La Vierge 2020: Reconstructing a Virtual Concert Performance Through Historic Auralisation of Notre-Dame Cathedral

In honour of the International Year of Sound and for the 1 year memorial of the Notre-Dame cathedral fire, a team of researchers and sound engineers created a virtual reconstruction of a concert in the cathedral, using close-mic recordings made on 24-April-2013 of a performance of La Vierge by Jules Massenet. This reconstruction was carried out during the period of strict COVID-19 confinement. With 83 musicians, 6 singers and a 160person choir spatially distributed throughout the cathedral, the original performance offered a spatial composition highlighting the complex acoustics and interactions between source and listener positions. Individual tracks were convolved with spatial room impulse responses, created from a calibrated geometrical acoustic simulation. Several listening positions were binaurally rendered, along with an artistic mix created by a sound engineer, offering a unique 3d-audio experience approaching the reality of the moment in the past. Distributed on-line, the website presenting this virtual reconstruction has been visited from users around the world. A listener opinion survey was included on the website. This paper presents an overview of the source material, the production workflow, and the challenges of realising such a production during confinement. Finally, an overview of visitor statistics and survey results is presented, providing insight into the reception of the virtual recreation and the interest towards future productions.