======================================================================= ______ _ __ _ __ / ____/___ ___________(_)___ ____ _/ /_(_)___ ____ / / / /_ / __ `/ ___/ ___/ / __ \/ __ `/ __/ / __ \/ __ \/ / / __/ / /_/ (__ ) /__ / / / / /_/ / /_/ / /_/ / / / /_/ /_/ \__,_/____/\___/_/_/ /_/\__,_/\__/_/\____/_/ /_(_) T h e U n o f f i c i a l C i r q u e d u S o l e i l N e w s l e t t e r ======================================================================= Issue #46 www.CirqueFascination.com October 2005 ======================================================================= =========== CONTENTS =========== * Cirque Buzz -- News, Rumours & Sightings * CRQ.NET -- Cirque du Soleil Online * Itinéraire -- Tour/Show Information * Special Engagement: "Cirque du Soleil to Release the KA Soundtrack" Press Release by Cirque du Soleil Musique * Special Engagement: "Rene Dupere, Composer - A Bio" Press Release by Cirque du Soleil Musique * Le Spectacle: "A Conversation with Rene Dupere (Part 1)" By: Keith Johnson - Seattle, Washington (USA) * Télémagik: "A Review of KA Extreme" By: Rich Alford - Seattle, Washington (USA) * Subscription Information * Copyright & Disclaimer ======================================================================= CIRQUE BUZZ -- NEWS, RUMOURS & SIGHTINGS ======================================================================= Cirque Back in Ink With Zink! ----------------------------- Z!nk Magazine, which featured Varekai in a photo essays last year, has done it again. Their October, 2005 issue features, along with a section celebrating 100 years of Las Vegas, photo spreads from all four current Cirque Vegas shows, totaling 90 pages. The features: "Oasis" - 18 pages - Mystere - Photos by Thiery van Biesen. Of the four, this one is the least satisfying. The Mystere characters pose in the desert, as much of the old Cirque photography of the show had also done. Here, however, the photos look artificial and many have the distinct look of Photoshop-created constructs. The characters look plopped down on the page, and not properly placed in their surroundings. Some artists and props magically hang in mid-air, others rest on rocks with impossible balance. But the articificiality does help give it a sense of fantasy. "Cold Fusion" - 22 pages - KA - Photos by Sinisha. These photos, taken on a snowy mountaintop, convey much of the energy of the show. Unlike the Mystere photos, they all look "real." Some of the shots even capture the energy so well they look like frames from a Kung-Fu movie. Very nicely done. "Naked City" - 22 pages - Zumanity - Photos by Erik A. Lang. Here are pictures inspired by acts in the show. The waterbowl girls are placed in a sudsy bathtub, the "TV Dance" amongst men. There are also some interesting shots of the cast (including the departed Spy Monkeys) shot in a Vegas sign graveyard. "Water World" - 22 pages - "O" - Photos by Howard Schatz. No location shooting here, these all seem to be taken in the Bellagio O pool. There is some time-lapse multiple imagery as well, and a few pages of smaller images taken during a show, capturing the brilliant imagery of the staging. "Cirque After Dark" - 6 pages. These include pictures of celebrities from the Zumanity premier and pictures of the Zumanity and KA premiere parties. There is also a tear-out poster included, with a shot from each show (from that shows' photo spread). If you're at all interested in high quality photos of Cirque artists, especially if you'd like to study the costuming, this comes highly recommended. For a page-by-page breakdown of what's in the issue, an excellent summary by Rod Mariano can be found on Cirque Tribune: [Source: Zink Magazine; Keith Johnson] The Bar Has Fallen Off the Edge of the Earth -------------------------------------------- After trumpeting their collaboration with Celebrity Cruises to retrofit bar areas on cruise ships, we were hopeful Cirque was finally beginning to expand on the concept of "themed environments" they had always wished for. Sorry, not going to happen, at least net yet. We had a summary all written up before we found this article which appeared October 12 in the National Post, a Canadian newspaper. It laid out the situation so well we'll just excerpt it here. "Cirque du Soleil's Big Top at Sea Not a Hit With Cruise-Goers" by Graeme Hamilton, National Post "The Cirque du Soleil, accustomed to winning over critics and audiences with its cutting-edge shows, has encountered a crowd immune to its charms: the shuffleboard set. A joint venture between the Montreal-based Cirque and Celebrity Cruises, announced with great hype last year, has been put in dry-dock after disappointing passengers on the two Cirque-themed luxury ships. "Every guest is different. I guess their expectations just weren't met," Celebrity Cruises spokeswoman Lyan Sierra-Caro said yesterday. The cruise line says it is in discussions with the Cirque "to develop a new evolution of the onboard entertainment experience." Ms. Sierra-Caro said a timeline has not been set for a return of the Cirque to the high seas. Renee-Claude Menard, a spokeswoman for Cirque du Soleil, said passengers were expecting a traditional show of acrobatics from the Cirque performers. "We have to conclude it was not for them," she said. "The attitude on a cruise ship is very different. Patrons of a cruise line lead a very organized life. They would sit there and expect a show, because that's what you do on a cruise line." She said the Cirque is in discussions with Celebrity to provide a more traditional on-board show, within the confines of a ship. The Bar at the Edge of the Earth will remain, she said, but Pez Erizo and the others have been eliminated. "We believe that it's a great bar," she said. "Was it in the right place at the right time? Maybe not." Kenneth