Montreal’s favorite circus celebrated three decades of iridescent genius in a number of whimsical ways throughout the year, but the creative companymay have saved the best bash for last. From December 13th through 28th – just a little over two weeks – Cirque du Soleil invited friends and fans alike to witness something genuinely spectacular as part of its 30th Anniversary celebrations: LE GRAND CONCERT – a truly unique event commemorating the company’s vibrant musical universe at the very heart of Saint-Jean-Baptiste church in Montreal, a venue was chosen for its wonderful acoustics as well as its spectacular architecture!
The idea for a concert celebrating the vibrant music of Cirque du Soleil found its creative spark during a musical summit held at the same church in 2009. When the Cirque cultivated ideas to celebrate its 30th Anniversary earlier this year, the team reflected upon the strong emotions provided during that summit. Gilles Ste-Croix, one of Cirque’s creative guides, mused: “Cirque du Soleil’s music is extremely rich, but it’s always supporting the acrobatics. We wanted to offer something more; we wanted to put our music to the fore. This time our music is the star of the evening!”Ste-Croix worked with Alain Vinet, a DJ, musical producer, and Cirque’s in-house musical director, to create this event. “He’s done a wonderful job over the years,” Ste-Croix said. “So we offered him this possibility of gathering together all the music that covers the 30 years of Cirque du Soleil and putting the whole concept of music and chorus and singers into a format of a concert which will be played live.”
Over the course of three decades, twenty-odd composers wrote and arranged the music for the 35 shows created by Cirque du Soleil since 1984. Drawing their inspiration from world music, rock, jazz or contemporary sounds, the composers have added their own personal signature to each of the 35 productions. CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: LE GRAND CONCERT is the embodiment of that mission. And though Cirque du Soleil suggested the 75-minute concert would never be filmed and/or releasedto the public – as albums of the show’s music had been previously released (with one or two exceptions) – fans were undeniably pleased to learn that the concert was indeed filmed – “captured at the heart of the splendid Saint-Jean-Baptiste church” on the evening of December 23rd – for television broadcast on Saturday, January 3rd.
And two days later fans were delighted again when that television broadcast became available for streaming via TOU.TV, a French-Canadian video-on-demand website. But there was a catch: the video stream was restricted only to those in residence of Canada. Quel dommage! Thankfully, there’s ways around that, and we here at Fascination were able to watch the concert as filmed (not, necessarily, as presented live.)
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: LE GRAND CONCERT brought together eight soloists (Audrey Brisson-Jutras, Paul Bisson, Dominic Dagenais, Estelle Esse, Mathieu Lavoie, Anna Liani, Francine Poitras and Roxanne Potvin), accompanied by twenty-eight musicians (led by Frédéric Chiasson and Claude Chaput) and seventy choristers. Conducted by Mario Rouleau and produced by Luc Chatelain for Echo Media, this 90 minute musical odyssey – presented on television – took us through the emotion and poetry of the music of each of the 35 shows that Cirque du Soleil has created since 1984.
