Gustavo Dudamel leads the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and a chorus at the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on December 7.
Music played a vital role in the celebrations commemorating the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on December 7, following years of restoration to repair damage from a devastating fire in April 2019. Performers included the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, led by Gustavo Dudamel, as well as pianist Lang Lang; cellists Yo-Yo Ma, Renaud Capuçon, and Gauthier Capuçon; vocalists Vianney and Angélique Kidjo; and sopranos Julie Fuchs and Pretty Yende, among others. Thierry Escaich improvised on the cathedral’s newly rebuilt organ, and Olivier Latry was the soloist in the finale of Saint-Saëns’s Symphony No. 3 (“Organ” Symphony) with the orchestra. In this clip, Pretty Yende performs arranger Tim Berens’s orchestration of “Amazing Grace” with Dudamel and Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France at the cathedral’s re-opening ceremony.