Wong, a marketing professor at Queen's University, said a setback like the cruise-ship venture is to be expected for a creative company like Cirque du Soleil. "It's a very difficult business to be in because you're not really an act. You are trying to be a broader experience, and when you start to think about a product in those kinds of abstract terms, something that is beyond just three hours sitting in a chair, you do have to test the tangible frontiers of those boundaries from time to time." He said the flop will not have the same resonance as it would have had it been a show under the big top. "This doesn't really damage the brand. It was just one of those things they tried, it didn't work, and if anything they had the good sense to pull the plug earlier rather than later," he said." In a news item posted on www.cruisecritic.com, Celebrity spokeswoman Liz Jakeway suggested that the further tweaking will result in what "our guests ... have told us they expect from a program involving [Cirque]: acrobatic and artistic performances." The only part of the above coverage we would dispute is the headline; Cirque never intended the Bar to be a "big top at sea." And there will be something else in the offing, as the six-year alliance only began in 2004. The extensive decorations and technical installations made in both ships bars will remain, as will the on-board Cirque boutiques selling shirts, masks, CDs and DVDs. We have to say we're not too surprised. Celebrity is an upscale cruise line and as such attracts an older clientele. We suspected that said customer would have a hard time getting past the idea that this Cirque du Soleil "thing" isn't a "show" and wouldn't have clowns/trapeze artists/strongmen/jugglers. Such is the baggage the name Cirque du Soleil brings with it, and part of the challenge of breaking out of that mold into other forms of entertainment. But, dear reader, don't fret. For those who didn't have the chance to experience this special Cirque environment, we at Fascination! are here to sacrifice time and money to make sure you get the story! Keith and wife LouAnna took the Summit on an Alaska cruise back in September, and documented the Bar at the Edge of the Earth in excruciating detail. Look for our first installment in a future issue. And, if we can speculate, expect Celebrity to announce some sort of Cirque du Soleil "collaboration" that would more easily fit into their shipboard theaters at some point in the future. [Source: National Post.com, Cruise Critic.com, Celebrity.com; Keith Johnson] Unconfirmed Corteo Dates ------------------------ Kit Chatham, Corteo's percussionist, has listed Corteo's future itinerary. Please keep in mind these dates are unconfirmed by Cirque du Soleil: Phoenix, AZ -- March 16 - April 9, 2006 New York City, NY -- April 25 - June 25, 2006 Chicago, IL --July 14 - August 27, 2006 Boston, MA --Sept. 8 - Oct. 15, 2006 Santa Monica, CA -- Nov. 3 - Jan. 7, 2007 For more information about Kit Chatham, visit her website at < http://www.kitchatham.com/cirque.html >. In the Ring ----------- According to MousePlanet, a leading Disney fansite, La Nouba is having a tough time filling its seats. You can read the blurb about this at the following link: < http://www.mouseplanet.com/ parkupdates/wdw/wdw051017.htm >, however, I will point out that this time of year is generally slow for all the theme parks in Central Florida. Unconfirmed Varekai Cities: After Miami, Varekai is scheduled to visit Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton. And, due to difficult contract negotiations with Fuji (sponsors of Cirque in Japan), Varekai will go Down Under ("Australia") before visiting the Land of the Rising Sun ("Japan"). ======================================================================= CRQ.NET -- CIRQUE DU SOLEIL ONLINE ======================================================================= This Month in Cirque Club (By: Keith Johnson) ------------------------- Cirque Club is all over the release of the KA soundtrack (and so are we, as our exclusive interview with René Dupéré starts below!). They feature samples from all the tracks on the album, as well as a welcome bonus; an interview with Dupéré and 17 minutes of audio commentary about several of the tracks. There's also an article on the Tibetan trumpets featured as props (though not heard musically) in the show. News bits also include comments about Monterrey Mexico, and the second generation of Alice, the snail prop from Mystère. And they have another contest, this one to see La Nouba (but you have to be a resident of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina or Alabama only). Zumanity.com has switched things up a bit; they've given "Madame" a section of her own for letters, comments and features. You can also sign up to get Zumanity-specific news. And there's a featured interview with several cast members about changes over the two years of the shows production. In addition to several new items in different categories, the Cirque Boutique now has the KA soundtrack and KA Extreme DVD available. In Cirque Club Marketing Messages: Anne-Josée discussing Saltimbanco in Mexico: "We are very happy to be in Mexico City and simply thrilled to have been invited to participate in the upcoming las Lunas Del Auditorio Awards Ceremony! For this very special event we will be showcasing two acts from Saltimbanco performed by Andrei, Oxana, Dasha and Maxsim Vintilov. The Vintilov family has been with Cirque du Soleil for the past 10 years. When they first joined, Maxsim was not even born yet. Andrei and Oxana have seen their children grow into wonderful artists and now perform Adagio with their 5 year-old son, Maxsim, while their 15 year- old daughter, Dasha, performs the Solo Trapeze. This gala will be televised on Televista, TV