His eyes, like his music, burn with a fiery flame, to take the metaphor often used by his flamboyant collaborator, the singer Juliette Armanet. One of the most radiant composers and arrangers in French music, 42-year-old Victor Le Masne provided the musical score for the Olympic Games opening ceremony in his native Paris. Le Masne explained to Le Monde that the spark for this Olympic flame was meeting stage director Thomas Jolly two years ago while working on the musical Starmania, created by Michel Berger and Luc Plamondon.
We met twice a week with the core team: Thomas Jolly, choreographer Maud Le Pladec, historian Patrick Boucheron, scriptwriter Fanny Herrero and stylist Daphné Bürki. We'd have off-the-cuff philosophical discussions about art, France... I'd come out of it full of inspiration, rush into the studio and get on the piano so as not to lose the emotion of our talks. I wrote 90% of the music between February 2023 and the summer of 2023. Then came the orchestrations, recording the soundtrack with almost 575 musicians.
From the very first tableau, "Enchanté," we played with the clichés that are part of our heritage, trying not to fall into them. It's like watching a Jacques Demy film: Everything is so acid-pop that emotions can come out of it. This was the first time in my career that I've worked with an accordionist, in this case Félicien Brut. We created a mix that included "La Foule," Initials B.B., "Paris s'éveille," La Boum, "Marcia Baïla"... And then the French cancan, with Lady Gaga. I knew we'd follow it up without transition with the tableau "Synchronicité," a very demanding piece for the orchestra and the urban fixtures. Then, without transition, Aya [Nakamura] and the Republican Guard would come in. There's a lot of playfulness and joy behind this symphony of colors.
I was born into a family of musicians and studied piano and percussion at the conservatory before turning to jazz and electronic music at an early age. With my group Housse de Racket and through my collaborations with Juliette Armanet, Philippe Katerine, Kavinsky and Justice, my thirst for adventure has never left me. I take as much pleasure in tackling techno or rap as I do mambo or symphonic music – as long as the tone and emotion are right, as long as I like the harmonies and melodies. I have no boundaries. I think that's why they wanted me to be involved.
You have 71.5% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.