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Nicola Benedetti playing Bach in an empty St Paul's Cathedral is just breathtaking
26 April 2019, 16:58 | Updated: 29 October 2019, 14:52
An incredible moment of music – solo Bach, on a Stradivarius in London's vast Baroque cathedral
Back in 2016, star British violinist Nicola Benedetti found herself in London's St Paul's Cathedral – and it was the perfect moment for a Johann Sebastian Bach masterpiece for solo violin.
Standing beneath the famous dome of the Cathedral, she played Bach's Chaconne, a virtuosic movement from his Violin Partita No. 2 in D Minor.
The Chaconne is considered one of the most challenging pieces in violin repertoire, and features broken chords and double-stopping to create a sound that's more like several instruments playing together than just one violin.
Benedetti was in the 17th-century cathedral to record a video about the work for CNN Style. When the cathedral is empty, the building features an incredible 11-second reverberation of sound – and that resonance is one of the most striking things about this video.
Violinist Nicola Benedetti had the rare opportunity to play a solo at St. Paul's Cathedral in London -- after dark. Watch this 360 video for the full experience.
Posted by CNN Style on Monday, 7 November 2016
St Paul's Cathedral was designed by Christopher Wren and consecrated by 1697. It is 158 metres in length and features an 85-metre high dome.
