Travel Tip: Classical Music in France
Festival de Saint-Denis

Aside from a rich and varied programme of standard classical works, the festival has commissioned a new work entitled Tentation d’Istanbul by Turkish musician Mercan Dede.  Created specially for the Saint-Denis Basilica,  Tentation d’Istanbul was inspired by Fatih Akin's film Crossing the bridge. The performance takes place on 13 June at 20h30 and features the musicians Mercan Dede, Aynur, Hafiz Necip Halil, Hafiz Yunus Balcioglu, Göksel Baktagir, Serkan Cagri, Emrullah Senguller, Yurdal Tokcan and the Liturgical Amerenian Choir under Aram Kerovpyan.

Orchestre National de France under conductors Paavo Järvi, Kurt Masur, and Riccardo Muti; Orchestre de Paris under the musical direction of Christoph Eschenbach, Orchestre Philharmonique
de Radio France under Myung-Whun Chung; sopranos Christine Schäfer, Angela Brown, Magali Léger, Sandrine Piau, Amel Brahim Djelloul and Ruth Ziesak; tenor Rolando Villazón, Accademia bizantina, violinist Renaud Capuçon and pianist Fazil Say are among the many internatational musicians on the programme of this year's Saint-Denis Festival.

Festival venues include the Gothic Saint-Denis Basilica (the burial place of France's Kings and Monarchs) just north of Paris, la Légion d’Honneur and other local concert venues.