Axteca or Canal 22 during the week of October 3." And Madame popped up to announce her new Zumanity.com section: "Perhaps you have noticed that I now have my very own section outside the Cirque Club. You can now manage your Zumail profile on zumanity.com (and perhaps create a new persona with a new pseudonym) and keep a separate profile in Cirque Club on cirquedusoleil.com." Above text courtesy of Cirque Club. La Presse --------- 1. ["Singularly Cirque" - Hartford Courant profile of Varekai ] < http://www.ctnow.com/stage/hce-cirquedusoleil.artsep 18,0,4932719.story?coll=hce-headlines-stage-top > 2. [ "Massive Damage Nixes Early Signs of Hope for Beau Rivage Casino" - from USA today ] < http://www.usatoday.com/travel/hotels/2005-10-10-katrina- beaurivage_x.htm > 3. [ "Cirque du Soleil Cancels Two Saturday Performances Due to Flu" - From Grand Forks Herald ] < http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/12794282.htm > 4. [ "Cirque du Soleil Costume Shop Work Never Done - ThisWeek ] < http://www.thisweeknews.com/thisweek.php?edition=common &story=thisweeknews/082505/common/News/082505-News- 643715.html > ======================================================================= ITINÉRAIRE -- TOUR/SHOW INFORMATION ======================================================================= [Touring Shows] Alegría: * Tokyo, Japan: Oct 13, 2005 to Nov 27, 2005 * London, England: Jan 5, 2006 to Jan 29, 2006 * Milan, Italy: Feb 23, 2006 to Apr 16, 2006 * Rome, Italy: Apr 27, 2006 to Jun 25, 2006 * Amsterdam, Netherlands: Jul 14, 2006 to Aug 20, 2006 * Brussels, Belgium: Aug 31, 2006 to Sep 28, 2006 Corteo: * Minneapolis, Minnesota: Sep 23, 2005 to Oct 23, 2005 * San Francisco, California: Nov 11, 2005 to Jan 8, 2006 * San Jose, California: Jan 19, 2006 to Mar 5, 2006 Dralion: * Zurich, Switzerland: Sep 8, 2005 to Nov 6, 2005 * Bilbao, Spain: Nov 18, 2005 to Dec 4, 2005 * Seville, Spain: Jan 12, 2006 to Jan 29, 2006 * Valencia, Spain -- TBA Quidam: * Hong Kong, China: Nov 3, 2005 to Dec 4, 2005 * San Diego, California: Jan 19, 2006 to Feb 26, 2006 Saltimbanco: * Mexico City, Mexico: Sep 22, 2005 to Nov 6, 2005 * Guadalajara, Mexico: Nov 24, 2005 to Dec 11, 2005 Varekai: * Charlotte, North Carolina: Oct 27, 2005 to Nov 20, 2005 * St. Petersburg, Florida: Dec 1, 2005 to Dec 18, 2005 * Miami, Florida: Jan 20, 2006 to Feb 12, 2006 [Resident Shows] La Nouba: * Two shows Nightly - 6:00pm and 9:00pm * Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark Sunday/Monday * Location: Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando (USA) * 2005 Dark Dates: -- October 9th - 12th -- December 4th - 13th -- November 13th - 15th Mystère: * Two shows Nightly - 7:30pm/10:30pm; Sundays: 4:30pm/7:30pm * Performs: Wednesday through Sunday, Dark Monday/Tuesday * Location: Treasure Island, Las Vegas (USA) * 2005 Dark Dates: -- November 13th "O": * Two shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 10:30pm * Performs: Wednesday through Sunday, Dark Monday/Tuesday * Location: Bellagio, Las Vegas (USA) * 2005 Dark Dates: -- October 16th - 18th -- December 5th - 20th Zumanity: * Two Shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 10:30pm * Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark: Sunday/Monday * Location: New York-New York, Las Vegas (USA) * 2005 Dark Dates: -- October 10th - 13th -- December 7th - 22nd KÀ: * Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 10:30pm * Performs: Friday through Tuesday, Dark Wednesday/Thursday * Location: MGM Grand: City of Entertainment, Las Vegas (USA) * Note: One show nightly at 8:00pm from Nov 26 to Dec 7. * 2005 Dark Dates: -- November 14th - 15th ======================================================================= SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT: "Cirque du Soleil to Release the KA Soundtrack" Press Release by Cirque du Soleil Musique ======================================================================= CIRQUE DU SOLEIL MUSIQUE TO RELEASE THE KÀ SOUNDTRACK CD Composed by René Dupéré, KÀ features epic music reminiscent of classic movie soundtracks [On] October 18th, Cirque du Soleil Musique will announce the release of the KÀ soundtrack, its most ambitious musical project to date. while remaining firmly rooted in Cirque du Soleil musical tradition, the recording featuring a 57-piece symphony orchestra and 40-member choir creates a unique musical universe both epic and lyrical. The powerful percussion and distinctive sound invites comparisons with classic movie soundtracks creating "a rich soundtrack that lives up to the overarching eye-candy on display", says Variety. To create this sound, KÀ was recorded at the renowned Paramount Studios in Los Angeles and in Montreal, where Cirque du Soleil is based. Hollywood veteran Simon Leclerc, the conductor for Star Trek: Voyager and Enterprise, the play Les Misérables and the Quebec production Dracula, conducted the orchestra in Los Angeles. Composer René Dupéré has been part of Cirque du Soleil since the very beginning. KÀ is the first work Dupéré has composed for Cirque du Soleil since 1994's Alegría, the best-selling Cirque du Soleil recording to date. Dupéré is proud of his new creation, currently showing at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. "We pulled out all the stops in the making of this album, and the result is, I believe, a record of the highest quality," says Dupéré. The album KÀ is worthy of the show that Time magazine called "bigger than Vegas." Both the stage production and the soundtrack called for highly innovative use of musical technology. Says Martin Lord-Ferguson, co- producer of the recording: "Technological innovation, artistic audacity and technical prowess are all features of KÀ that the soundtrack had to reflect." The KÀ CD is on sale now at www.cirquedusoleil.com