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From our February 2008 cover story:
Romantic Getaway: The Château de Fère
The first stones of the Château de Fère were laid 800 years ago by Robert de Dreux, the grandson of King Louis VI. The original building, a fortress with seven round towers (and — oddly for the period — no keep), was built atop an artificial mound. During the 100 Year’s War, the walls were sturdy enough to resist the English army.
In 1514, the castle was inherited by François Ier who gifted it to the powerful soldier/diplomat Anne de Montmorency, in 1528. Montmorency, who was as lucky with real estate as he was on the battlefield, commissioned a graceful Renaissance bridge to span the moat. Fère became a pleasure palace and the bridge-addition was used for parties and games.
Montmorency’s renovations were not responsible for reducing the 13th century fortress into a pile of artistic rubble. That misfortune can be blamed on an 18th century heir, Philippe-Egalité, who wanted to make points with the Republic (and pay his debts) by rubber-stamping the demolition of his own property and auctioning the stones.
These layers of history – which coexist without overlapping – are key to the Château de Fère’s charm. The feudal fortress may be in shambles... but the shambles are true to their 1206 roots. Likewise, the 16th century bridge – with many (but not all) of its aristocratic crests obliterated – was never “rehabilitated” by a well-meaning 19th century architect. It’s pure 1560... even if most of the upper gallery is gone.
In the midst of these historic ruins stands a cozy, turreted hotel whose architectural pedigree is comparatively fuzzy. The foundations are 16th century, but most of what’s visible dates from the mid-19th century. More major renovations were made when the estate was converted into a hotel in 1956.
The decor in the reception areas is slightly overloaded but the black marble fireplace, floral wallpaper, gilded mirrors and crystal chandeliers work together well. The wood-paneled dining room, which has an even more ornate carved fireplace, derives its considerable charm from colorful murals devoted to the fables of La Fontaine.
Chef Dominique Quay puts together a very tempting menu that doesn’t stray far from the region. Starters include a velvety pumpkin soup (jazzed up by polenta dumplings spiked with Serrano ham) and local snails presented in three separate ramekins: in a creamy risotto; lightly scented with sweet garlic and herbs; and as a civet made with the red wine from nearby Bouzy.
In keeping with Fère’s 13th century origins, the chef’s perfectly grilled Saint-Pierre comes with an appropriately medieval garnish of cracked wheat, dates, dried apricots and minced shallots. For heartier appetites, there’s roasted beef accompanied by a sumptuous potato gratin made with Beaufort cheese. Desserts include a down-home tarte tatin with lots of cinnamon and thick dairy cream.
The 15,000-bottle cellar which touches on all the regions — 2005 Pibarnon “Comte de Saint Victor” rosé, 51€, 2003 Château Giscours, 126€ — is rounded out by interesting bubbly from neighboring Champagne. Fixed price menus are available at 35€ (weekday lunch), 49€ and 88€. Count on spending roughly 160 € for an à la carte dinner for two before wine.
Guestrooms, many of which feature exposed stone walls and ceiling beams, are decked out with regal Nobilis textiles. None of them look exactly alike and, given the age of the building, many have offbeat floorplans. (Several are entered via the bathroom!) We liked the coral-and jade coziness of twin room number 27, 210€ (low season)/240€ (high season), on the ground floor in the new wing. In the oldest part of the hotel in the former stables, room number 10, 310€ (low season)/350€ (high season), has a skylight over the bath. Senior suite Number 30, with an old-fashioned ...
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From our July 2008 cover story:
The Great Southwest
The Southwest is hot and for wine lovers, Saint-Emilion is the hottest spot on the map right now. The wines are reclassified every ten years which keeps the excitement level high. Saint-Emilion winemakers should be used to the pressure — they’ve been rated by experts ever since 1199 — but there’s still a Merlot-scented whiff of backbiting and controversy in the air. With its graceful bell tower, monolithic church and honey-colored ramparts, hilltop Saint-Emilion is also the most photogenic wine site in the Bordelais area. Compare it to the Medoc flatlands and those dreary châteaux that look like they were built from deluxe Lego sets. No contest. Saint-Emilion’s sensational scenery and easy-to-love wines have made its vineyards the ultimate trophy purchase. LVMH’s CEO Bernard Arnault holds the reins of Cheval Blanc, Dassault aeronautic heirs added La Fleur to their grand cru Château Dassault in 2002, appliance magnate Jean-François Quenin owns the Château de Pressac... the list goes on and on. These deep-pocketed owners have poured cash into their prizes. Ex-supermarket mogul Gérard Perse – who also owns the Hostellerie de Plaisance — has drawn the most headlines with his Monbousquet, Pavie Decesse and Pavie vineyards.
