architecture
Yo-Yo Ma, Gustavo Dudamel & Lang Lang Perform at Reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral
Attended by 1,500 international dignitaries, the historic Paris landmark reopened on 7 December with a spectacular concert.
Attended by 1,500 international dignitaries, the historic Paris landmark reopened on 7 December with a spectacular concert.
Just five years after a fire destroyed the roof and spire of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, the iconic landmark reopened on 7 December 2024 with a spectacular concert.
More than 1,500 dignitaries, including Prince William, Donald Trump, Jill Biden and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, attended the reopening.
The concert featured the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France conducted by Gustavo Dudamel.
Violinist Renaud and cellist Gautier Capuçon opened the ceremony with a performance of Handel’s Passacaglia.
Watch Renaud and Gauthier Capucon’s performance by France 24 English here.
This was followed by an address by French president Emmanuel Macron who said the speed of the renovation had set France on a ’course of hope’: ‘The greatness of this cathedral is inseparable from everyone.’
The Capuçon brothers were the only performers to play live at the event, the rest having been pre-recorded.
Among the other guests were pianists Lang Lang and Khatia Buniatishvili; organists Olivier Latry and Thierry Escaich; and violinist Daniel Lozakovich, who played the Aria from Bach’s Orchestral Suite no.3.
A live concert in the forecourt of the cathedral had been scheduled, but due to the forecast of strong winds and rain from Storm Darragh, it was recorded beforehand on Friday night and aired after the service.
“The concert was a beautiful reminder to me how how music is so much more than just entertainment – it can heal us, comfort us, unite us. To be able to reopen the cathedral with music was an opportunity to come together and show the best of ourselves to the world,” said conductor Gustavo Dudamel.
“It’s an honour to be part of the reopening of the historic Notre-Dame Cathedral, a place of deep cultural and spiritual significance,” said Lozakovich on social media.
“Performing alongside Maestro Gustavo Dudamel and Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France in this sacred church is a moment I will always cherish,” added Lozakovich.
Cellist Yo-Yo Ma also performed the Prelude from Bach’s Cello Suite no.1: “I was so moved to witness the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris,” said Ma.
“It’s an example of what the combined generosity, skill, and will of a people can accomplish, of humans choosing collaboration and creativity instead of division and destruction. I’m reminded that we always have that choice, that it’s a choice that has been with us since the beginning, a fundamental paradox of the human experiment,” added Ma.
Click the image below to watch Yo-Yo Ma’s performance:
“A divine moment that still heavily resonates in every fiber of my being singing Amazing Grace on this monumental night in the inner-court of Notre Dame,” said Pretty Yende.
Saturday night’s concert was scheduled to include performances by Pharrell Williams, Angélique Kidjo, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, pianists Lang Lang and Khatia Buniatishvili, organist Olivier Latry, violinists Renaud Capuçon and Daniel Lozakovich, opera stars Nadine Sierra, Pretty Yende and Benjamin Bernheim, and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel.
Cover Image: A picture of Pretty Yende by Christophe Abramowitz / Radio France
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