If Ibrahim Maalouf is scheduled again (April 27) on the stage of the AccorHotels Arena in Bercy, it is not that he has delusions of grandeur.
Here is a room worthy of this virtuoso trumpeter who has made a whole new generation aware of this instrument.
Programmed as the culmination of a European tour which has just ended in Brussels, this evening will have a special flavor for him.
“
A rebirth
he dares.
The last time he was on the stage of the Accor Arena in 2017, Ibrahim Maalouf was at the height of his glory and multiplied the successes Victoire de la musique, César for the best film music .... Before undergoing two shocks.
Like all actors in the entertainment world, that of the Covid and its restrictions which kept him away from the scene he loves so much.
But also a trying legal procedure which ended on appeal with an acquittal and a heavy condemnation of the daily newspaper which had echoed the complaint without investigating.
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Even without an audience, these four years of retreat have been a source of inspiration.
He has released four albums:
S3NS
,
Levantine Symphonie
,
40 Mélodies
to celebrate his fortieth birthday, and finally
First Noel .
.
Even in the test, the incredible energy of the musician always takes over.
At the heart of this procedure and the wait for the call, Ibrahim had been shaken by his grandmother Odette who shared his daily life.
As she saw her grandson in torment, the old lady initially refrained from commenting.
No doubt she had understood his need to be alone to withstand the shock of false accusations that could make him look like someone infrequent.
Then one day, Odette, tired of seeing him beaten down, took him between four eyes and, from the height of her almost 100 years, said to her:
"Ibrahim, never let anyone stop you from making your life a carnival."
This new concert at Bercy is a bit like the response to his grandmother who has since died.
And a snub to the malevolence of those who claim that there is no smoke without fire.
Maalouf also promises
"full of surprises"
and a nice guest list during the evening.
Regardless of the size of the stage, Ibrahim is always transcended by the contact with the public.
For example, when he breaks down the melody of his piece
Beirut
to make him sing.
And when the spectators take it up in unison, he responds to them, always benevolent and warm.
Thus he recounts the genesis of this piece written in his adolescence, following a flight to the Lebanese capital destroyed by fifteen years of war.
He shares what he felt then, his dread but also his love of the city.
Juggler, conductor, he never forgets the essential: to be a performer.
With him, the trumpet laughs, cries, it is sorrow, it sings, it tells stories.
She passes from the most infinite tenderness to the most frantic rhythms.
Ultimate feat, Ibrahim Maalouf manages to give a great show an atmosphere of deep intimacy.
Accor Arena on April 27