Château Pavie picked up Parker’s sacrosanct 100/100 score for the 2000 and 2003 vintages, setting off major drama in the decanter set. Anti-Parkerian Jancis Robinson calls it a “stupid wine” but another prominent critic, Bernard Burtschy, recently gave Pavie his highest rating of 93-94 citing its “exceptional density”. The only drawback to making your own personal taste test? Prime bottles of Pavie are likely to cost over 400€ in any of the area’s restaurants.
Happily, Saint-Emilion is user-friendly for budget connoisseurs too. Naturally, this UNESCO heritage site draws tons of tourists, but the upside is a plethora of competitive wine shops. Easy access to the producers is the biggest treat of all. For instance, the famous grand cru vineyards of Château Beauséjour are just a five-minute walk outside of town. A superb bottle of 1997, which probably should be drunk no later than next week, only costs 40€ in the winemaker’s front office, roughly 13€ less than the price in a local retail store. (Can you guess what it costs in a restaurant?) Build up your own cellar by investing in 2005 Beauséjour for only 88€/bottle at the winery.
We’ve chosen a trio of the area’s most vogue-ish restaurants. The incestuous thread running between them is purely coincidental. Nevertheless, it’s worth noting that Philippe Etchebest, who currently holds two stars at the Hostellerie de Plaisance, previously worked for Dominique Toulousy in Toulouse, a job that was subsequently taken by Michel Portos, who now directs the one-star kitchen at the Saint-James, which came to culinary prominence in the 90s under Jean-Marie Amat, who opened his own one-starred Bordelais restaurant last year. (Whew!)
The Hostellerie de Plaisance
The building that houses the Hostellerie de Plaisance started out as a monastery and was transformed into a guinguette cabaret for dancing and drinking after the Revolution. It didn’t become a hotel until the Roaring Twenties. If you knew the Hostellerie ten years ago, when it still retained traces of its monastic/dancehall past, you may be hard put to recognize anything but the exterior walls.
The public rooms were entirely reshuffled in the 2007 renovation that gave the guestrooms their pampered Relais & Châteaux cachet... with prices to match. The former bar is now a luxurious wood-paneled backdrop for the restaurant where the affable Philippe Etchebest, one of the rare French chefs to start his career on a rugby field, won two Michelin stars last March.
Back in 2002, rooms rates at the Hostellerie varied between 144€ and 305€. Today, they startat 310€, but the good news is that you don’t need to book the biggest suite, 620€, to have the finest experience. The Pavie room, 420€, the hotel’s only room with windows on three sides, is pure magic. Besides terrific views of the town, vineyards and the bell tower, there’s …
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Excerpts from our Paris hotel reviews:
From our July 2007 issue:
The Hôtel Balzac Re-Opens
On July 16, the doors to this 19th century mansion near the Champs-Elysées will re-open after an 11 million euro renovation. Fans of this elegant boutique hotel have been waiting since November 2004 to make their reservations, and the first thing they’ll notice on arrival is airier, ivory-colored “phoneless” lobby lit by a Murano chandelier. In addition to Pierre Gagnaire’s three star restaurant, an all-new lounge dining room (with a menu yet-to-be-disclosed) will adjoin both the lobby and the bar.
Interior architect Anne-Marie Sabatier has decorated the guest rooms with three color themes: plum/pistachio, raspberry/mauve, and vanilla/turquoise. Neo-Classic furniture with silvery accents is upholstered with modern fabrics – often striped and flocked – to create a witty yet comfortable look. All the high tech goodies are on hand (WiFi, cable, DVD players, plasma screen televisions, excellent bathroom lighting) but – with a private butler assigned to every floor — the Balzac’s director Alexandre Scarvelis places the hotel’s major emphais on personalized service.Top-of-the-line rooms include the “Royal Suite” (with a sensational view of the Eiffel Tower from its picture windows and wraparound balcony). Corner suites, priced from …
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From our April 2008 issue:
Hôtel Keppler
The newest four-star hotel in the Arc de Triomphe area, the Hôtel Keppler, opened its doors in August 2007. All that remains of the former two star hotel that occupied the site is the Haussmann façade. Designer Pierre-Yves Rochon (L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Le Pré Catalan) masterminded the makeover, a study in black-and-white. The lobby is a vision of checkerboard marble floors, alabaster fireplaces, and zebra-print cushions. The elevators are decked out in black-and-white floral prints while the corridors are carpeted with black-and-white tartan. 