and will be in stores on October 18, 2005. CIRQUE DU SOLEIL MUSIQUE Cirque du Soleil Musique handles the creation, production and sale of music from Cirque du Soleil shows, and develops the international careers of promising and proven recording artists. Since its inception in 2004, Cirque du Soleil Musique has released five recordings: Le Best Of, Tapis Rouge(tm) Solarium, ZUMANITY(tm), Solarium/Delirium and Mouvement by Alain Vinet, and has re-issued the soundtracks for the stage productions of Saltimbanco, Alegría, Mystère, La Nouba, Dralion, "O", Quidam and Varekai. Cirque du Soleil albums have sold more than 3.5 million copies worldwide. ======================================================================= SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT: "Rene Dupere, Composer - A Bio" Press Release by Cirque du Soleil Musique ======================================================================= René Dupéré, composer - Cirque du Soleil - KÀ Transcending geographic and stylistic boundaries, composer René Dupéré has sold over two million CDs worldwide. He composed the music for several of Cirque du Soleil's best selling productions and recordings, including Saltimbanco, Mystère and Alegría. After a ten year absence, Dupéré returned to the Cirque du Soleil fold with KÀ, which opened in February 2005 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV. A multi-faceted musician and composer, René Dupéré has developed a musical style that weds classical structure with the modern sound of synthesizers and the exotic flavors of world music. Equally comfortable composing for live productions, film and television work, and the recorded medium, he stamps his work with originality and strong personality. After the success of 1994's Alegría, which spent 65 weeks on the Billboard World Music chart earning him a Grammy(tm) Nomination in the U.S. and two Felix Awards in Canada, Dupéré was the subject of a tribute at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, which was attended by 200,000 people. Since 1995 Dupéré has continued composing for recording artists, live productions, advertising, film and television. His works have earned many accolades, including a Golden Award for "Ismya Vova", composed for an Air Canada ad campaign, the SOCAN Hagood Hardy Award (for instrumental music), and an ADISQ (l'Association du disque et du spectacle du Québec) nomination for "La belle est dans ton camp", the second album which he composed, arranged and performed for former Cirque du Soleil vocalist Élise Velle. He has also composed the scores for the films OIO, and La Peau Blanche, the live productions "Colours of Dance" (Holiday on Ice), "Xotika", as well as the score of the celebration for the unification of Hong Kong with China in 1997. Dupéré's compositions are timeless and without geographic limitations. KÀ, the sixth Cirque du Soleil production for which he has composed the music, features the most ambitious soundtrack produced yet by Cirque du Soleil Musique. The storyline for KÀ reads as a live epic film and Dupéré's music reflects this, featuring a 40-member choir and a 57-piece symphonic orchestra. It was recorded (in part) at the Paramount Studios in Hollywood, CA. KÀ is a resident show at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV. The KÀ soundtrack, composed by René Dupéré, will be released on the Cirque du Soleil Musique label on October 18, 2005. ======================================================================= LE SPECTACLE: "A Conversatin with Rene Dupere (Part 1)" By: Keith Johnson - Seattle, Washington (USA) ======================================================================= Before Cirque du Soleil, the world of circus music was populated by brass bands and marshal music arrangements. Certainly there were occasional forays into the unusual, but it was Cirque that pioneered the concept of bringing more modern, more "world-music" sounds into a circus context. Winning accolades and influencing countless others, it is the music of Cirque du Soleil that, through the ears, prepares the mind for the wonders about to unfold before the eyes. This is a tribute not only to René Dupéré, Benoit Jutras, Violaine Corradi, and other Cirque composers, but also to Cirque's ability to mesh all the elements of circus and stagecraft into a magical whole. Continuing on that tradition, and featuring a 40-member choir and 57- piece symphonic orchestra, the soundtrack CD for KÀ, the latest "resident" show at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, has been proclaimed by Cirque du Soleil as their "most ambitious musical project to date." It also marks the triumphant return to the fold of its first composer, René Dupéré (Ren-ay Du-pair-ay). Every Cirque fan with more than a few soundtrack CDs in their collection knows Dupéré's name and have appreciated his music. His sound, with its lyrical nature and ethnic music influences, set the standard for Cirque shows to follow and gave the new circus its distinctive flavor. He has also had quite a successful career outside of the circus, with collaborations with his wife Élise Velle as well as other work. Recently he very graciously took the time to speak with us from a secluded resort in Québec, where he and Élise were working on material for a new project for Élise. In Part One of our two-part exclusive interview, we talk about the new KÀ soundtrack CD, due to be released in the US on October 18 and currently available in the Cirque du Soleil Boutique (item #506615, $19.50 USD). Mr. Dupéré started by explaining how he came to the KÀ project. "My first career was as a teacher, the first job in my second career as composer was for Cirque du Soleil. I worked ten years with Guy Laliberté and the circus and left [after Alegría] in 1994. I wanted to do something