These and other composers often chose this concert hall for the premieres of their masterpieces. The history of the Salle Pleyel hasn’t been exempt from "incidents" and the financial support of Crédit Lyonnais from 1935 has been fundamental in making it the most famous concert venue in Paris. The Crédit ended its sponsorship in 1998 and the hall subsequently went through a difficult period.

Following some excellent architectural reformation, the new direction, with the support of the French government, has succeeded in restoring the Pleyel’s former splendour with a program featuring L’Orchestre de Paris, conducted by Christophe Eschenbach, and the Radio France Philharmonic, conducted by Kyung-Wha Chung.

The Salle couldn’t be without Baroque music -and Classicism performed using historical criterion- and its re-opening will be celebrated with a series of nine attractive concerts.

The season begins on 22 September with Paul McCreesh’s Gabrieli Consort & Players performing Haydn’s The Creation. On 28 & 29 October Rene Jacobs, conducting the Freiburger Barockorchester and Le Jeune Choeur of Paris will present Mozart’s Don Giovanni. On 12 December William Christie and Les Arts Florissants will perform Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. On 16 January 2007 Jordi Savall and Le Concert des Nations will perform Vivaldi’s Farnace. On 20 January Philippe Herreweghe and the Orchestre des Champs-Élysées will present Beethoven’s Triple Concerto and "Pastoral" Symphony. On 30 January Harnoncourt and Concentus Musicus Wien will perform Mozart’s La Betulia liberata.

In February, on the 16th and 17th, John Eliot Gardiner and the English Baroque Soloists and Monteverdi Choir will perform Rameau’s Castor et Pollux. On 6 April Marc Minkowski and Les Musiciens du Louvre-Grenoble will perform Handel’s Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno.

The cycle concludes with a return from Jacobs with Rossini’s Tancredi, on this occasion at the helm of the Orchestre des Champú-Élysées. A distinguished list of soloists completes the line-up for these concerts. September 2006-June 2007.