The historic Paris landmark reopened on 7 December with a spectacular concert attended by 1,500 international dignitaries
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, which featured the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France conducted by Gustavo Dudamel.
Among the string soloists performing were violinist Renaud and cellist Gautier Capuçon, who opened the ceremony with a performance of Handel’s Passacaglia. 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.
’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.’ On 29 November Gautier Capuçon posted that he felt ’very honoured to play at the reopening concert of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris’ and that it brought back ’emotional memories of playing ’Après un rêve’ by Gabriel Fauré on 16 April 2019 in front of the Cathedral the day after the fire’.
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,’ he said. ’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.’
Read: Renaud Capuçon raises €100,000 for Notre Dame
Read: Gautier Capuçon performs moving tribute in front of Notre-Dame
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