VERSAILLES 400
In an historic event that seamlessly blended past grandeur with future innovation, iconic musician and composer Jean-Michel Jarre took centre stage at the Hall of Mirrors within the Château de Versailles for VERSAILLES 400, a spellbinding concert as part of the UNESCO World Heritage site 400th anniversary celebrations. Widely recognised as the godfather of modern electronic music, Jarre's performance on Christmas Day December 25, 2023 marked a groundbreaking moment forging the glory of historic France and the future.
A Live Phygital Album
This extraordinary concert-event transformed Versailles’ architectural crown jewel, the Hall of Mirrors, into a contemporary musical arena. The technical setup involved creating a breathtaking light show that danced across the historic walls, mirrors, and ceilings in real life to an audience of 800 people; while in the metaverse hosted on French platform VRROOM, Jarre’s avatar performed in a virtual Versailles to a global audience in a shape-shifting hall with 8-bit elements, portraits of classic historic notables alongside futuristic characters often seen in Jarre’s iconography, and other future-forward eye catching graphic designs.
For this first ever electronic music concert within the Château de Versailles, the hour-long set Jarre performed presented brand new productions of material from his latest album releases including OXYMORE and the GRAMMY-nominated ELECTRONICA alongside favourites from his extensive back catalogue.
The show was filmed at the Château de Versailles and broadcasted on French (Groupe M6-W9) and international TV channels through Eurovision Services / UER, on radio (RTL), online via digital platforms (Jarre’s YouTube channel), and in virtual reality on the French VRROOM platform on December 25, Christmas Day.
Reflecting on the event, Jarre had said: "Versailles 400 was a hybrid concert and visual creation broadcast live from one of the world's most beautiful locations, as well as in virtual reality in the metaverse. I hope the event will help promote our creative savoir faire and bring the world of French immersive creation to the forefront of collective culture."