other than circus music. But I told [Cirque] that if they had a special project, that wasn't under the big top and wouldn't really include that kind of music that I [would be interested]." "So I worked in different fields of music including movies, television series, advertising, all that stuff. Around the end of March, 2004, Guy Laliberté called and said they were looking for a composer for the KÀ show in Las Vegas. When I asked him what kind of show it was he invited me to a run-through the day after, just before the cast left for Vegas. So I went to the studio in Montréal and watched the run- through and realized that it was a huge show, a live movie on the stage. The idea I had for the music was of a movie soundtrack, a mix between Lord of the Rings and Matrix. I called Guy back and told him my idea was to have the music treated as a soundtrack, and the references to the Lord of the Rings and Matrix seemed to appeal to him, so we agreed on that and I started working." "I started the next morning, with the idea of a movie soundtrack. For two months I stayed at home alone with my computers, composing. Nobody heard a single note, not even [partner] Martin Lord Ferguson or [show director] Robert Lepage. I wanted to propose at least half to two-thirds of the show in terms of demos and sounds that they would like to hear." "I started writing very fast, because I came into the process very late. Normally [the composer is hired] one year before opening night; when I joined the show [in March, 2004] the opening night was supposed to be the end of July. But it was later postponed to November, and we were happy about that (laughs)." Fast forward to May of 2004. "After two months, I had almost two- thirds of the show written in terms of the themes that were used. Then I sent the demos to Robert, and I had Guy and Martin listen as well. The only thing Guy told me was to be careful not to be too dramatic, because the show itself was dramatic. That was good advice, but he had heard only the dramatic music, not the music for the clowns. And there is some comic relief and poetic release in the show. [In the end] it went quite well, and the show is quite balanced in terms of emotion, [with] comic stuff and dramatic music, too." "Then I moved to Vegas, and Robert and I would talk almost every day. I'd adjust things, compose other things and cut things that I had already composed [due to changes in the show]. Just working and readjusting the music for the scenes with direction from the director. And since Martin and I work very fast, we could propose something [new in one or two days]. Then it was just a matter of putting it into the machine and putting the music in the theater. We realized that in two to six weeks we would be able to do any big change. Small changes could be done with the musicians on the spot." Many Cirque fans have been interested in what happens in that maelstrom of activity, the creation process, especially with a show whose scope and ambitions are so large. Dupéré explains, "It's always a work in progress. The difficulty [comes in] making things happen with the technology, because things are so big, you can't make changes [quickly]. For example, if you want to change the lighting for one scene and you have 2000 lights it's quite a chore, you can't do that in two hours. For some people it was a little difficult to work in that kind of "work in process." I had no problem." And working with show director, Robert Lepage? "I've known Robert for 20 years. I saw his first show ("Circulations") in Québec City 25 years ago. I really had fun working with him because I like people who are able to explain their demands. If they want something, and they can give you the right explanation, they give you a direction, like a movie director. And working that way with Robert was really interesting." Critical to the endeavor is Mr. Dupéré's partner, Martin Lord Ferguson. "He's my co-arranger and mixer. He's a fantastic mixer; he's been working with Pro Tools since he was a kid. I'm the composer and arranger, and he co-arranges with me and makes the sound bigger than I would have been able to. He's a very important person for me because when you do this kind of show - even if the music is really good - if it doesn't sound good, it shows." In prior interviews, Dupéré has commented that Cirque du Soleil is made up of 10% gamblers. We asked what gambles have been taken with this show. "The gamble of putting on a $200 million USD show (the theater and the show) and hoping that it will work is a big gamble. On my side the gamble was to include pre-recorded music in a live show. I wanted to include a choir and symphonic orchestra, with live musicians playing along with those tracks." "We have 32 tracks of audio on a hard disk running with the show, and nine musicians playing live. [The tracks are loaded in] a machine that allows you to move from one part of a song to another [seamlessly]. That was the biggest challenge, because you don't want the machine to crash in the middle of a show. It was really a technical feat to accomplish, and it works very well." To accomplish that feat, they first had to record the samples. "We recorded the orchestra and chorus in two steps. The biggest part of the music was done in Montréal in August, 2004. Then I realized I could put more choir in the Forest and Cliff scenes. So I came back to Montréal after the previews started (on November 26), and in December we recorded more choir music which we put [into the show] in January, just before opening night." How are the 32 tracks of pre-recorded audio prepared for playing in sync with a band in an unpredictable, live show atmosphere? Mr. Dupéré explained the process. "We first recorded the symphonic orchestra and choir on 32 tracks. Then we'd cut the songs into chunks