahler appears in his most tense and uncompromising vein. Finally, on 3 and 4 June 2027, Klaus Mäkelä closes his Paris season with Symphony No. 8, the “Symphony of a Thousand”, leading the Orchestre de Paris and its chorus, with among others Hailey Clark, Vida Miknevičiūtė, Miriam Kutrowatz, Jennifer Johnston and Mika Kares.

Guest orchestras at the Philharmonie

The Philharmonie will also welcome several guest orchestras in Mahler. On 2 September 2026, Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts the Met Orchestra in the Rückert-Lieder and Symphony No. 4, with Joyce DiDonato. On 9 October 2026, Gustavo Dudamel makes his Paris debut with the New York Philharmonic in Symphony No. 5. On 9 November 2026, Klaus Mäkelä returns with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra for Symphony No. 7. On 22 January 2027, he then conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in the Ninth Symphony. On 22 March 2027, the Orchestre national d’Île-de-France, under Case Scaglione, will perform Symphony No. 3. Finally, on 22 June 2027, Kirill Petrenko conducts Symphony No. 5 at the head of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester.

Radio France

On the Radio France side, several major Mahler landmarks have already been announced. On 12 February 2027, the Orchestre National de France and Cristian Măcelaru will perform Symphony No. 1, “Titan”, at the Philharmonie, with Emanuel Ax as soloist in John Williams’s concerto. On 2 April 2027, Jaap van Zweden conducts the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and the Chœur de Radio France in Symphony No. 2, the “Resurrection”, with Hanna-Elisabeth Müller and Michaela Schuster, also at the Philharmonie. On 28 May 2027, Daniel Harding leads the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France in Symphony No. 7. Finally, on 25 June 2027, Cristian Măcelaru bids farewell with Symphony No. 3 at the Maison de la Radio et de la Musique, with Karen Cargill, the Chœur de Radio France and the Maîtrise de Radio France. These concerts show just how central Mahler remains to the artistic identity of Radio France’s ensembles.

Théâtre des Champs-Élysées

At the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the currently published 2026–2027 season does not, at this stage, include any Mahler concert on the pages consulted. However, one final major Mahler event still appears in the 2025–2026 season: on 4 June 2026, the Orchestre National de France will perform Das Lied von der Erde under the direction of Juraj Valčuha, with Marianne Crebassa and Daniel Behle. It is an evening that extends the Théâtre’s longstanding affinity with Mahler’s vocal and valedictory inspiration.

Auditorium de Lyon

In Lyon, the 2026-2027 season of the Auditorium-Orchestre national de Lyon has not yet been published; as a result, no upcoming Mahler concert can yet be officially announced there.

Opéra National de Bordeaux

At the Opéra National de Bordeaux, the current public season features a major Mahler date on 4 June 2026: Song of the Night, with Symphony No. 7 conducted by Domingo Hindoyan at the head of the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine. Bordeaux here turns to one of Mahler’s most enigmatic, nocturnal and contrasting scores, in a programme devoted entirely to this work.

Conclusion

In sum, Mahler will once again be one of the great companions of French concertgoers in the months ahead. Paris, thanks to the combined vitality of the Philharmonie and Radio France, currently forms the beating heart of this presence, while Bordeaux extends it with a strong and contrasting proposal. From the Third to the Eighth, from Das Lied von der Erde to the Resurrection Symphony, the coming season confirms Mahler’s deep-rooted place in the programming of France’s major musical institutions.

Note: article written on the basis of public season announcements consulted on 12 April 2026.