24.04.2004 - MAGMA has played the only Moscow concert in УBrestskaya Str. ClubФ. The outfit included: Stella Vander Ц vocal, Isabelle Feuillebois Ц vocal, Himiko Paganotti Ц vocal, Antoine Paganotti Ц vocal, James Mac Gaw Ц guitar, Emmanuel Borghi Ц keyboards, Frederic d'Oelsnitz Ц keyboards, Philippe Bussonnet Ц base, Christian Vander Ц drums, Francis Linon Ц balance engineer.
By chance I came to know about the concert on that day. The concert was arranged within the framework of cultural exchange with assistance of French Embassy and it seemed to be unexpected for both us and the musicians also. About 250 people were in the hall but, as I noticed, only 50 of them realized where and what for they were.
I'm the baseman myself, so I'll share my impressions about the concert from musician's Уeye & earФ of a musician. So, my impressions are.
The minivan with musicians arrived to the club at 12.30, and I was the first saw Christian, Stella and the others. I greeted them, thanked for coming and asked for CDs (to my regret they had none). Stella expressed common anxiety and felt concern about playing in such small and close space, whereas the band used to play in the large halls. I asked her: лHow was it at лTAVERNE DE L'OLIMPIA╗ in 1975?╗. She closed her eyes for a moment, then smiled, recollecting something and answered: лYes, it was a great concertЕ╗ She and Christian put autographs right on my favorite CD.
The musicians decided to have a bite. I also went home, but at 15.00 I came back to the club, but the band was somewhere round the town and expected to be back by 18.00 for concert preparation.
I was just sitting and waiting inside the club. Musicians appeared by 18.00. The group arrived light-handed to Moscow Ц without any amplifiers, speakers, synthesizers and drums. Christian had taken only cymbals and snare with himself. For a long time he has been tuning the local drum-kit for himself. Antoine was helping him too. Then the baseman began to warm up.
I was astonished seeing Philippe playing. He overloaded the amplifier, and the base sound became as old as in the far seventies Ц the sound that I like so much. He played fret base so fast, that sometimes I had a feeling of fretless one presence. The pleasure from playing was on his face. Goes without saying Philippe had his own musical feeling and understanding of such expressive instrument as base. Anyway from time to time my ear caught dear to my heart passages of the лelder generation╗ Ц Jannick Top and Bernard Paganotti. Frankly speaking, everything played that evening was grounded only on base and drums as only two of the rest were playing open-hearted Ц Philippe and Christian. The latter was absolutely excellent, however as usual.
It turned out that two young keyboardists Ц Emmanuel and Frederic (one played 500 Rolland, another Ц 600 Rolland) wanted to hire two Kurzwails, but it was found there was only one in Moscow . But its owner rejected. Keyboards were playing without any fervour or probably synthesizer's capabilities were not be able to reflect ambitions of the musicians: there were no colorful solos, but only rhythmic and harmonic accompanying of drums and base.
A young guitarist James was sounding not bad obviously, but I had heard someone better who had been playing the guitar in the band before him.
Stella and Isabelle were singing competently and perfect as always. Young Antoine and young Himiko were the other singers. I felt, that Antoine couldn't nevertheless sing so easy and high as Klaus Blasquis. All the time it seemed to me that the other voices continuously pushing him upstage. Only Stella, Isabelle and sometimes Himiko having chesty and luxury voice, sang being pushed out. (In that way the лM. D. K.╗ had been played and sung so unusually for me.)
Balance engineer Francis was trying to achieve the best sounding, but, unfortunately, the space was so small that acoustic capabilities were hardly satisfactory to sounding level and class, which are required to such kind of music. I was the only listener of rehearsal improvisation and it was even more interesting and powerful in my opinion than I heard at the concert later.
People began to arrive by 20.30. The concert started at 22.00. The band played two tracks. The first (premiere) Ц л╩. └.╗ was based on ideas of лKOHNTARKOSZ╗ and was consonant to лWURDAH ITAH╗. The second was лM. D. K.╗. Honestly I felt Benoit Widemann, Claus Blasquis and Jean-Luc Chevalier absence. By the way, neither at the beginning nor at the end the band was introduced to the audience as the musicians had to hurry up catching a train to St.-Petersburg (due to Stella's words). Maybe, no encores were played for the same reason.
It is obvious that the group has no УoldФ sound any more, but anyway it was a real pleasure to talk and to listen to their music. Before the concert the musicians asked not to smoke and use no flash cameras. I felt so inconvenient when the above behavior and the rest elements of лunticket sleighride╗ Ц drunk cries, clicking of bottles, and smell of лsweet smoke╗ swept into the concert. Finally I'd been afraid that the musicians would stop to play and leave the scene, but they overcame it and played the program till the end.
MAGMA was touring Europe , representing the new album л╩. └.╗ (Stella said that the new album would be released in autumn.) Probably the musicians visited Russia on their way only. There are some strong doubts they would like returning to similar good-for-nothing hall with no acoustic and light properties, to rather wild audience once more. What will stay in their memory? Е Personally I'll remember their handshakes, kind reaction to my irrepressible delight, and their smiles at our joint лOM ZANKA╗ singing during their rehearsal, when I was the only spectator in the hallЕ