|
Message |
| Posted By: |
UT |
| Date: |
21-Jun-2003-12:56:18 |
| Subject: |
La Fête de Musique |
Today is the Summer Solstice. In France, that means that today is one of the days the French actually get back some of the money they pay in taxes, in the form of fêtes de musique (music festivals) paid for by the government in every city, town and village in France. In small villages, they come in and build a stage in the town square, hire bands to perform, and basically everyone in the entire village comes out to dance and enjoy the music all night. In larger towns, there can be ten or twenty such stages, so as you walk from one area of town to another it's like walking through a maze of different musical styles and techniques -- you stroll from the rock 'n roll Bardo to the Algerian Gypsy music Bardo to the techno Bardo to the Renaissance string quartet Bardo to...well, you get the picture.
And in Paris? Well, as you might imagine, the city of lights goes a little crazier than usual during the fête de musique. Here's a partial list of the sights and sounds I look forward to enjoying later today and this evening:
@ In my neighborhood we probably have the biggest array of big-name talent because I live only a few blocks from the Eifel Tower and the park area that surrounds it, les Champs de Mars. Over the last few days they have erected a stage, lights and speakers worthy of a major Dead concert, and tonight on that stage I'll get to see The Gypsy Kings and a host of well-known French acts. It'll be broadcast on France 2, and because of the view from the windows in my apartment, I already have seen some of the wonders the TV audience will get to see. In the dead of night, when most people in Paris are fast asleep, the folks who run the Eifel Tower have been practicing for the lightshow they intend to put on to go with the concert. It's been so spectacular, and so bright, that it's been waking me up every night and, rather than be annoyed, I've just been getting up and pouring myself a glass of wine and sitting on my balcony to watch it. Believe me, it's a doozy -- it makes some of the lightshow effects we saw for Y2K pale by comparison.
@ By way of contrast, over in the 5th arrondissement, the Salvation Army band will be playing a program of jazz and negro spirituals, with the sound heavily modified and zapped into new realities by French DJs.
@ By the Palais Royale, the hottest band of DJs in town, known as the Gotan Project, will be doing a reprise of their now-famous tribute to the Tango. They set up a stage with a projection screen in front of the performers, and then use shadows and rear projection to create fantasmagorical images of the Tango as they themselves modify and tweak the sound of the Tango itself.
@ In the Place de la République, fairly-well-known group Simply Red will be performing with local R&B giant Cunnie Williams. Despite the Anglo-Saxon implications of the name, I have no information as to whether Cunnie is a man or a woman.
@ Near the Musée Carnavalet, in the 3rd arrondissement, there will be a program of traditional French chansons, featuring someone named Mathieu Boogaerts (which, given my weak French, I can only assume means "boogers") and someone named Camille (whom I know no more about than I do Mssr. Boogers, but I've seen photos of Camille and she's a major babe so I might drop by).
@ Near l'Odéon, there's le Festival Metal, featuring groups with names like Tales Of Blood, Ostracized, Infected, Celtic Blood, and Spectrum Of Oblivion. I left all my Goth duds back in the States, so I sadly think I'm gonna have to pass on this one.
@ In les Jardins de Luxembourg, the conductor of the European Symphony Orchestra will "open the doors of his orchestra to amateurs" for the evening's program of classical music. I may have to catch this one; I have a real fondness for bizarre blends of things that should never, in a sane world, be blended, like professional classical musicians and complete amateurs.
@ In the 18th, near Place Stalingrad, there will be an evening of Algerian performers. This is purportedly the heavy party-down area, the festivities usually lasting well into the following evening.
@ Near the Hotel de Ville, which is not really a hotel at all (go figure), there is a tribute to Hector Berlioz, to celebrate his 200th birthday. Presumably Hector himself will not be in attendance, but in Paris one never knows...
@ In the Parc Georges Brassens, someone named Jean Guldoni will be performing. Now I've never heard of Jean, but the blurb in the paper has me curious: "the dark lord of theatrical chanson makes a rare appearance." I'm having so much trouble imagining someone who performs French chansons for a living being referred to as a "dark lord" that I just might have to check it out.
@ One event I'm definitely not going to miss, just to lend my support to what I think is the most inspiring CD release I've heard of in ages, is being held at the Auber RER station in the 9th. It's called les Musiciens du Métro, and it's exactly that, an entire on-stage concert featuring the performers from an album recorded and released by the RATP (Paris' transit authority) of the best of the buskers who perform in the Métro for spare change.
@ And last but certainly not least, over in the 11th there is the annual Championship Of Air Guitar, open to the public, in which members of the audience can get up on stage and perform an air guitar solo in hopes of winning a real guitar of their own. The mind boggles at the possibilities for mirth inherent in such an event.
I could go on and on and on -- the list of performers in the paper certainly goes on and on and on. But I'll just wish you all the most wonderful of Summer Solstices yourselves, wherever you may be, and go practice for tonight. 'Scuse me while I kiss the sky...
Uncle Tantra
Juin 2003, Paris
|
The messages posted hear are those of the specific individual and may not represent the policies of Lila Publishing, the ideas of any other member of this bulletin board community or the teachings of Dr. Frederick Lenz. All copyrights are maintained by respective contributors and may not be reused without permission. By posting on this board you grant Lila Publishing a non-exclusive royalty free license under your copyright to use, store, display and reproduce your messages in whole or in part. All site assets, including these Perl scripts copyright © 1999-2002 Lila Publishing. These Perl scripts may not be directly linked to.
|
Communication Center - Version 3.50
© 1999-2002 Lila Publishing
|