A standard room like number 204, 325€ (low season)/390€ (high season) gets a wink of sunshine yellow in the pillows on the queen-size bed and in the interior of the studded leather armoire. The small-but-chic bathroom features striped Ralph Lauren wall-coverings and Rochon’s signature black-and-chrome fixtures. On the courtyard, executive rooms with kingsize or twin beds like number 407, 420€ (low season)/ 490€ (high season), have nifty TV screens set into the bathroom mirror. (This particular room has black patent leather wall treatments!) There are five suites and all but one have partial views of the Eiffel Tower. Number 504, one of the smaller suites, 620 € (low season)/ 750€ (high season) has …
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Inland Riviera
Alain Llorca at the Moulin de Mougins
After Chef Roger Vergé announced his retirement, he selected the handsome, shaggy-haired Alain Llorca as his successor. Llorca, who held two stars at the Hôtel Negresco in Nice at the time, took over the fabled Moulin de Mougins in January 2004. In restaurant terms, it was a karmic choice. The 20-year-old Alain Ducasse had learned about Provençal cooking under Vergé at the Moulin in 1977, and decades later, the young Llorca honed his craft under Ducasse at the Louis XV in Monaco. While Llorca did not carry his two stars to the Moulin in 2004, they are now restored.Unlike most of the legendary chefs in the Cannes area – Alsatian Christian Willer (recently retired from the Palme d’Or) or Breton Bruno Oger at the Majestic — Llorca is a genuine product of Southern France. He was born near Cannes and learned his trade in regional Riviera restaurants like Juana in Juan-les-Pins and the Negresco, where he assisted both Dominique Le Stanc and Jacques Maximin. This is not to suggest that Llorca is a downhome cook without inner conflicts. His shape up like this: he idealizes his grandmother’s cooking savvy, enjoys teasing the tastebuds with unusual combinations, and wants to satisfy the Côte d’Azur client’s appetite for bikini-friendly food.
He manages to satisfy all of his culinary demons with a clever, color-coded menu that divides itself into three sections. Would you like to begin your meal with some asparagus? It can be presented as a “traditional” risotto; as a “contemporary” creation with gnocchi and marmelade; or in a “light” velouté soup with truffles. Seafood, meat and desserts are similarly declined. A “mix and match” approach to composing one’s menu is encouraged.
There’s a very easy way to discover Llorca’s magic: the Déjeuner du Soleil lunch. Served everyday but Sunday, this 56€ menu comes with a complimentary glass of Champagne. It changes every week and could include a choice between mint/almond/pepper taboulé or chanterelle mushroom risotto. On this menu, we tried a superb gazpacho with prawns. Served in a ring of pasta, this glorious soup blended cucumbers, tomatoes and local white coco beans. Marinated cod with sautéed potatoes made a delicious follow-up.
There’s also a 98€ menu which plays with the three taste treatments. New potato ravioli flavored with sage — fluffy little bundles of beatified starch — are so light that they nearly float off the plate. Lamb studded with bacon becomes so tender as it cooks that it can be cut with the fork alone. Alain’s brother, Jean-Michel Llorca’s desserts include an ultra-classic Baked Alaska, a chocolate/passion fruit ‘sushi’, and a three-chocolate, sugarless layered parfait.
If you’re ready to venture a little farther south than southern France, Llorca offers a 170€ tapas menu with thirteen different treats. There’s everything from warm candied foie gras and pizza “cubes” to kamchatka crab with capers with stops for balsamic glazed pigeon and truffle/potato/bacon cappucino along the way. And happily for those who remember the wonder of Roger Vergé’s stuffed zucchini flowers with black truffle... this legendary dish can be added to any menu for a supplement.
