On 14 July 1789, troops stormed the Bastille in Paris during the FrenchRevolution. Just one year later, the first Fête de la Fédération was held tocelebrate the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in France, followingthe inspiration of a French textile worker, who presented his design for a festivalcelebrating the Bastille’s storming. Now formally La Fête Nationale, the traditioncontinues each year with parades, music and firework displays. More recently,German broadcast innovator Lawo has become an integral part of thecelebration.
Central to the Paris celebration is the Concert de Paris, held at the foot of theEiffel Tower. It is one of the largest classical music events held anywhere in theworld and is followed by a spectacular fireworks display, attracting thousands oflive spectators. The concert is broadcast on France Inter, on France 2, and to3.13 million people, and upwards of 10 million around Europe. The 2019concert also celebrated Lawo’s fifth successive year serving both the live andbroadcast sound requirements.
Working over the Optocore fiber-optic network deployed by Radio France forthe live sound system to connect the event’s mixing consoles and I/O systems, the Concert de Paris continued its relentless technical advance in pursuit ofhigher audio standards and greater operating efficiencies. With 200 musiciansperforming and 450 technicians in support, the 2019 Concert de Parisbroadcast involved 22 cameras, a helicopter and seven OB trailers.
Previous years had seen a Lawo mc²96 console used for the event’s FOHmixes with an mc²36 for monitors. This year, Lawo again raised the stakes forthe live sound with a third-generation mc²56 console for the orchestra mix andan mc²36 dedicated to the soloists at front-of-house. For monitoring, theengineers opted for an mc²56, with two operators manning the console to coverthe orchestra and soloists. Separate preamp control for FOH and monitors and a split to the Lawo mc266 console used for the broadcast mix in Radio France No 5 OB vehicle enabled use of the on-air console’s own stageboxes and Dallismic preamps.
The concert’s extensive program of music included the works of Hector Berlioz,Charles Gounod, Georges Bizet and Giuseppe Verdi among many others.Riding high on the spirit of France’s independence and the excitement of some300,000 spectators was the closing performance of ‘La Marseillaise’, featuringthe Chœur de Radio France and Orchestre National de France under conductorAlain Altinoglu.
About Lawo
Lawo designs and manufactures pioneering network, control, audio and videotechnology for broadcast and post production, as well as live performance andtheatrical applications. Products include control and monitoring systems, digitalaudio mixing consoles, routers, video processing tools as well as solutions forIP-based A/V infrastructures and routing systems. All products are developed inGermany and manufactured according to highest quality standards at thecompany’s headquarters in the Rhine valley town of Rastatt, Germany. Foradditional information, please visit the company online at www.lawo.com.
