The Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) will present a tribute concert themed Bizet 150 th : A Symphony of Celebration to celebrate the body of works by famed French composer Georges Bizet who died 150 years ago.

The concert is scheduled on Saturday, 17 May 2025 at 8.00 pm at Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS (DFP), KLCC. Under the leadership of Rossen Gergov, the MPO will bring the audience to a dazzling splendour through excerpts from Bizet’s most famous opera music, Carmen.

Diego Torre

By 1938, the opera was performed about 2000 times in Paris alone since the premiere in 1875. Packed with boiling passions, lust and fierce characters, Carmen has been produced in languages such as Serbian, Bulgarian, Russian, Chinese and Japanese in addition to all common European languages.

In this concert, the MPO will also present Suite No.2 from L’ Arlésienne, commissioned to Bizet and first performed in 1872 in Paris. Both aforementioned Bizet’s works are set against a background of local colour: Carmen in Spain and L’Arlésienne in France, and both titles belongs to a femme fatale who leads her lover to an unhappy end.

Sian Sharp

The MPO will first open the concert with two works by Manuel de Falla, an outstanding Spanish composer of the 20 th century. The exciting works are ballet scores El amor brujo (Ritual Fire Dance) and Suite No.1 from The Three Cornered Hat.

Collaborating with the MPO in this special concert are Malaysian soprano Sandy Cheng and bass baritone Shawn Liew, Australian mezzo soprano Sian Sharp and Mexico-born tenor Diego Torre, all will showcase their exceptional artistries in a night of pure musical delight. Ticket details here.

(Images: MPO)