The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Christmas concert at Notre-Dame: behind the scenes of the filming of France 2

2020-12-24T05:13:57.509Z


For the first time since the fire, a Christmas concert took place in the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral. This exceptional shoot


“Before, we sang there every night, it was our second home.

The first time I went back there was still ash.

It was an apocalypse spectacle.

There, even if the place is still sick, everything was cleaned.

We felt a mystical force in the middle of this forest of scaffolding, ”said Henri Chalet, head of the Notre-Dame de Paris supervisory authority.

The musician returned to conduct a Christmas concert with his choir on December 12 in the cathedral.

A first since the drama.

This exceptional event, with the participation of soloists Gautier Capuçon and soprano Julie Fuchs, is broadcast this Thursday evening on France 2, at 11:30 p.m.

The concert must have taken place on a Saturday to avoid disturbing the workers in the ambulatory of the choir.

"The cathedral is still in a state of danger," underlines General Jean-Louis Georgelin, president of the public establishment responsible for the restoration of the building.

Singers and technicians, who had previously completed a 45-minute prevention training, were required to wear helmets, boots and coveralls.

Given the constraints we have, we have only been able to authorize a limited number of people ”.

A context that forced the director and his team to engage in expert work for this particular show.

"It took a month and a half of organization against two weeks in normal times", underlines the producer, Franck David.

Wetsuits and helmets on the head, the singers had to protect themselves in a building still in a state of danger. / France.

TV Studio  

On the set, the number of people was limited to 25. Two weeks before D-Day, Henri Chalet also had to make a painful choice.

“We learned that we would only be 8 singers rather than 20. I favored those who were already going to Notre-Dame before the fire.

It made sense ”.

Like the workers, the singers put on a coverall for protection, and received training in the risks of lead.

“We took a shower, before putting on a disposable outfit in the morning, then another in the evening.

To get out, we went through a decontamination airlock, and we left with clean clothes to avoid bringing particles home, "says Gautier Capuçon, who evokes a surrealist atmosphere:" It looked like the technicians were coming out of a film of Science fiction !

"

"The protective side that Notre-Dame provides is still there"

Wearing a helmet has also represented a challenge for the cellist.

“It's a difficulty, because the whole body is in contact with the instrument.

But I suffered more from the cold in my fingers, because it was wet.

On the production side, the lack of rear view of the cameras was accompanied by a puzzle.

“We had to deal with the distance between the singers and the columns.

The director communicated by walkie-talkie.

But we took up this challenge ”, welcomes Franck David.

Regardless of these unprecedented conditions, the participants let themselves be overwhelmed by emotion.

“Once you get inside, the cathedral is damaged, but the protective side it provides is still there,” says Gautier Capuçon.

In the current context, where we are deprived of a concert and midnight mass, we are divided between the tears of the memory of the fire and those of the happiness of living together again.

We played

Jingle Bells

for a little fun this Christmas night.

"

Source: leparis

All life articles on 2020-12-24

You may like

News/Politics 2024-02-23T13:23:13.719Z

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.