The Orchestre National de France recently staged a concert that combined elements of Eastern and Western music traditions. The evening began with a performance of excerpts from an unfinished opera by Tunisian composer Karim Al-Zand, titled Al Hakawati (Le Conteur). This work, which had previously been performed in Santa Cruz, California, in 2024, draws inspiration from One Thousand and One Nights, a classic collection of Middle Eastern folk tales. The soprano Miriam Khalil, who originally created the role, delivered a performance marked by lyrical singing, though some critics felt the piece lacked emotional depth. The orchestra's use of instruments like the tam-tam and tambourin added a distinctive sound, but the overall composition was seen as not particularly groundbreaking in modern classical music. The second piece on the program was the Violin Concerto in D minor by Aram Khatchaturian, written in 1940. Though not considered a revolutionary work at the time, the concerto has remained popular due to its powerful and emotionally rich themes. The performance was given by Sergey Khachatryan, who played on a Stradivarius violin from 1724. His playing was technically precise, but some critics found his interpretation of the Allegro con fermezza movement to be somewhat mechanical. In contrast, the Andante sostenuto and Allegro vivace movements displayed both technical skill and emotional depth. During the encore, Khachatryan performed an Armenian folk theme with the support of first violinist Luc Héry, who sustained a continuous note throughout. The final piece of the evening was Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Shéhérazade, a tone poem inspired by One Thousand and One Nights. Luc Héry played a significant role in the performance, taking on several solo passages. While he did not match the virtuosic heights of past performers like Sara Nemtanu or Raphaël Perraud, Héry demonstrated a strong command of the piece’s technical challenges. Conductor Cristian Măcelaru emphasized color and nuance, drawing out the orchestra's expressive capabilities. The performance was noted for its rich textures, particularly in sections like "La mer et le vaisseau de Sinbad," where the double basses and brass stood out, and "Le récit du prince Kalender," where the woodwinds shone. Some critics felt that Măcelaru’s focus on individual notes, especially in pizzicato and harp sections, was a minor issue. Nonetheless, the performance was widely praised for its simplicity and beauty.