Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade of Pale” is one of the most beautiful songs ever written, but the band took it to the next level by playing it with the Danish National Concert Orchestra and Choir at Ledreborg Castle, Denmark. Frontman Gary Brooker has admitted that the song was influenced by Johann Sebastian Bach’s Suite No. 3 in D Major, so it’s quite fitting that the song got the full orchestral treatment at the August 2006 performance.
The group performed 15 songs with the orchestra at the concert, which were later released as a live album. The orchestra really shines on “A Whiter Shade of Pale”, with a gorgeous orchestral opening that showcases the beauty of the melody of the song. Brooker leads the band in after 90 seconds, and despite being 61, he sounds exactly like he did on the original recording from 1967. The stunning live collaboration was a hit online, attracting 99 million views on YouTube.
