HOMMAGE A GAINSBOURG

Of all European destinations, Monaco must rate amongst the most opulent. A principality with a dense population of around 30,000, it is home to a considerable number of celebrity exiles, lured by the zero income tax rate.

One of the most famous native Monégasques is Princess Stéphanie who, along with her brother Prince Albert II, the head of state, and sister Caroline, the Princess of Hanover, continues to represent the ruling Grimaldi family with style, flair... and the occasional dose of controversy.

Branded a ‘wild child’ throughout her youth, Stéphanie, now 43, has at one time or another made the headlines as a pop star, a model and swimwear designer. But it is her more recent involvement in the battle against the AIDS virus that has commanded front page attention in the region.

Her Fight AIDS Monaco foundation was launched a few years ago with the fund-raising single ‘L’or de nos Vies’, featuring herself amongst a group of renowned French pop artists. In 2007, this was followed by the first Fight AIDS Monaco live event — a successful one-off production of Le Roi Soleil, based on the Parisian musical comedy hit, at Monaco’s splendid Grimaldi Forum.

With the aim of establishing an annual event, Stéphanie and her team returned to the versatile beachfront venue this year on March 20 with another production, Hommage à Gainsbourg — a tribute to the music of famed songwriter Serge Gainsbourg who died in 1991 at the age of 62.

Performed as a matinee for local schoolchildren and again at an evening gala, the show was co-hosted by the Gallic legend’s widow and professional partner Jane Birkin (who can forget the duo’s steamy 1969 No.1 hit ‘Je T’aime...Moi Non Plus’?), and Jenifer who has earned widespread chart success since winning France’s Star Academy TV talent show in 2002.

Other stars in the colourful cast included Maurane, Martin Rappeneau, Elie Semoun, Passi, Vitaa, Patrick Bruel, Adrienne Pauly, David Halliday, Lââm, Alizée, Agnès Jaoui, members of the previous year’s Le Roi Soleil company and Princess Stéphanie herself. They were all accompanied by a full rock band and the Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra.

The show was directed, designed and choreographed by Kamel Ouali, and arrangements of Gainsbourg’s songs (including ‘La Javanaise’, ‘Couleur Café’, ‘Comic Strip’, ‘Vieille Canaille’ and ‘Requiem pour un Con’) were by musical director Jean-Félix Lalanne.

DIGITAL AUDIO
Leading digital console manufacturer InnovaSon was involved in the 2007 production of Le Roi Soleil as an official technical partner and supplier of consoles, and was invited back by Sam Smadja of technical production company SB Productions for this year’s event.

Smadja said: “The complete InnovaSon solution provided last year was so perfect in every way that we would not wish to deprive ourselves of it this year. Our sound designer, Jean-Philippe Bonnichon, won’t hear of any other system!”

There were four InnovaSon consoles on duty — two Sy80s in monitor world, operated by Jean-Jacques Dialo, and another Sy80 paired with an Sy48 at FOH, on which Jean-Philippe Bonnichon mixed. With only minimal space in which to work, the compact nature of the desks was much appreciated by the production team.

One of the Sy80s was provided by top French rental firm Dispatch, and the other (free of charge) by Leon van Ampel, general manager of Ales-based rental outfit SLS, who recently purchased two models. The Sy48s were supplied directly by InnovaSon.

There were two EtherSound networks running from the FOH position — one handling 64 channels from the orchestra (mixed on the Sy48), and another for 48 channels of band and vocal inputs (mixed on the adjacent Sy80). Eight stereo pre-mixes were made of the classical instruments and sent to the networks for each console to access.

Each InnovaSon console featured two of the recently-released FM-8VB effects plug-in cards. An 8-in/8-out module, the FM-8VB was built on original algorithms from VB Audio and features a powerful DSP engine, allowing the user to run up to four digital effects per channel simultaneously.

Users have access to a wide range of high-quality effects (reverb, delay, de-esser, limiter, etc), and promised very soon is the StripTool feature, a vintage design channel strip that provides fast and easy access to a full range of audio processing with a warm analogue feel.

Compatible with all InnovaSon audio racks and controlled via Sensoft, further processing capability comes in the form of the UM-8PO universal output module which combines analogue and digital-processed outputs, and replaces all previous output modules from InnovaSon.

Equipped with eight XLR outputs that are configurable (in pairs) as analogue, AES or ADAT, each output offers a powerful and comprehensive range of processing, including 31-band graphic EQ.

Such is the potency of the effects offered by the FM-8VB that the FOH outboard rack (supplied for stand-by use) was not touched at all for the performance although the flight case served well as a coffee place mat!

“I’m very, very impressed!” gleamed Bonnichon, whose surname, I was repeatedly informed, translates into English as ‘nice boobs’. “The quality of the consoles’ pre-amps and efficiency of the channel strips immediately made me favour InnovaSon desks, but this new addition has taken InnovaSon’s standards to a new level as far as I am concerned.”

