Covid-19: French symphonic orchestra plays Ravel's Boléro from home [video]

The Orchestre National de France has posted a video on YouTube where the musicians, confined since Covid-19 lockdown, play Ravel's "Boléro". The video has already been viewed more than 670,000 times.

51 musicians all over France filmed a short presentation of themselves at home, before playing the Ravel's Boléro. 

The short pieces were then collected and edited by Radio France to form a four-minute piece posted on YouTube on 30 March.

"We looked for how we could reconnect with the public”, Radio France music director Michel Orier, told France Info.

Since the start of the lockdown, "what has been terrible for all the musicians of Radio France is not only to be cut off from the public, but also to no longer being able to play together and for the radio,” adds the music director. 

The Belgrade Philharmonic orchestra on March 20 had already posted a video with its musicians playing Bella Ciao to support Italy strongly impacted by Covid-19.