original video posted
here
[Disclaimer: when Solal starts naming members of the band and the team, I just transcribed what the names sounded like to me. I couldn't find a list of the names of the members of the Vodka People online anywhere, so this is my effort.]Hello everyone and welcome to "Backstage Toulouse FM", the show that brings you behind the scenes of the biggest concerts. We're all familiar with "Mozart l'opéra rock", a show that was very successful in France and even in other countries thanks to its hit songs like "Tatoue-moi", "L'assasmyphonie", "Vivre à en crever" among others. Since then, Mozart l'opéra rock has made a big comeback in a different form: a concert. The biggest songs from the show have been reorchestrated in a symphonic version, with more than sixty musicians onstage, and performed, of course, by the original Troupe. Today I'll take you behind the scenes for this show, behind the scenes of "Mozart l'opéra rock, le concert" at the Zénith of Toulouse.
(Rehearsals - 4pm - Toulouse)
I was a fan of Florent right away. He's the reason I loved the musical, but then there were also the sets, the tone, I loved everything about the show, I don't know.
You know that tonight it's different, it's not the show-
It's with an orchestra.
With an orchestra, yeah, and are you still as excited?
Yes, I love concerts, I'm a huge fan of concerts.
It's totally different, they've had time to- they seem like they've gotten more confident with themselves, with their voices, and I think it's even more interesting to see them like this than in the context of the musical.
This concert was born almost two years ago. They began in eastern countries. Then they were in Tunisia, but there were so many fans who were dying to see them in concert here, so we couldn't deprive them of the pleasure because we were really enjoying it too. Onstage there are more than sixty musicians: we have the choir, we have the symphonic orchestra. It's this marriage that lets the performers be freer onstage. You can tell they're completely liberated and each one can express themselves without begin restrained by the context of the show.
Can you tell me what you're doing right now?
I'm gearing up, because we're going to rehearse. We're testing the sound now, because everyone always tests the sound. Always. Yeah. So we're going onstage, we're going to test the songs, because the orchestra needs to rehearse, to think about the rythm, because that aspect of it is difficult, being a musician. But it's great.
Yeah, we just came back from Montpellier, and now we're doing Toulouse. In Montpellier we were a little more rock-n-roll, so we know in Toulouse we're going to do the same thing. We're got to really cut loose, yeah.
So you know there are thousands of locals out there waiting for you. What are they going to see at the concert tonight?
They're going to see the skeleton, the source of Mozart l'opéra rock, which was the songs written by wonderful composers, which we really believe in, and which were really successful. That's why the album sales did so well, it went to diamond. That's what we'll do. Even during the show we were aware of that.
So we're going to talk about some images, since we're doing this interview I'm going to show you- we're going to look at some photos, and you tell me how they make you feel.
Okay. On a tablet, okay. Oh! Okay, Grand Rex. This photo, it was very, very, very- it was a magnificent moment. For the first time, we got to see our film that the Korean shot-
In 3D, right?
In 3D. It was James Cameron's team, who make all the films like Avatar, the Matrix, all the movies like-
And how does that feel, to see yourself in 3D on the big screen?
It's incredible.
I'd like to talk about the Troupe. It's been, what, more than five years that you've known each other? Has it become a family?
Well yeah! Plus, here we were with Merwan and Yamin, who we don't get to see in the concert. But we saw Marwou-
Merwan?
I just tried to say- Yamin and- Mermin! We met up with Yamin who came to see us at the PDS... well, yeah, these are my brothers and sisters.
Ah, that's our audience! Well I don't know if it's our audience, but it's the audience.
It's the audience. Fans, just in general. What do-
The audience is divided into two categories. There is the audience that carries us, and the audience that we carry. The audience that we carry was more common at the beginning. You have to get them used to it, get used to be loud, to all the shouting. But there is also the audience that cares about you, too. That means, that as soon as you get onstage, you don't have to do anything else. You're just carried on their energy.
What's the craziest gift you've gotten from a fan, from a young fan? You have a really strong link with them.
The craziest gift?
Yeah, the craziest. Something astonishing.
They've given me incredible things. They gave me a star.
In the sky? They bought a star?
Yeah, they named a star Mikelangelo Loconte. Yeah. With a-
How did you receive that? Personally?
It's strange-
That's an extraordinary gift.