The wine list, obviously a legacy from the ostentatious 1980s, is undeniably top-heavy. Almost every Mouton vintage from 1945 to 2001 is available. So is the 1947 Lafitte Rothschild, 6,161€, and a frivolous little 1982 Pétrus for a mere 1,200€. Most clients stick to first few pages that cover Provençal wines from 40€ to 170€. Something on the lines of a 2005 Pibarnon rosé, 52€, partners the cuisine to perfection.
The presentation is professional and yet relaxed. You’re more likely to find a pot of thyme on the table than a vase of flowers. From a decor standpoint, the restaurant and his terrace have changed little since Roger Vergé’s departure. Seemingly frozen in the 1970s, the same pictures are still on the walls, the same sculptures (César, Arman) are in the garden of this 16th century hillside mill. Vergé’s poised and personable maître d’hôtel, Jean-Jacques Maisondieu-Laforge, is still running the dining room.
Nevertheless, change is coming. The seven guestrooms will be redone by the end of the year. As Moulin does not have a swimming pool, many of Llorca’s fans simply show up for the food. The sparkling Mas de Candille hotel with its brand-new spa, (LBF – June 2002) is barely a mile away. However, you don’t need to plan an overnight stay. Even though the Moulin de Mougins appears to be in the middle of nowhere, it’s only a five minute taxi ride from the Cannes train station (and ten minutes from the Croisette). Add this charming rural restaurant to your urban Riviera ‘must’ list.
From our June 2008 issue:
La Fontaine aux Perles in Rennes
Chef Rachel Gesbert hails from a long line of butchers. While he’s the first restaurateur in his family, he handles a busy kitchen and dining room with the speed and grace that comes from generations of experience in the food trade. Sprinting from the kitchen to the dining room, he takes most of the orders and comes up with substitutions and suggests wines. There’s a full staff ready to do this but speaking with Gesbert – and sharing his enthusiasm for the day’s produce – adds a wonderfully personal touch to dining at the Fontaine.We were already dazzled before we placed our order. The hors d’oeuvres were perfection: chilled melon soup, a bravura gazpacho, and a superb creamed morel mousse that makes “mushroom cloud” sound like a delightful concept. We had planned to order the duck with vanilla sauce, but Monsieur Gesbert managed to talk us into the Saint-Pierre. We suspected that we wouldn’t regret it (and we didn’t) but before we got to the fish, he’d dazzled us again. This time it was an asparagus/scallop risotto — topped with paper-thin, nearly translucent shreds of Parmesan – enhanced with an out-of-the-box hint of bacon that made the dish a knockout.
If possible, things only got better. The John Dory was bathed in mango-scented sauce that suggested the Orient without being overwhelmed by it. (Brittany’s ports dealt with the Asian spice trade in the 18th century. Like Roellinger, Gesbert exploits this heritage.) Brittany is not a wine region so the cellar skips around a lot. The Fontaine’s cuisine can stand up to a 1999 Léoville Las Cases, 300€, but there’s a lot of choice in the more affordable range. A simple Touraine costs 35€; the 2000 Terrebrune is 45€; and a reliable 2005 Bourgeois Sancerre is 50€.
There’s a 25€ weekday lunch and a larger three-course menu for 35€. We suggest opting for the multi-course 48€ menu or the more expansive dégustations at 62€ and 78€. The interior of the restaurant is prettily decorated and there’s a large terrace for summer dining. The Fontaine aux Perles is located in suburban Rennes. A taxi from the train station costs approximately 7€.
From our June 2008 issue:
Agapé
Sometimes, a small restaurant generates enough “wow” to grab the front page. Laurent Lapaire, who directed Arpège for ten years, opened Agapé in April 2008. He brought along a trio of friends who’d worked at Arpège, Drouant and a smattering of other starred venues. “Agapé” is one of the many Greek words for love, and we certainly loved this restaurant.Located in the chic but secluded residential district near Place Wagram, no expense has been spared on design details. The pale mocha room glows with stylist Philippe Model’s lighting expertise. The Macassar ebony handles on the custom-made knives must be hand-washed and polished with olive oil daily. The hand-blown crystal wine glasses, with their impossibly long stems, also demand hand-washing. The swanlike decanters are so handsome that you may even want your Evian served from them.
