Dukas, The Sorcerer's Apprentice — Saint-Saëns, Danse macabre

Jean-François Zygel presents two very popular works: Dukas' The Sorcerer's Apprentice and Saint-Saëns' La Danse macabre. Movement by movement, he dissects the works and explores their origins, inspirations, and musical richness. His explanations are musically illustrated by Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France under the direction of Christian Vasquez.

Les Clefs de l'orchestre (“The Keys of the Orchestra”) is a pedagogical concert series hosted by Jean-François Zygel at Paris’ Maison de la Radio. Aiming to give a broad public the keys to understanding the symphonic repertoire, the pianist and improviser addresses fundamental questions like: What is a symphony? What is the role of each orchestral instrument? What is a variation? What is a theme? In the company of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France under the direction of prestigious conductors, Zygel deconstructs symphonic masterpieces of Western classical music with humor, contextualizing the music and clarifying questions both fundamental and complex.