The Orchester National de France played Ravel's Boléro in confinement - Orchester National de France

  • A short version, accumulates hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube. An unprecedented success for the orchestra attached to Radio France.
  • If each musician stayed at home to record his part of the song, the adventure occupied them for several days, explains to 20 Minutes the violinist David Rivière.

It is a piece that the musicians of the National Orchestra of France know by heart. They could play it with their eyes closed, OK. But could they play it confined on their own? And yes. The video of their performance, a short version of Ravel's famous Bolero , has hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube. An unprecedented success for the orchestra attached to Radio France.

“We had the idea a week ago, and everything went very quickly. We just wanted to give people a little joy in a format that is suitable for the Web, to give the virtual image of an orchestra that still exists, ”explains violinist David Rivière.

One click and tops

Like most members of the orchestra, David Rivière was confined to Paris. Only one of the musicians is in Corsica, and quite easy to identify on the video. "It made us feel great to see each other like that, there was a lot of emotion," says the violinist. An orchestra is a small human society, there are many friendships. "

If everyone has, of course, stayed at home to record their part of the song, the adventure occupied them for several days. "We all had the same soundtrack with a" click "and" tops "on the synthesizer, to launch the different parts and be calibrated. We all played with a headset. We filmed, each on our side, with our phones and we sent everything. Then there was a great job from Dimitri Scapolan, from the video service of Radio France, who did the editing. "

The routine of loneliness

This video is also, for musicians, a way of consoling themselves for the many concerts canceled because of the epidemic. “We are like everyone else, we can't wait for it to end, and to be able to start playing together again, for an audience. This video conveys the idea that despite our relative solitudes, a communion has been made. After all, that's an orchestra. "

David Rivière explains that apart from the canceled concerts and rehearsals, the musicians' daily lives are not upset by the confinement. “The profession of musician is first and foremost solitary. There is a part of loneliness that is part of our training. When we get to the rehearsals, the musical learning has been done, alone. "

A rehearsal in videoconference?

In this context, the choice of Ravel 's Boléro seemed quite natural. “It's a rise in power with a succession of solos. For the video, we have shortened these parts, so that the format is suitable for the Web. But in the end, when all the instruments come together, it's magnificent. In the video, thanks to the editing and the music, of course, there is a real symphonic visual and sound impression. It is very successful, we are quite proud of our coup. "

However, the experience does not give musicians ideas for rehearsals, let alone concerts, in confinement. “In this difficult, even tragic period, technology still brings us something great, and allows us to maintain contact, to have access to culture. But a real symphonic rehearsal by videoconference to more than ten people is impossible. Sound accumulation on the net is complicated… ”

So for now we will have to be content with this video. While waiting for those that many other orchestras are preparing. But the National Orchestra of France has set the bar very high.

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