THE CONCERT
Although devoid of any acrobatic numbers, most costuming, and the many other accoutrements associated with a regular live performance, Cirque du Soleil did choose to illustrate its evolution through staging, lighting, and of course, story. Here Zoë, the little girl from Quidam (Audrey Brisson-Jutras), acts as our guide as we follow her through different stages of her life represented in part through the songs of Cirque du Soleil…
1. “Ouverture” | CIRQUE DU SOLEIL
Soloist: None
2. “Atmadja & Reveil” | QUIDAM
Soloist: Audrey Brison-Justras
3. “Le Funambule” | CIRQUE REINVENTE
Soloist: None
4. “Havi Vahlia” | NOUVELLE EXPERIENCE
Soloist: Roxane Potvin
5. “Pokinoi” | SALTIMBANCO
Soloist: Francine Poitras
6. “Ulysse” | MYSTERE
Soloists: Mathieu Lavoie, Francine Poitras, Roxane Potvin
7. “Kalimando” | MYSTERE
Soloists: Audrey Brisson-Jutras, Estelle Esse
8. “Vai Vedrai” | ALEGRIA
Soloist: Francine Poitras
9. “Seisouso” | QUIDAM
Soloisst: Audrey Brisson-Jutras, Mathieu Lavoie
10. “Reve Rouge” | LA NOUBA
Soloists: Paul Bisson, Estelle Esse
11. “Nostalgie” & “Bridge of Sorrow” | “O” & DELIRIUM
Soloist: Roxane Potvin
12. “Ravendhi” | DRALION
Soloists: Paul Bisson, Dominic Dagenais, Estelle Esse, Francine Poitras
13. “Patzivota” | VAREKAI
Soloists: Paul Bisson, Dominic Dagenais, Estelle Esse, Mathieu Lavoie, Francine Poitras, Roxane Potvin
14. “Mio Bello Bello Amore” | ZUMANITY
Soloist: Anna Liani
15. “Aftermath” | KA
Soloist: Audrey Brisson-Jutras
16. “Volo Volando” | CORTEO
Soloist: Paul Bisson
17. “Because” | THE BEATLES LOVE
Soloists: Paul Bisson, Estelle Esse, Mathieu Lavoie, Anna Liani, Francine Poitras, Roxane Potvin
18. “Don’t Be Afraid” | KOOZA
Soloists: Audrey Brisson-Jutras, Dominic Dagenais
19. “Shadows” | WINTUK
Soloists: Audrey Brisson-Jutras, Anna Liani, Roxane Potvin
20. “Kayala and the Poppies” | BELIEVE
Soloist: Francine Poitras
21. “Ardor Oris” | ZAIA
Soloist: Francine Poitras
22. “Hymn of the Worlds” | ZED
Soloists: Estelle Esse, Mathieu Lavoie, Roxane Potvin
23. “Brisa do Mar” | OVO
Soloist: Mathieu Lavoie
24. “The Snake Dance” | BANANA SHPEEL
Solosists: Audrey Brisson-Jutras, Estelle Esse, Anna Liani, Roxane Potvin
25. “Love Me Tender” | VIVA ELVIS
Soloists: Dominic Dagenais, Anna Liani
26. “Cum Sancto Spiritu” | TOTEM
Soloists: Estelle Esse, Mathieu Lavoie, Roxane Potvin
27. “Libra” | ZARKANA
Soloist: Paul Bisson
28. “Earth Song” | MJ IMMORTAL
Soloists: Paul Bisson, Dominic Dagenais, Estelle Esse, Mathieu Lavoie, Anna Liani, Francine Poitras, Roxane Potvin
29. “Scarlett Balancing” | IRIS
Soloist: None
30. “Whisper” | AMALUNA
Soloists: Paul Bisson, Estelle Esse, Mathiew Lavoie, Francine Poitras, Roxane Potvin
31. “Creature of Light” | AMALUNA
Soloists: Paul Bisson, Audrey Brisson-Jutras, Mathieu Lavoie, Anna Liani, Francine Poitras, Roxane Potvin
32. “Creature de Siam” | KURIOS
Soloist: Estelle Esse
33. “Taruka” | ALEGRIA
Soloist: None
34. “Alegria” | ALEGRIA
Soloists: Paul Bisson, Audrey Brisson-Jutras, Dominic Dagenais,
Estelle Esse, Mathiew Lavoie, Anna Liani, Francine Poitras, Roxane Potvin
35. “Kumbalawe” | SALTIMBANCO
Soloists: Paul Bisson, Audrey Brisson-Jutras, Dominic Dagenais,
Estelle Esse, Mathiew Lavoie, Anna Liani, Francine Poitras, Roxane Potvin
SOME THOUGHTS
We know from previous experience that a filmed version of any Cirque du Soleil show or special, whether it’s explicitly for television broadcast or release via home media, is hardly a substitute for being there in person, enjoying the ambiance of the venue surrounded by friends and fans alike, taking it all in as it happens. In fact, we here at Fascination have been quite critical of many of Cirque’s previous endeavors in this arena, beginning with Quidam’s filming in 1999. Our grievances with these products generally lie with a) their length (Quidam, Alegria, and Dralion were all released at 90-minutes, yet last two hours in the real world), b) their point of view (with many close-ups, out-of-order scenes, or not enough context), and c) with the use of certain camera tricks (such as slow-motion, or use of a montage when one isn’t warranted). And to a certain extent the filming of LE GRAND CONCERT suffers from some of these trappings.
