CHARTRES CATHEDRAL
Chartres Cathedral really stands out among France’s architectural treasures: a Gothic building dating back to the 13th Century, it was built on the ashes of the Romanesque cathedral of the 11th Century destroyed by fire.
It is a magnificent building of outstanding artistic value, characterised by large stained-glass windows, a central rose-window and a long succession of arches which ensure the stability of the whole structure.
The lyrical days of Chartres have been held as an annual event in this magnificent setting for 12 years to celebrate some of the most beautiful lyrical voices, as well as being a social occasion for many dignitaries and thousands of people.
Besides the concerts, the program included conferences aimed at illustrating the city of Chartres to the international public, so uniting music, history, art and culture in this unique event.
ART AND LIGHTING
One of the major challenges facing the organisers of this event was to illuminate and give prominence to the building, without spoiling its historical authenticity. Lighting Designer François Fleury took great care of this aspect, working with Impact Diffusion. The company in Orly Aerogare, the distributor of Clay Paky products in France, followed this show from the beginning by managing the lighting design and installation.
The Stage Colors 1200 and Stage Zooms 1200, which are very powerful models at the top of Clay Paky’s Stage Line with a 1200 Watt discharge lamp and an optical unit of exceptional luminous efficiency, enriched the tall arches and nave walls with a rare beauty.
As François Fleury confirmed: “Stage Colors 1200 and Stage Zooms 1200 proved to be first-class products: the Stage Colors 1200 supplied any colour shade necessary, thanks to the countless colours available and the GTC colour temperature correction system.
The Stage Zooms 1200 embellished the building’s architecture, owing to their rich availability of gobos and colours which blended in perfectly with the stained-glass windows”.
These days at Chartres once again proved to be an outstanding success this year, and represent an important example of architectural lighting, having shown how history and technology can coexist in great harmony.
Technical sheet:
Event produced by: Organisation of the Lyrical Days of Chartres
Technical Director: Rolland Hergault
Lighting design and installation: Impact Diffusion, Orly Aerogare – France
Lighting Designer: François Fleury
Lighting Technician: Christophe Michon
Lights:
8 Clay Paky Stage Colors 1200
6 Clay Paky Stage Zooms 1200