The food lives up to the decor challenge. The à la carte menu is very small – four starters, four main courses – but exquisitely chosen. The velouté de racine de persil, created in hommage to Alain Passard, is a vegetarian knockout. The soup’s base, a creamy ivory purée from parsley roots that bear the barest hint of parsnip, is topped with a cloud of emerald chlorophyll. (All Agapé’s vegetables, including the pencil-thin yellow carrots served with the turbot/morel plate, were grown at Passard’s personal kitchen garden in the Sarthe region.)
Veal carpaccio, which is the restaurant’s best-seller for the moment, comes from one of France’s premium butchers and is beech-smoked by Agapé. The seasonings are celestial: a hint of lime, a soupçon of vanilla, plus an offbeat ingredient called mourons des oiseaux (stellar media), a standard in canary culinary circles but relatively unknown outside the birdcage.
The dreaded word “foam” crept into the description of day’s fish special but we decided to order it anyway. The pollock (just six hours from the Breton coast) was perfectly cooked, the vegetable garnish (marble-sized Noirmoutier potatoes and spinach) was delightful, and the oyster foam turned out to be fantastic. First of all, it was a major player on the plate -- not a little bland bouquet of bubbles that makes one wonder if the saucier’s station is too close to the dishwasher’s -- and it truly smacked of oyster essence. We’ve been longing for foam’s extinction, but Chef Bertrand Grébaud’s emphatic spin gives the Spanish phenom a new lease on life.
Desserts – on the healthy side unless you insist on death by chocolate – include a sensational carrot soup graced with grapefruit ice and a banana, baked in its skin, with rosemary. The wine list starts out with an 18€ Anjou, teases with 2006 “Gama Sutra” from the Loire, 28€, and includes an all-bio 2006 Domaine de la Préceptorie from the Languedoc-Rousillon for 36€. Some of the highest-ticket wines are American like the 1996 Ridge Monte Bello from Santa Cruz, 490€. There’s a 39€ lunch menu (with choice of meat or fish) and additional prix fixe possibilities for 77€ and 110€. An à la carte dinner for two is roughly 130€ before wine. (Watch out for the pink champagne at apéritif time: 22€!)
This extraordinary, thirty-seat dining room will be racking up stars next year and is probably on the same trajectory as three-starred Astrance, another Arpège off-shoot. Make no mistake: This is a very original restaurant. However, for now, it’s a bit like finding Arpège as it was (ie when a second bottle of wine didn’t require a mortgage) or Astrance (before it took three months to get a reservation.) Book your table now.
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Paris Cultural Highlights - Fall 2008
DANCE
Opéra Nationale de Paris Garnier. Place de l’Opéra, 75009. Tel: 01.72.29.35.35 (from US); 08.92.89.90.90 (within France). www.operadeparis.fr. Hommage à Jerome Robbins: September 20, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29 and 30. Les Enfants du paradis (Martinez): October 21, 23, 24, 25 (m and e), 27, 29 and 30; November 1, 3, 4, 5 and 8 (m and e). Raymonda (Nureyev): December 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14 (m), 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28 (m), 29, 30 and 31. Chinese National Ballet: Janauary 9 and 10 (m and e).
Opéra National de Paris Bastille. 120 rue de Lyon, 75012 Paris. Tel: 01.72.29.35.35 (from US); 08.92.89.90.90 (within France). www.operadeparis.fr. The New York City Ballet - Balanchine: September 9, 11 and 13; Balanchine/Robbins: September 10 and 12; Balanchine/Martins/Wheeldon/Robbins: September 13 (m), 16 and 20 (m); Wheeldon/Balanchine/Martin/Robbins: September 19, 20 and 21 (m). Hommage à Maurice Béjart: December 9, 11, 12, 14 (m), 15, 16, 17, 19, 21 (m), 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30 and 31.
Théâtre de la Ville. 2 Place du Châtelet, 75004. Tel: 01.42.74.22.77. www.theatredelaville-paris.com. Alain Patel: October 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28 and 29. Jeanne Balibar & Boris Charmatz: November 12, 13, 14 and 15. Juliette Binoche with the Akram Khan Dance Company (Decor: Anish Kapoor): November 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 (m), 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29. Garry Stewart/Australian Dance Theater: December 2, 3,4, 5 and 6.