Although not shown on the broadcast, a medley musical numbers is performed as patrons find their seats. Songs such as: “Propel” – La Nouba, “Finale” – Mystère, “Gamelan” – O, “Svecounia” – O, “Remous” – O, “Carrousel” – Quidam, “HaviVahlia” – Nouvelle Expérience, “Il Sogno Di Volare” – Saltimbanco, “The Worlds Meet” – ZED, “Kunya Sobe” – Mystère, “Flight” – KA, “Pageant” – KA, “Saltimbanco” – Saltimbanco, “Carrousel” – Quidam, and “Ballant” – Nouvelle Expérience. It’s understandable that this type of footage would not be shown on a broadcast; if you didn’t attend the performance live you missed out on this. You can hear it briefly on the broadcast, though, during the host’s introduction. Listen closely!
That being said, what you do expect to see is the full opening to the performance, do you not? It’s what brings you, as the spectator, into its universe, but can you believe that was edited out of the broadcast completely? While this statement might not be entirely true – the broadcast opened quite powerfully with “Atmadja” from Quidam”, which is a good choice, I would have loved to have heard the first song too, “Overture” from Cirque’s first show. And that’s not the only edit. Other songs are reduced in length or cut all together. “Brisa do Mar” from OVO, “Love Me Tender” from VIVA ELVIS, “Whisper” from Amaluna, and “Taruka” from Alegría aren’t shown on the broadcast at all. However, strangely enough, “Because” from The Beatles LOVE and “Earth Song” from MJ One are shown, and they’re not Cirque songs!
Watching and listening to these famed Cirque du Soleil soloists sing their hearts out is truly a treat, and we love every one of them. How fantastic is it to hear Audrey Brisson-Jutras sing anything from Quidam again, or hear Francine Poitras sing “Pokinoi”, Paul Bisson own “Volo Volando”, Mathieu Lavoie (and his leg) kill “Patzivota”, and Roxanne Potvin sing anything from “O” (I miss her!), but some of the soloist choices were a bit off key (pun intended), such as: Francine Poitras’ rendition of “Vai Vedrai” from Alegría, Estelle Esse singing “Rêve Rogue” from La Nouba, and Mathieu Lavoie singing Michael Jackson’s “Earth Song”. Just what were they thinking there?
And while I’m asking what they were thinking, some of the song choices also puzzled me greatly. Why “Ravendi” from Dralion? Why not “Miracula Aeternitatis” or “Ombra” or even “Kamande”? Why “Aftermath” from KA and not “Koudamare” instead? Why not “Banquete” from OVO? Or anything else besides “Créature de Siam” from KURIOS? And for the love of God, why not “Debbie”/”Journey of Man” from “O”?! However, “Rêve Rouge” from La Nouba, “Kaimando” from Mystère, “Hymn of the Worlds” from ZED, “Pokinoi” from Saltimbanco, “Patzivota” from Varekai, and “Volo Volando” from Corteo were right on.
Unsurprisingly, LE GRAND CONCERT ends with what arguably is Cirque’s most famous song – “Alegría” from Alegría. While the song is a fitting way to end the performance (“Soleil de Minuit” and “Delirium” ended this way), it wasn’t the end of the concert. An encore featuring the entire ensemble singing “Kumbalawé” from Saltimbanco followed, truly ending the performance. It’s unfortunate this celebratory song could not have been included in the broadcast. Or better yet, saved “Hymn of the Worlds” from ZED to bring the concert to a close; that would have been something indeed!
In the end, the broadcast of LE GRAND CONCERT exceeded my expectations in just about every way. It gave me an opportunity to see / hear the show when there would have been no other way for me to do so. For that opportunity I am grateful. My only wish now is that an official full-length recording (in HD) could be made available to fans via blu-ray disc or through Cirque’s Digital Initiatives in the near future. One can dream!
