It is a cherished and anticipated event: every Christmas Eve, the Philharmonie presents a Christmas Concert featuring traditional and well-known melodies and songs which the audience is encouraged to sing along to.
Of course, this year everything will be different. This year’s Christmas Concert will be unusual but festive.
In order to allow people to experience a Christmas atmosphere from the safety of their homes, a spectacular concert has been recorded in an unusual manner. The 46 musicians of the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra (OPL) took their place on the stage in front of empty rows, usually always sold out. Pierre Nimax Jr and Marie-Reine Nimax, in charge of the choirs, came without their singers.
Pierre Cao, who conducts the Christmas Concert year after year, has spent time preparing for a performance in front of cameras, instead of an audience, for the first time in a career spanning over six decades.
Yann Tonnar and his team directed the event behind the scenes and took care to record the different pieces and always catch the right tone with the right camera.
At the end of the evening, the music was recorded, but the voices of the singers were still missing – choirs are still barred from performing. This is why all of the singers will be recorded individually and their voices added in post. Only four professional singers were present on location in order to give the orchestra and the production team a reference.
The team is used to experiments, as a similar virtual performance had been carried out on Luxembourgish National Day.
You can experience the OPL’s Christmas Concert for yourself on RTL. It will be broadcast on Christmas Eve at 8 pm on RTL ZWEE and at 10 pm on RTL Radio.
