As part of the interdisciplinary research project ANR PHEND (Past Has Ears at Notre-Dame), Dada! Animation has created the film “Vaulted Harmonies” tracing the architectural and acoustic history of Notre-Dame de Paris over eight centuries.
This 60-minute documentary concert film showcases eleven emblematic music performances from the cathedral’s history, spanning the 12th to 20th centuries. Each piece was recorded in a studio and re-integrated into the acoustics of its corresponding historical period. These immersive performances are interwoven with documentary segments explaining the changes in Notre-Dame’s acoustics, music, and architecture over time.
PHEND, grounded in research into the audible history of Notre-Dame through the ages, brings together eight private and public partners under the leadership of CNRS/Sorbonne University, including the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. The research project enabled the development of a real-time acoustic simulation system, allowing musicians to perform within a virtual recreation of Notre-Dame’s historical acoustics, which was instrumental in producing this virtual concert.