of music. We'd cut a chunk from Bar 1 to Bar 8, and from Bar 8 to Bar 10, and another from Bar 10 to Bar 27. If you have a melody that lasts eight bars, you know you can't cut the melody in two. But you can repeat the last two bars of the bridge after that section two, three, four times depending on what's happening on the stage. So, if at Bar 10 we have a problem, and we want to repeat Bars 8 to 10 [the conductor pushes a button] and it goes back to Bar 8. Otherwise it would continue non-stop." "The hope is to not have to repeat any sequence because everything will go fine. But if you want to improvise on a sequence you just repeat that one chunk and when you're finished you just let the music go. The beauty is that you can cross fade from one section to another, from one bar to another, from one song to another, as long as you have previewed it. We desperately needed that kind of [technology] because we wanted to use those 32 pre-recorded tracks in the show." "The machine we use is called a Symphonia. It's already widely used in musicals in New York." And it's versatile. "For instance, if the oboe player is sick you can just replace him with a sampler. The machine follows the music, it can slow down and speed up, and you can switch from one section to another. In KÀ, we have a sampled symphonic orchestra and a sampled choir. And we have a lot of percussion played live by the band. And [we can be] flexible throughout the show." But when it came time to record the soundtrack CD, they didn't just go back to those original 32 tracks of orchestra and choir. They recorded entirely new tracks with a new orchestra and chorus, to be mixed in with the already recorded samples. "The CD soundtrack was recorded at Paramount [about mid-July to early-August, 2005]. We can put these recordings into the show if needed, but the show sounds very good with the very special samplings that I used. And we did a lot of mixing between our samples and the [newly recorded] real orchestra so [the CD] sounds bigger. We took the best of both worlds." They did not use the shows live musicians or singers, however. "We didn't have time to go to Vegas and add [them] to the CD. The opening night was February 3rd, 2005, and we started working on the CD the week after. With rehearsing in the afternoon and performing two shows a night, five nights a week, they are exhausted. It would have been a chore for them to do the CD." "We wanted to do something else with the singers as well. The CD is telling the story a certain way and the show is telling it another way [with the added visual element]. We didn't really want the same singers because we treated some songs quite differently; we even transposed a couple of things." Some fans have wondered, if a recording doesn't include the musicians involved in the creation process, can it truly be representative of the show? Dupéré notes that, "We didn't want to [replicate] the show on the CD. Because the format is different we added things that were intended more for the CD than the show, and the editing of the songs is different. But the color is the same. So you have orchestra, choir and percussion, and we added little spices on top of that." Mr. Dupéré has said that soundtrack CD's should be "inspired by" the shows yet be able to stand on their own. Fans have suggested that the last couple of CDS releases, Varekai and Zumanity, have seemed to be on the outer edge of that in terms of taking the original source material and going in a somewhat different direction. Mr. Dupéré agrees, noting, "We were aware of that, we knew that Zumanity and Varekai were, I wouldn't say bizarre mixes, but were [different in] the conception of the CD itself. I think it's even more obvious with Zumanity, because "inspired by" is written on the CD cover. We didn't want that to be written on the KÀ [CD cover]." "Although there are 16 pieces of music [on the CD], there are 10 to 12 that are really in the color of the show. You can recognize not only the color of the show but the moment where that music is used. And I thought that was obviously the way to do it. This is a show soundtrack, not a [pop soundtrack] with songs, a lot of airplay, techno stuff. Maybe we could [alter the songs] for radio airplay, but that wasn't our purpose. Not that we didn't want airplay. But basically the format is a soundtrack so it has to reflect the color of the show. Since the features of the music are the symphonic orchestra and choir we couldn't avoid them (laughs). It was the only way to treat the music." There are also three "conventional" songs at the end of the CD. The first one, "If I Could Reach Your Heart" is sung by wife Élise Velle, and there are two additional "bonus" tracks, "We've Been Waiting So Long", and "Reach for Me Now." "We realized there wouldn't be any songs that would be [suitable] for airplay. So we tried to include some songs without interfering with the concept we had for the soundtrack. It was important for us that the CD goes from track 1 to 14, and the last song, sung in English and an invented language by Élise, is the end of the CD, and it's sort of a turning point to go somewhere else. Then [there are] seven seconds of silence and this leads to the other two bonus songs that are in English. We really wanted to treat those last two songs like bonus tracks, because that's what they are." "They don't reflect the show because their purpose is to [carry on] themes that are in the show, but give another color. So the music has another color and the singer is different. "We've Been Waiting So Long" is based on the melody from "Shadowplay", and "Reach for Me Now" is based on the melody of "Deep." When played with a piano, sort of a Vangelis type of sound, it's the same song in a different musical world." In fact, it's wife Élise that