Théâtre des Champs-Elysées. 15 avenue Montaigne, 75008. Tel: 01.49.52. 50.50. Fax: 01.49.52.07.41. www.theatrechampselysees.fr. Gala of 21st Century Stars: September 19, 20, 21 (m) and 22. Europa Dance: October 25 and 26. Tango Pasion: December 19, 20 (m and e), 21 (m and e), 22, 23, 25, 26, 27 (m and e), 28 (m and e), 29, 30 and 31; January 2, 3 (m and e), 4 (m and e) and 5.
Théâtre National de Chaillot. Place du Trocadéro, 75116. Tel: 01.53.65.30.00. www.theatre-chaillot.fr Carmen (choreography by Antonio Gadès) : September 17 to 27. Blanche Neige – Angelin Preljocaj’s revisionist Snow White with music by Mahler and costumes by Jean-Paul Gaultier: October 10 through 25. European Hip-Hop: October 31 to November 2. Sombreros (Philippe Decouflé): November 8 to December 13.
Théâtre du Châtelet. 2 rue Edouard Colonne, 75001. Tel: 01.40.28.28.40. Fax: 01.40.28.29.01. www.chatelet-theatre.com. Tanguera – the hit dance/musical straight from Buenos Aires. September 2 to 21. The Australian Ballet Company: September 29 to October 4.
MUSEUMS
Petit Palais. Flamenco, Avant-garde and Popular Culture in Spain (1865 – 1936): Through August 31. Shokoku Ji – Zen & the Art of Kyoto: October 16 to December 14. Akira Kurasawa – Drawings: October 16 to January 11.
Galeries nationales du Grand Palais. Emil Nolde. September 23 to January 19. Picasso & the Masters : October 6 to February 2.
Centre Pompidou. Dominique Perrault: Through September 22. Georges Roualt: Through October 13. Jean Gourmelin: Through September 29. Tatiana Trouvé: Through September 29. Futurism: October 15 to January 26.
Musée du Quai Branly. Polynesian Arts & Divinities (1760 – 1860): Through September 14. The Mingei (Popular Art) Spirit in Japan: September 30 to Janaury 11. Upside Down – Ancient Eskimo Artifacts: September 30 to January 11. Dyed Fabrics: October 21 to January 4. Rouge Kwoma – Mythic Paintings of New Guinea: October 21 to January 4.
Musée du Louvre. Mantegna (1431 – 1506) : September 26 to January 5. Dutch Renaissance Drawings from the Budapest Museum : October 8 to December 1. French Bronzes from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment : October 24 to January 19. Nicolaï Abildgaard (1743 – 1809) : November 13 to February 9.
Musée du Luxembourg. From Miro to Warhol – Portugal’s José Berardo Collection: October 16 to February 22.
Musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de Paris. Bridget Riley: Through September 14. Peter Doig: Through September 7. Raoul Dufy - Le Plaisir (120 paintings, 90 graphics plus textiles, ceramics, clothing): October 17 to January 11.
Musée d’Orsay. Early British Photographs on Paper: Through September 7.
Musée Jacquemart-André. Masterpieces from Geneva’s Barbier-Mueller Collection of African and Oceanic Art : Through August 24. Van Dyck (the first retrospective in France) : October 8 to January 25.
Musée Guimet. Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) – Japanese Graphics: Through August 4. Konpira – Shinto Sanctuary of the Sea: October 15 to December 8.
Musée Bourdelle. Alain Séchas: Through August 24. Gloria Friedmann: October 9 to February 1.
Musée Marmottan. Monet – The Impressionist Eye: October 13 to February 15.
Fondation Cartier. César (works chosen by Jean Nouvel): Through October 26. Terre Natale – Emigration, climate change: November 21 to March 8.
Musée Carnavalet. Les Parisiennes de Kiraz: Through September 21. Paris & Victor Hugo’s “Les Misérables”: October 9 to February 1. Akemi Noguchi & the Paris Metro: October 9 to February 1.
Decorative Arts: Napoleon & the Power of Ornament: Through October 5. Contemporary Design from Finland: Through August 31. Red! – Crimson fashion, furnishings... everything!: Through November 1.
Musée de la Mode et du Textile. Valentino: Through September 21. Sonia Rykiel: November 20 to April 19. Madeleine Vionnet (1876 – 1975): November 20 to April 19.
Musée de la Publicité. Finnish Posters 1907 – 2007: Through October 26.