The facilities offered by the FM-8VB will later include a measurement tools package that features a spectrum analyser, phase correlator, precision VU meter with a dynamic meter, and so on. Quite literally, when users purchase an FM-8VB card, they access a continuously evolving effects bay.

Also impressive at FOH was the way in which Bonnichon organised the VCA banks on each desk, enabling him to straddle easily between them, mixing with a hand on each fader grouping (at far right and left of each console).

MONITORING & RECORDING
Jean-Jacques Dialo’s two Sy80s at stage right, both received the same inputs with one taking 48 mix busses for the in-ear monitors and the other receiving 24 mix busses for wedge feeds. There were two EtherSound-enabled Dio-Core stage boxes at monitor position that took the microphone feeds from the band, orchestra and singers.

The event was filmed and recorded for a potential commercial release. All of the mic pre-amps for recording began in the analogue domain and were then converted to digital for transportation within the EtherSound network.

A CAT5 cable ran from the Dio-Cores to the recording station and fed four PCs (including two spares) loaded with Digigram LX6464ES PCI network sound cards that have ASIO drivers which can receive and transmit up to 64 EtherSound inputs/outputs, thus connecting computer-based audio applications to an EtherSound network.

The capacity to receive up to 64 channels from an EtherSound-ready mixing console (such as the Sy80 and Sy48) and record them straight on to a computer's hard disk for mix down at a later date, offers a highly cost-effective solution for multi-channel recording.

Provided with the PC package by Phillipe Guillo of Brittany-based company Koroll, Steinberg Cubase SX software was used to record the 112 tracks, and the necessary kit was set up in an amazingly short timespan.

Recording engineer Xavier Giorgi said: “Initially, the plan was to record with a Pro Tools system which would have required EtherSound to AES conversion and more expense and organisation. But because we want to limit the budget to make money for the charity, we chose this very simple and inexpensive but reliable method of recording the show... and it works very well.”

According to InnovaSon’s product manager & customer service director, Hervé de Caro, one of the major advantages of using this combination of system interfaces for recording is that everyone in the audio team has access to the same networks.

Giving an example, de Caro explained: “Jean-Jacques can go to his remote PC in monitor world, remove a channel from his Dio-Core and send it to the LX6464ES in a few seconds, then listen to the actual recording in real-time to check that everything is being captured correctly. By using this approach, in the absence of any musician, a rehearsal recording can be used to replace him/her in a soundcheck situation.”

By employing the same methods, a full ‘virtual’ soundcheck can be performed for PA system and console set-up using a complete recording.

Regarding the rest of the audio infrastructure, Dialo commented: “There are 20 singers in total, and for budgetary reasons we decided to rent just eight Sennheiser wireless mics along with 21 stereo wireless in-ear monitoring systems and Future Sonics Ear Monitors from Dispatch.

“The remaining mics are all Shures and came from the Grimaldi Forum’s own inventory, along with the venue’s resident Meyer Sound PA [a combination of MSL-4 cabinets and 650-P subs] and USM monitor wedges.”

VISUAL ELEMENTS
Set design was mostly by Kamel Ouali using available props leftover from previous shows at the Grimaldi Forum by Ballet de Monte-Carlo, SBM and Opera de Monte-Carlo, such as the iconic bird cage, picture frames, petrol cans, fans, steps, trees and bushes.

The lighting was designed by Alain Martaga with Eric Biancardini operating a Whole Hog II desk. Intelligent fixtures (High End Studio Colors and Martin MAC 600s/700s) were provided by Arpège, and conventionals and crew came from the Grimaldi Forum itself, co-ordinated by Georges Said.

The other visual element was video projection, which was used creatively to cover the back of the stage wall and draped wings. This was supplied and crewed by the Annecy-based A/V company, Alizé Création.

Stage management was handled by François Chouquet and Pascal Dabel, and stage crew included freelancer J.M. Théron as well as Grimaldi Forum staff led by Jo Caserta.

Hommage à Gainsbourg was followed at the end of the evening by a ‘Saint Germain des Près’-themed gala dinner. Proceeds from this and the unique concert spectacular will be contributed towards Princess Stéphanie’s plan to construct a ‘Maison de Vie’ (House of Life) in Provence — a structure designed to welcome and accommodate people living with the HIV virus. A worthy cause indeed.

Until March 20, I had very little awareness of Serge Gainsbourg’s songwriting oeuvre, save for one or two of the more obvious examples. In spite of the language barrier (je ne parle pas le français très bien!), the Monaco event was a wonderfully staged — if occasionally cheesy — introduction to his eclectic range of work, covering pop, jazz, rock and what I can only describe as Gallic music hall. This was a show that absolutely justifies future international exposure.

TPi
Photography by
Mark Cunningham, Tony Frank,
Gaetan Luci (Monaco Palace),
Getty Images Europe & Abaca Press
www.fightaidsmonaco.com