Christmas in Paris with Maria Bill – From Maurice Ravel to Édith Piaf

This concert takes you on a journey through the musical world of 20th-century France – from the classical brilliance of Maurice Ravel to the untamed emotionality of Édith Piaf. The evening begins with Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin, a work that delights with its dance-like lightness, virtuosic instrumentation, and French elegance. The contrast between Ravel’s delicate sound language and the raw, yearning intensity of Piaf’s songs shapes the program.

Maria Bill embodies Édith Piaf’s unforgettable voice with a blend of passion, melancholy, and unbroken joie de vivre. Her interpretation ranges from tender ballads like La vie en rose to dramatic highlights such as Non, je ne regrette rien. Accompanied by Krzysztof Dobrek on the accordion, Michael Hornek on piano, and the Salzburg Philharmonic under the direction of Elisabeth Fuchs, the evening unfolds as a rich tapestry of musical contrasts: between orchestral precision and improvisational freedom, between classical tradition and the immediacy of chanson. A concert that touches listeners with hope, longing, and inner fire.