Hundreds of musicians gear up for Olympics in Paris

Ten thousand athletes will be parading through Paris at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics – but they won’t be the only stars of the show. Hundreds of musicians will take part in a spectacle masterminded by French composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist Victor le Masne, who told CM that he aims ‘to create an original soundtrack that will not only accompany the most memorable moments of these historic Games but will also remain etched in the memories of all generations’.

For the first time in Olympic history, the opening ceremony won’t take place in a stadium. Instead, the teams will process through the French capital in boats along the river Seine. Musicians and dancers will play a crucial role, though exactly which artists will be taking part remains under wraps. There hasn’t even been a dress rehearsal, for fear of spoiling the surprise. Still, there’s speculation that pop stars Lady Gaga and Céline Dion could be appearing, singing a duet by French icon Edith Piaf, while it’s been confirmed that Romanian conductor Christian Macelaru will be there with his Orchestre National de France.

‘I never believed in my life I would have this opportunity. It’s a very beautiful thing because it’s an event where we all seem to forget about the things that separate us and remember the beauty of the things that help us come together,’ he said in a TV interview. French radio station Radio Classique has also reported that Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkelä will perform with his Orchestre de Paris.

Earlier this month, classical musicians including pianist Lang Lang and violinist Renaud Capucon took part in the Torch Relay. Le Masne has already unveiled a new version of La Marseillaise at the handover from Tokyo to Paris four years ago, and it will be heard again at this year’s opening ceremony. It’s the first time a new arrangement of La Marseillaise has been commissioned since Hector Berlioz’s in 1830. ‘It’s so, so amazing to think that now, my new orchestration, my new harmonisation, will be everywhere this summer … it’s crazy that I’m the next one,’ Le Masne told The Telegraph.

The ceremony begins at 7.30pm local time and will be shown live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.