The Orchestra and Chorus of the Paris Opera take on Berlioz’s colossal Requiem, premiered in 1837 with a staggering 450 musicians.Available on demand starting the day after the live broadcast, for 30 days.

Requiem Berlioz Philharmonie -0153

Orchestre de l'Opéra national de Paris 23-24 © E. Bauer - OnP

Hector Berlioz

The Orchestra and Chorus of the Paris Opera take on Berlioz’s colossal Requiem, premiered in 1837 with a staggering 450 musicians. Available on demand starting the day after the live broadcast, for 30 days. 

Concert by the Paris Opera Orchestra and Chorus

Hector Berlioz - Requiem

Hector Berlioz was born on December 11, 1803, in La Côte-Saint-André (Isère). The son of a cultured physician, he received a solid education in French and Latin literature, geography, and music. After beginning medical studies in Paris, he decided to devote himself entirely to music, despite his family’s disapproval. In 1826, he entered the Paris Conservatoire, where he studied under composers Jean-François Lesueur and Anton Reicha.In 1827, a performance of Shakespeare’s Hamlet at the Théâtre de l’Odéon in Paris deeply inspired him. He also discovered Goethe through Gérard de Nerval’s translation of Faust, and composed the Eight Scenes from Faust (a precursor to The Damnation of Faust). After several attempts, he won the Prix de Rome in 1830 for The Death of Sardanapalus. That same year, he composed the Symphonie fantastique. In the following years, he wrote the Grande Messe des morts (1837), Benvenuto Cellini (whose premiere at the Paris Opera in 1838 was unsuccessful), and the dramatic symphony Romeo and Juliet (1839).The early 1840s saw the creation of the Grande Symphonie funèbre et triomphale (1840), Les Nuits d’été (1841), Le Carnaval romain (1844), and The Damnation of Faust (premiered without success at the Opéra-Comique in 1846). Berlioz also began writing a series of articles for the Revue et Gazette musicale—which would form the basis of his Grand Treatise on Instrumentation, published in 1843—and, in 1849, his Memoirs. He undertook numerous journeys abroad, where his music was better received than in Paris. His career continued with L’Enfance du Christ (1854), the opera Les Troyens (considered one of his masterpieces, completed in 1858), and the opéra-comique Béatrice et Bénédict (1862). Berlioz died in Paris on March 8, 1869.

Born in Switzerland, Philippe Jordan performs on the world’s leading opera stages, including the Metropolitan Opera in New York, La Scala in Milan, the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, the Vienna State Opera, as well as at the festivals of Baden-Baden, Aix-en-Provence, Glyndebourne, and Salzburg. He began his career as Music Director of the Ulm Theatre, before serving from 2001 to 2004 as Principal Conductor of the Opera and Philharmonic Orchestra in Graz. From 2006 to 2010, he was Principal Guest Conductor at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin. From 2009 to 2021, he served as Music Director of the Paris National Opera.From 2014 to 2020, he was Chief Conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, before becoming Music Director of the Vienna State Opera from 2020 to 2025. He has been appointed Music Director of the Orchestre National de France beginning with the 2027–2028 season. Also highly active on the concert stage, he has performed with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.At the Paris National Opera, he has conducted numerous productions, including Moses und Aron (2015), Der Rosenkavalier (2016), Lohengrin (2017), Don Carlos (2017), Les Troyens (2019), Don Giovanni (2019), Prince Igor (2019), and The Ring Cycle (2020).

Jordan Philippe

A graduate of the National Normal University of Taiwan, Ching-Lien Wu continued her studies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Lyon, where she was awarded the First Prize in Choral Conducting in 1987. She took part in conducting courses and masterclasses with Jean-Sébastien Béreau, Helmut Rilling, Michael Gielen, and Pierre Boulez. In 1989, she was appointed Head Vocal Coach at the Opéra de Nantes, and in 1990, Assistant Chorus Master at the Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse.From 1991 to 2001, she served as Chorus Master of the Opéra National du Rhin, and from 2001 to 2014, as Chorus Master of the Grand Théâtre de Genève. Between 2002 and 2012, she also conducted numerous concerts with her own ensemble, Le Motet de Genève. In September 2014, she was appointed Chorus Master of the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam. Since 1996, she has been giving choral conducting masterclasses at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Lyon.In her native country, she has overseen the musical preparation for several operatic productions, notably The Barber of Seville, an opera for which she also directed the stage production in Taipei. Ching-Lien Wu was appointed Chorus Master of the Paris Opera in February 2021. She is a Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters.

Samoan tenor Pene Pati performs on the world’s leading opera stages. His repertoire includes the roles of Nemorino (L’elisir d’amore), Roméo (Roméo et Juliette), Alfredo (La Traviata), Percy (Anna Bolena), Des Grieux (Manon), Rodolfo (La Bohème), Nadir (The Pearl Fishers), as well as the title roles in Faust, The Damnation of Faust, Mitridate, re di Ponto, and La clemenza di Tito. He also appears in recital and concert, performing works such as Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Mozart’s Requiem, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.During the 2025–2026 season, he performs the title roles in The Tales of Hoffmann in Berlin and Werther at the Opéra Comique, as well as Titus (La clemenza di Tito) in Zurich and Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor) in Milan and Toulouse. In concert, he sings Verdi’s Messa da Requiem in Naples and Faust in Amsterdam, makes his solo recital debut at the Park Avenue Armory in New York, and gives a series of concerts and recitals in Paris, Wiesbaden, Strasbourg, Gstaad, London, Bordeaux, and Helsinki. Pene Pati was awarded the 2025 Opus Klassik Award for Solo Recording of the Year for Nessun Dorma, his second album as an exclusive Warner Classics artist.At the Paris National Opera: L’elisir d’amore (Nemorino), 2021; Beatrice di Tenda (Orombello), 2024; Faust (title role), 2024.

Creatives

Cast

Show more

Creatives