Plus I think it's a part of the place where Sagittarius is, and Orion. They didn't just pick a random star.
"The Future: Next Exit". This is a nice photo.
What does that make you think?
It gives me hope. Because I can be a pretty somber person sometimes, with a dark side, that's why they chose me for Salieri, but I'm profoundly optimistic deep down. I'm profoundly humanist. I do believe in- in the people I meet. It's all the people I've met that-
Do you have doubts? Since it's such a difficult line of work?
Always, always. I saw a quote from someone, I don't remember who, that said "Emotionally, artists experience more in one year than most people do in their whole lives" and it's true. We really do, it's a rollercoaster, and sometimes it's great but to create a song-
It's extreme.
It's two extremes, both extremes. I'm a little like that, too, which is why it works for me, but no, every day we have doubts. When you're doing something like this, like Mozart, it's different. Because it's in progress, you go onstage, it's-
The songs are already there.
Yeah, the songs are already there. We have doubts, we don't know if it will work, that's why we do all this promo work, that's why we go out and say "Come on, this will be great, you've got to come see it!" But when you write, when you create, as a creator, you go through periods of a lot of doubt, and the pressure can really test your limits.
Mélissa, during hair and makeup when you're getting ready for this show, do you feel the pressure?
It's more relaxing, actually. It depends.
And what do you think about?
Nothing! I make sure I look good enough to go onstage!
Okay, my makeup is a little extreme because the show is going to start soon. You've got to look pretty, so I made myself pretty.. I'll show you around a little. So here are the musicians' dressing room, they're called the Vodka People. Here's Thierry, the conductor. François Delphin, a superb guitarist. Mathieu Raboté, we only take the best! You've got Bryce Bérion who's just behind you there. The keyboardist. You've got Laurent Cauclaire, who just lost fifteen kilos. Here's Maho, who wasn't here a minute ago.
Is it hard to work with Solal, Mikelangelo, Florent Mothe?
It's tough. Especially this character next to me-
Who is it?
This character is my friend Solal.
He's great, as you can see there's a pretty terrible ambiance in here. Here we have our dear producer, Boris Orloff, who's made this incredible experience possible and shared it with us. I was telling you earlier-
Why Mozart l'opéra rock? Why did you choose this show?
Because it's good.
It was really all because of me being in it. If it wasn't for me, none of this would have been possible.
Absolutely.
Boris, yes, he's crazy, because in these days you have to be crazy to take a chance like this. We've been extraordinarily lucky. I was telling you earlier, really, I thank you every day for giving us this opportunity. Truly.
Here we have the Ukrainian musicians who are here, mixed in with some of the members of the chorus, and the concertist- the- what? The musicians, violin, oboe, everything that makes up a philharmonic- or symphonic orchestra. Woodwinds, strings, brass, et cetera, percussion, and you have the singers, who are said to have the best bass, or low voices in the classical repertory. They're known for that. Ukranians and Russians are known for that, so we were really lucky. It's like Mikele said, every night we have to sing louder and louder to be able to compete with these marvelous voices, and to do them justice. It's an honor to perform with them, truly.
Here you have what's called catering, and it's very important, because to sing well, you have to eat well. And to eat well, we have a menu that- well we call it catering, but actually it's the cafeteria for all of the musicians, the stagehands, the singers, and I've gotta say, we eat extremely well, we're really well taken care of, and this is the team responsible. They're manning the ovens now. All of this team here, they're just- they're just- we're in Toulouse, and, and these guys, they're called Etc Etc, and they're the best catering in all of France. You can send me a check later, no worries. There you can see Mikele, who's having dinner, over there. With Florent Mothe. Yes, and our sound engineer. This is where it's happening, right here.
Everything's great, and we're really happy to be in Toulouse.
As you can see, it's not just the Vodka People who've gotten into the vodka.
Apparently they've made us [?], it's a specialty-
We don't know what it is, but we'll find out soon, during the show.
I have to let you go, because I have to go- well, I'm already in makeup, but- oh, here's Yohann, who's going to do my hair. He's going to make me even more beautiful than I already am. Out of respect for the audience who was kind enough to come see us tonight.
And the audience in Toulouse really turned out for Mozart l'opéra rock le concert. The Troupe is on tour now throughout France. This has been "Backstage", we'll see each other soon! Ciao!
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