Musée Maillol. China Gold – 35 Contemporary Chinese Artists: Through October 13. Russian Avant Garde - The Costakis Collection. November 13 to March 2.
Musée Cernuschi. Splendeurs des Courtisanes – Japanese Ukiyo-e art from the Idemitsu Museum (two presentations): September 19 to November 11 and November 18 to January 4.
Palais Galliera. The Second Empire – Splendid Crinolines (1852 – 1870): November 29 to April 26.
Jeu de Paume. Richard Avedon : Through September 25. Lee Miller : October 21 to January 4.
Musée du Judaïsme. Whose paintings are these? Confiscated art from WWII : Through October 26.
Institut du Monde Arabe. Oum Kalsoum: Through November 2. Bonaparte & Egypt : October 14 to March 29.
Halle Saint Pierre. British Outsider Art: Through August 1. Fred Deux & Cécile Reims: September 15 to March 8.
Maison Européenne de la Photographie. Annie Leibovitz – A Photographer’s Life 1990 to 2005 : Through September 14.
La Maison Rouge. Elmar Trekwalder & Augustin Le Sage: Through September 7.
Hôtel de Ville. Grace Kelly in Monaco: Through August 16. Jacques Prévert: October 20 to December 31.
OPERA
Opéra National de Paris Bastille, address above. Rigoletto (Verdi)/ September 24, 26 and 29; October 2, 5 (m), 7, 10, 14, 17, 20, 22, 24, 28 and 31; November 2 (m). La Petite Renarde rusée (Janacek): October 13, 16, 19 (m), 23, 26 (m) and 29; November 4, 7, 9 (m) and 12. Tristan & Isolde (Wagner): October 30; November 3, 6, 13, 18, 21, 26 and 30 (m); December 3. The Magic Flute (Mozart): November 17, 19, 22, 25, 27 and 29; December 1, 4, 7 (m), 10, 13, 18, 20 and 23.
Opéra National de Paris Garnier, address above. La Fiancée vendue (Smetana): October 11, 14, 17, 19 (m), 22, 26 (m), 28 and 31; November 2. Fidelio (Beethoven): November 25 and 28; December 2, 4, 8, 11, 13, 18 and 21 (m).
Opéra Comique. 5 rue Fayart, 75002. Tel: 01.42.44.45.45 or 08.25.00.00.58. Fax: 01.49.26.05.93. www.opera-comique.com Dido & Aeneas (Purcell): December 3, 5, 7 and 9. Zampa (Hérold): December 21, 23 and 26.
Théâtre des Champs-Elysées. 15 avenue Montaigne, 75008. Tel: 01.49.52. 50.50. Fax: 01.49.52.07.41. www.theatrechampselysees.fr Armide (Lully): October 8, 10, 12 (m), 14, 16 and 18. Marriage of Figaro – concert version - (Mozart): October 21. Orpheus & Eurydice – concert version – (Gluck): October 24. Cosi Fan Tutte (Mozart): November 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 and 22. Anna Bolena – concert version – (Donzietti): November 23.
Théâtre du Châtelet, address above. Edward Scissor –Hands... the Tim Burton classic goes opera. October 8 to November 2. Welcome to the Voice – lyric drama starring Sting and Elvis Costello: November 20 to 25.
MUSIC
Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, address above. Thomas Hampson: October 11. Angelika Kirschschlager & Simon Keenlyside: November 5. Hélène Grimaud: December 17.
Théâtre du Châtelet, address above. On the Town (Bernstein/Robbins): December 10 to January 4.
Théâtre National de Chaillot, address above. Ute Lemper – The jazzy German diva sings Brecht, Brel, Piaf and others. December 18 to 20.
Bercy/Palais Omnisports, 8 blvd Bercy, 75012. Tel: 08.92.39.01.00. www.bercy.fr Stevie Wonder: September 28. James Blunt: October 1. Elton John/Red Piano: December 9.
Palais des Congrès. Porte Maillot, 75017. Tel: 01.40.68.00.05 www.palaisdescongres-paris.com Joan Baez: October 13.
MISCELLANEOUS
Palais des Sports. 1 Place de la porte de Versailles, 75015. Tel : 0 825 038 039. www.palaisdessports.com Lord of the Dance : November 1 to 16.
Bercy/Palais Omnisports, address above. Bompard Ice-Skating Trophy: November 14 to 16.
