Riccardo Chailly has reunited with the Orchestre de Paris after a six-year break. The concert program explores themes from Romeo and Juliet, featuring musical interpretations by composers such as Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, and Bernstein, with Samuel Barber’s Adagio serving as a central piece. The performance consists of four pieces, with no soloists or guest performers. Chailly previously conducted the orchestra in February 2020, just before the first lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, when they performed Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Several of the pieces on the program have not been performed by the Orchestre de Paris in many years. Prokofiev’s Suite No. 1 was last played in 2012, under the baton of Paavo Järvi, while Bernstein’s West Side Story Symphonic Dances were also last performed in that year. The Adagio by Barber is a rare offering for the orchestra, marking only the fourth time it has been played in the ensemble’s history and the first time at the Philharmonie de Paris. The performance highlights specific moments from Romeo and Juliet, such as the Balcony Scene, where the bassoons and first violinist Sarah Nemtanu take center stage. The rhythmic intensity of The Death of Tybalt is enhanced by the full strength of the string section. The Adagio is played with a relatively brisk tempo and a lean, focused sound, serving as a poignant expression of love. The concert concludes with Somewhere, a melancholic piece from West Side Story that is even more somber than its earlier appearance in the Symphonic Dances. The performance showcases the orchestra’s ability to adapt and bring emotional depth to Bernstein’s music, offering a memorable tribute to the enduring themes of love and tragedy in Romeo and Juliet.