Pretty Yende delivered a soul-stirring performance of “Amazing Grace” during Notre-Dame Cathedral’s historic reopening ceremony in Paris in a moment that captured the spirit of resurrection and renewal, per mymodernmet.com.
The internationally acclaimed South African soprano began with a haunting a cappella rendition that filled the restored Gothic cathedral’s vast chambers, before being joined by a delicate harp accompaniment and the full majesty of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel.
“It was a divine moment that still heavily resonates in every fibre of my being,” shared Yende, who previously graced King Charles III’s coronation at Westminster Abbey. The innovative arrangement, suggested by Yende herself moments before rehearsal, symbolically mirrored Notre-Dame’s journey from silence to renewed splendour.
The performance marked a poignant milestone in the cathedral’s resurrection, coming five years after a devastating fire threatened to destroy the 850-year-old landmark. As Yende’s voice soared through the restored vaults, it seemed to embody the building’s own triumph over “dangers, toils and snares.”
The ceremony, which also featured Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, heralds a new chapter for the cathedral, proving that some treasures, like Amazing Grace itself, are truly timeless.
•Featured image: Pretty Yende/Instagram
