Playing to an empty room: Paris orchestra plays Strauss in COVID-19 era

Violinist Renaud Capucon and musicians perform "Metamorphosen" by Richard Strauss during a rehearsal ahead of a concert without audience in the empty Pierre Boulez hall at the Philharmonie de Paris (Paris Philharmonic) in Paris, as the concert hall resumes its performances after France eased gradually its lockdown measures and restrictions following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in France, May 28, 2020. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

PARIS (Reuters) - Renaud Capuçon, a French concert violinist accustomed to playing to rooms of 2,000 people and more, performed on Thursday evening to an empty auditorium, but he said the experience was none the worse for it.

"It's like a return to life," he said of the performance, his first at the Philharmonie de Paris concert hall since the COVID-19 outbreak forced the cancellation of all concerts back in March.