Oxygene in Concert - 2007-2008


Oxygene 2008

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of his seminal album, Jarre re-recorded the original score with the very best of today’s sound and studio technology, giving birth to a new digital master of his most renowned work.

 

The album was recorded on all of the original synthesisers in total respect of the very singular mood of this entire score.

 

To launch the new master recording and showcase all the rare vintage synthesisers, Jarre gave a series of concerts at the prestigious Theatre Marigny in Paris : a beautiful old-world traditional theatre. The repertoire was solely Oxygene and the staging was minimalist, leaving all the attention to the music and the living museum of rare instruments.


Given the overwhelming success of these few concerts that attracted audiences and fans from near and afar, and the ongoing demand for tickets, Jarre accepted to tour some of Europe’s prestigious theatres with this unique performance…London’s Royal Albert Hall, Stockholm’s Cirque, Amsterdam’s Carée, Moscow’s Kremlin Palace to name a few, where part of this 50 date pan-European success.

 

 

The basis for all the concerts was the live rendition of the original Oxygene with Oxygene Parts 12 and 13 from the Oxygene sequel added as encores. Even though the set-list remained the same throughout the tour, each concert was different due to the improvised transitions that were weaved into the original material, offering Jarre and his musicians an excellent chance to play around with all the vintage gear on stage. Visually, Jarre had stripped back his usual extravaganzas to a minimalistic light design, which seemed appropriate for the music.

The use of the vintage synthesizers proved quite a challenge for the musicians, as the instruments fell out of tune and caused various other problems during some of the concerts. Fortunately, the skilled performers managed to improvise their way around these obstacles each time.

 

Track List:

Prelude

Oxygene 1

Oxygene 2

Oxygene 3

Variation I

Oxygene 4

Variation II

Oxygene 5

Variation III

Oxygene 6

Oxygene 12

Oxygene 13

 

Musicians:

Jean Michel Jarre

Dominique Perrier

Francis Rimbert

Claude Samard

 



Oxygene 2008



Published on 5/20/2009 // 13 comments // > write a comment