Houston for the 25th anniversary of NASA but also the Pyramids of Giza or the Forbidden City in Beijing, Jean-Michel Jarre is the pope of concert events.
From there to entering into glory in Notre-Dame, there was only one step.
The high priest of electro, who will play physically from the Gabriel pavilion, invites his avatar, for New Year's Eve, to give a virtual reality concert in the heart of Notre-Dame de Paris, reconstructed in 3D.
His musical program will consist of specially re-orchestrated tracks from his Grammy-nominated album “Electronica”, as well as new versions of “Oxygen” and “Equinox”.
A show without an audience in the midst of the Covid-19 epidemic, and more than a year and a half after the fire in the cathedral, called “Welcome to the Other Side” which will be seen on BFMTV, YouTube and Facebook Thursday December 31 from 11:25 p.m. to 12:15 a.m. and listen live on France Inter.
How did you come up with this idea for a show?
JEAN MICHEL JARRE.
In September, I met Anne Hidalgo
(the mayor of Paris, NDLR)
.
I told him about the idea of doing a virtual concert in the cathedral of Paris which was weakened like us.
And immediately, she took the leap, thinking it would be great to imagine a virtual concert, not knowing how the health crisis would evolve.
We had to try to do something different, send a message of hope to celebrate the end of the sanitary tunnel that we all want and pay homage to Notre-Dame.
Beyond the Catholic religion, it is a symbol of world heritage that connects us to each other.
#ParisScintille |
D-3!
A virtual electro concert, a grandiose sound and light, in @notredameparis reconstituted!
See you on December 31 at 11:25 p.m. for the @jeanmicheljarre show, live video ✨
👉 https://t.co/fFnDeFpVqw pic.twitter.com/z2LMiSTYAy
- Paris (@Paris) December 28, 2020
Virtual reality allows you to play in the nave.
Wouldn't that have been possible in reality?
Today we cannot meet, perform in front of an audience, but technological means allow us to do so.
And that seemed to me to be quite relevant in Notre-Dame.
The architects and companions who built this cathedral 800 years ago were absolute visionaries and futurists.
Moreover, in science fiction films, to symbolize a futuristic building, decorators rely a lot on Gothic architecture.
The people I work with are the 2.0 companions of the 21st century.
French know-how that brings together 150 people, six start-ups.
Jean-Michel Jarre is a regular at spectacular concerts in unique places./JMJ-EDDA
And your show is also science fiction?
The best way to celebrate the heritage of the past is to do it in a contemporary way.
I love hearing Gregorian chants in a cathedral.
But we can also use the modes of expression of our century to celebrate this place.
Virtual reality is in tune with our times.
It shouldn't just be related to video games.
It is a mode of expression in itself.
Like the cinema which was considered as a simple curiosity at the time of the Lumières brothers and which has become the major art that we know, VR
(virtual reality)
will strengthen the performing arts, without competing with it.
It is also a way to get closer to the younger generations accustomed to this digital vocabulary.
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Anytime you want to do something new, it can be controversial.
The rector of the cathedral, Bishop Chauvet, who saw the first images, was himself quite enthusiastic.
Bringing this cathedral back to life for New Year's Eve is an extraordinary challenge.
Working on the facade of Notre Dame - completely reconstructed, with its spire - totally overwhelmed us.
Will you be the high priest for the evening?
No.
You have to approach this kind of project with a lot of humility.
The stage I am going to play on will not be in place of the church altar.
Not even in the middle of the nave, an equally sacred place.
How will it inspire you to imagine playing in Notre-Dame?
I am very inspired by the desire to breathe positive energy, to lift my head and to spend this evening of the 31st with festive music, far from a requiem atmosphere.
However, the dynamic and contemporary aspect does not exclude depth.
This Thursday evening, together, we celebrate the eternal youth of Notre-Dame, jewels of the world heritage, in virtual reality.
I will apply, in terms of light, the rules of the show within the virtual universe.
On the musical level, I am using software from IRCAM
(Institute for Acoustic / Music Research and Coordination, Editor's note)
which allows us to play and respect the echo and reverberation time of Notre-Dame.
Finally, I chose pieces that correspond to my universe that will be compatible with the party and that we can link to a cathedral.
Without making purely religious music.
How to make the most of the show from home?
It will be necessary to watch on the big screen and the sound very loud.
I will wear a suit equipped with sensors that will draw my avatar in real time in the cathedral and I will give my concert, filmed live by fifteen cameras.
Spectators equipped with virtual glasses (there are several tens of millions of them in the world) will also find themselves immersed in Notre-Dame.
I will be able to see their avatars, hear them applaud, whistle, just like the audience that will follow on TV, radio or on social networks.
I will also be seen in the Gabriel studio, surrounded by a special scenography and the reconstructed facade of the cathedral on which will be inscribed, just before midnight, the traditional countdown.
Everything will be done virtually.
No need to come on site, you won't see anything ...
How many people do you think you can reach?
This project is supported by the City of Paris, the Church, Unesco.
The goal is to bring the world to Paris.
I will not be forecasting the audience.
It will be very broad a priori.
It will allow as many people as possible to come, free of charge, without a mask, virtually, to the heart of Paris to celebrate New Year's Eve, including isolated people.
Paris celebrates the New Year… differently!
Despite the curfew at 8 pm, Paris maintains the celebration of the transition to the year 2021. The meeting point of the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Elysées, which has become traditional in recent years, will not take place.
It will therefore be in Notre-Dame that the party will take place… virtually!
“For the fireworks of July 14, Paris had maintained the festivities, while prohibiting Parisians from moving.
We had to block a fifth of Parisian streets to ensure that sanitary conditions were respected.
There was no question of starting over for this evening of the 31st, ”emphasizes Frédéric Hocquard, nightlife assistant with Anne Hidalgo.
The idea of Jean-Michel Jarre then fell perfectly.
Under exceptional circumstances, an exceptional program, and that is why the City of Paris has planned this 100% virtual show accessible to all… but without an audience.
“The cost of such an event is that of the usual end-of-year budget, around 750,000 euros.
In return, we expect the impact of a global image, ”adds Frédéric Hocquard.
The technical team is paid.
"Me, I do not count my time," says the artist for his part.
“This is a first in the history of our capital to celebrate the transition to the New Year.
This unique project, produced by various French companies, will be an opportunity to make Paris shine worldwide, always at the forefront of artistic and cultural innovation ”, rejoices Anne Hidalgo.
About 45 minutes of music are planned.
With the mayor of Paris as a surprise guest.