In 2026/27, the Philharmonie follows up on last season's Echoes of India cycle with Atlas, ten concerts that will transport you to the south of the Mediterranean.
According to Francisco Sassetti, Senior Artistic Planning Manager and main curator of this new journey, «Atlas should be understood as a geographical reference, but also as a poetic concept». Meaning that the cycle does not focus solely on traditional music from the North African mountain lands – though some of the artists featured represent this specific heritage – but encompasses a broader space which includes the whole of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. Three countries which, while distinct, share a rich history ranging from Ancient Carthage to the Arab conquest and French colonisation, and which, as Francisco Sassetti points out, «feed off each other» musically.
Among the artists chosen to bring this fluid and fertile cultural space to life, audiences can look forward to reuniting with familiar faces such as pop-rock icon Souad Massi. The Tunisian oud sensation Anouar Brahem also makes his return to the Grand Auditorium with an intimate project for strings and piano. For his Philharmonie debut, on the other hand, Yacine Boularès will be joined by two well-known names in Luxembourg: Vincent Segal and Nasheet Waits. Also at the helm of a trio that blends jazz and traditional Arab music, the young pianist Wajdi Riahi will take over the Salle de Musique de Chambre, followed by another crossover project: Cherifa Kersit and Justin Adams' Tamazight Blues.
No doubt Houria Aïchi, the queen of courtly song from the Algerian mountains, will bring a touch of emotion to the Atlas cycle. In the same vein but with a jazzier style, Dhafer Youssef pays a touching tribute to his wife Shiraz. As for Morocco's Oum and Walid Ben Selim, their latest albums are infused with sensuality and Sufi spirituality. The great poet Rumi once said «without love, the world would be lifeless» – Atlas reminds us that the same is true without music…
Eva Klein