brings the CD full circle by singing "If I Could Reach Your Heart," which is based on the melody of the first track she also sings, "O Makunde." "It "loops" the CD. And after that there are two songs that are something quite different." Is there any music missing from the CD that he wanted to include? "There were a couple of things I would have liked to include. At the very beginning of the show there's a sort of "once upon a time" music. But we didn't know where to put it, because we really wanted the CD to start with Élise singing "O Makunde", and ending with the English version of that and the two bonus tracks. So I didn't really know where to put this "once upon a time" song." While that didn't fit the concept of the CD as it was envisioned, they might still see the light of the laser. "We might do something for the first anniversary of KÀ next February. We might do a sort of an anniversary album and include two or three extra things, we haven't decided yet. I would include that "once upon a time" music and maybe a medley of different songs that are not used in the CD but are used in the show." What does Dupéré believe are the roots of KÀ's music? "I think this is more of a soundtrack than anything else. The roots would be my classical training and studies, and ethnic music. I've always been crazy about ethnic music. And some modern influences like techno and hip-hop, though they aren't really present, are in the show and are on the CD as well." And how would René Dupéré define his own music, what's his signature? "Modernity and lyricism, I think. I've often said it's a mix of Pink Floyd and Brahms. I also tell people that I'm sort of a romantic 19th century musician with 20th century technology." "And I must say that world culture is a part of my music, because I'm really aware of cultures, music from around the world. [Beginning when] I was seven my parents taught me about music. We had opera, and we had Cuban music from the fifties; Perez Prado, Xavier Cugat, that kind of mambo music. I remember being exposed to all kinds of music. And when I went to college there were priests that were really aware of different kinds of music, from Japan to Yugoslavia to Bulgaria, and they had us listen to [it all]. So I've been in contact with a lot of different musical cultures from early on and I think it shows in my music. With classical structure, that's really important to me." * * * In Part Two of our exclusive interview, we get to the Cirque Du Soleil fannish questions. We talk about Fanfafonie, the "new" Saltimbanco soundtrack, song remixes, and how he would fill his own "Best of" album. Don't miss it! My sincere thanks go to: Mr. René Dupéré, for so graciously spending time with us, Denis Barnabé, Sales and Marketing Manager (for the initial contact), and Micheline Nalette, Media and Communications Coordinator (for arranging the details), both from Cirque du Soleil Musique, And my wife LouAnna for putting up with my sometimes obsessive hobby. ======================================================================= TÉLÉMAGIK: "A Review of KA Extreme" By: Rich Alford - Seattle, Washington (USA) ======================================================================= Documentary time 46:25, UPC code: 4-0000506550-7 When asked to review this DVD at first I was thrilled. As I started to actually write I found it was going to be much more difficult that I thought. I wanted to give a moment-by-moment description (almost a transcription) which, frankly, would have been a huge injustice to it. Instead, I'll share a few highlights to give you an idea of what to expect (and what not to expect). For me, Cirque du Soleil's KA is far and away THE best Cirque show in Las Vegas. I have a great affection for Mystere and "O" and feel they are absolutely spectacular. Zumanity is what it is but, that's another story. KA is something so different, inventive and moving that it's taken the top spot as my favorite show. When the KA Extreme DVD became available, I rushed to get it. My initial hope was that it would be in the vein of "Fire Within." While it's not that, it IS (in my opinion) very well done, very interesting and provides a lot of insight from the directors, actors and acrobats. I found it to be informative and interesting and has me wanting to see KA, yet again, to look for little details that the DVD has brought to my attention. The DVD has two main chapters, the KA Extreme documentary and "Bonus Features". The KA Documentary is a compilation of discussions with the Director and Creator of KA, Robert Lepage, and other creators, "behind the scenes" folks, and artists from the show. We get insight from Lepage as to how he came up with the vision of a show with inverted worlds and anti-gravity. We hear from Mark Fisher, Theatre and Set Designer for KA, how the theater came together and how everyone worked to deliver a show performed not on a stage but in a void. We see the renovation of the KA Theater at the MGM Grand and get some insights as to its design and function. One VERY interesting aspect of the theater is the stage used in the void. The main stage, a 25X50 foot platform weighing more than 100 thousand pounds, can go completely vertical, rotate, spin, raise, lower and move in almost every direction. We see the moment the cast is introduced to the stage and get a glimpse of their excitement as they see it all come to life. We also see some of the particular safety measures and challenges this show has given the designers and how, as usual, Cirque has come up with innovative solutions. Jonathan Deans, Sound Designer, speaks about how big a part sound plays in the production. He mentions there are in excess of 2,400 speakers in the auditorium, and how they can have sound come at you, go through you, come from you, come down from above, how