Watch Jean-Michel Jarre’s mixed reality Christmas concert from Château de Versailles

Jean-Michel Jarre’s mixed reality Christmas Day concert at Château de Versailles is now available to watch on YouTube.

The French electronic music pioneer performed a nearly hour-long set at the centre of the historic palace’s Hall of Mirrors. He wore a mixed reality headset on a platform, set up with his hardware and recording equipment, between seated audience members who were not wearing mixed reality headgear. At the same time, Jarre was broadcasting in the metaverse to an audience of VR attendees at a recreation of the room.

Jarre’s bespoke ‘Versailles 400’ concert was a collaboration with UNESCO and the French Ministry of Culture. “I hope the event will help promote our creative savoir-faire and bring the world of French immersive creation to the forefront of collective culture,” Jarre said in a press statement when the concert was initially announced. Tickets for the in-person event started at €200. 

This past November, Jarre teamed up with Armin van Buuren to release the ‘EPICA MAXIMA‘ single.

This is the latest in a series of events and efforts by UNESCO to connect electronic music with historically significant locales. Revisit Martin Guttridge-Hewitt’s 2021 feature on the Love Parade founder’s initiative to have Berlin’s techno scene recognised and protected by UNESCO.  

Watch the concert via YouTube.