there can be direct sound, direct music, and on and on. I got the impression that the sound design for KA was much more ambitious than the other shows. As a Software Engineer, I found the comments of Holger Forterer, Interactive Projections Designer, very interesting. I wasn't aware that the visual effects, such as the bubbles and the textures of the stage were interactive projections, very advanced technology. When he said, "...we plugged in the numbers and it just worked, we're not sure why..." I was amazed. We hear from the designers and directors of every aspect of the production, from lighting and rigging to costume, makeup and technology, to name a few. We learn of the challenges they faced and the innovative and creative solutions they came up with to create the world of KA. I enjoyed hearing "tidbits" from these folks. I learned, for example, the working name of the production (before KA) was "Duality," and the creators insights into why that name was meaningful (you'll have to watch the DVD). Much of this type of history and information is scattered through the DVD. We hear from several of the artists and acrobats talking about the enormity of the production, how it feels to be a part of a show of this size and caliber and how they had to overcome their own personal fears to perform "in the void". There are many excellent visuals from the production as well as rehearsals. We see behind the scenes and learn a few of the secrets that make this show so amazing. While no documentary could ever be "complete", this one gives enough insight to provide a little more understanding of the origins of the show as well as an appreciation for the work you see (and the work that goes on behind the scenes). I absolutely recommend this DVD to everyone. I believe it's totally appropriate to see the DVD before seeing the show itself. Anyone who sees the DVD and hasn't seen the show will find themselves even more excited to actually experience KA. And if, like me, you've already seen KA a few times, you'll be ready to back and experience it again. The DVD also includes these Bonus Features: The Creators of KA - 3 minutes - Basically a photo album of the people who created, directed and supported the production. There are also some interesting original concept drawings Excerpts of the Music of KA. - There are two songs, "Cliff" (6 minutes) and "Baton" (3:30), both composed by René Dupéré and are featured on the KA CD. (Note that the DVD states that the versions are preliminary and may differ from the final CD version, so these could be considered "early mixes.") Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas - A preview video (similar to what's played in the gift shops) from each of the Cirque shows in Las Vegas. Each show gets about 1:30 to 2 minutes each, for a total of about 7:30. Cirque on DVD - 4:45 - Previews of the current catalog of Cirque DVD's available. Cirque du Soleil Music - 1:00 - An advertisement for the current catalog of CD's available. Cirque Club - 0:30 - An advertisement to join with a cool advertisement about the web site. I felt my money was well spent by adding this to my Cirque DVD collection. While there is never really enough, what there is I found to be informative and enjoyable. Seeing the "behind the scenes" efforts of the artists and crew, learning of the visions and dreams of the creators and getting a glimpse of the work that went into this production just makes it all the more special and "personal." Not only did I get "my monies worth," I think I'll get more value and enjoyment out of the next time I see KA. ======================================================================= PARTING QUOTE ======================================================================= ======================================================================= SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION ======================================================================= Fascination! is a monthly newsletter, available through subscription via Yahoo! Groups or on the World Wide Web in text format at the newsletter's website: < http://www.CirqueFascination.com/ >. To subscribe, please send an email to: < CirqueFascination- subscribe@yahoogroups.com >. To unsubscribe, please send an email to: < CirqueFascination-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com >. To view back issues, or other online Newsletter content, please visit us at: < http://www.CirqueFascination.com/ >. Have a comment, question or concern? Email the Fascination! Newsletter staff at: < CirqueFasincation-owner@yahoogroups.com >. We are anxious to hear any and all comments! ======================================================================= COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER ======================================================================= "Fascination!" is Ricky Russo, Keith Johnson, and Wayne Leung. "Fascination! Newsletter" is a concept by Ricky Russo. Copyright (c) 2001-2005 Ricky Russo, published by Vortex/RGR Productions, a subsidiary of Communicore Enterprises. No portion of this newsletter can be reproduced, published in any form or forum, quoted or translated without the consent of the "Fascination! Newsletter." By sending us correspondence, you give us permission (unless otherwise noted) to use the submission as we see fit, without remuneration. All submissions become the property of the "Fascination! Newsletter." "Fascination! Newsletter" is not affiliated in any way with Cirque du Soleil. Cirque du Soleil and all its creations are Copyright (c) and are registered trademarks (TM) of Cirque du Soleil, Inc., and Créations Méandres, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No copyright infringement intended. =======================================================================