Water for Life
Encyclopedia
"Water for Life" was a concert given by French electronic musician Jean Michel Jarre
on the night of December 16, 2006 amidst the dunes of the Sahara desert at Merzouga
, Morocco
. The concert was held under the auspice of UNESCO
as 2006 had been designated the International Year of Deserts and Desertification by the United Nations General Assembly
.
The free 2h25m concert, sponsored by the Kingdom of Morocco, was attended by an estimated 10-15,000 spectators. It was filmed in high-definition TV and broadcast live by the public Moroccan TV station (channels RTM1 and TVM International) and by Almaghribya TV. A one-hour edit was produced for sale to TV stations.
A souvenir 172-page hardback book entitled "The Making of Water for Life" was published in 2007 which documented how the concert was staged in detail.
Two general rehearsals were held, on the previous night and on the evening of the day of the concert, complete with fireworks. Like Jarre's previous concert, Space of Freedom
, they were filmed to get additional coverage for a post-live edit; the rehearsals were also filmed to prevent any bad weather during the live concert preventing its release on video, as had happened before with The Twelve Dreams of the Sun
(1999–2000) and Aero - Tribute to the Wind (2002).
During rehearsals, a balloon with an internal projector was placed on center stage, but it did not appear in the concert itself.
"Intro Saturée" was premiered at this concert, loosely based on "Melancholic Rodeo", a track from his then forthcoming Téo & Téa
album. Of all the retitled tracks and new lyrics (from their original recordings), only the lyrics for "Education" were premiered at this concert. "Suite for Flute" had been previously performed as the intro of "Oxygene 2".
Jean Michel Jarre
Jean Michel André Jarre is a French composer, performer and music producer. He is a pioneer in the electronic, ambient and New Age genres, and known as an organiser of outdoor spectacles of his music featuring lights, laser displays, and fireworks.Jarre was raised in Lyon by his mother and...
on the night of December 16, 2006 amidst the dunes of the Sahara desert at Merzouga
Merzouga
Merzouga is a small village in southeastern Morocco, about 35 kilometerssoutheast of Rissani, about 45 kilometers from Erfoud, and about 50 kilometers from the Algerian border....
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. The concert was held under the auspice of UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
as 2006 had been designated the International Year of Deserts and Desertification by the United Nations General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
.
The free 2h25m concert, sponsored by the Kingdom of Morocco, was attended by an estimated 10-15,000 spectators. It was filmed in high-definition TV and broadcast live by the public Moroccan TV station (channels RTM1 and TVM International) and by Almaghribya TV. A one-hour edit was produced for sale to TV stations.
A souvenir 172-page hardback book entitled "The Making of Water for Life" was published in 2007 which documented how the concert was staged in detail.
Stage
The stage featured a collection of nine 4-by-10-metre vertical screens (similar to those in the 1993 Europe in Concert tour), described as "doors to the desert". On them were projected images - static and animated -, as in a typical Jarre concert. Behind the stage, the desert dunes were lit, and fireworks were shot behind and around the stage.Two general rehearsals were held, on the previous night and on the evening of the day of the concert, complete with fireworks. Like Jarre's previous concert, Space of Freedom
Space of Freedom
Space of Freedom was a concert performed by French musician Jean Michel Jarre in Poland, at the Gdańsk Shipyard, on August 26, 2005, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Solidarity trade union's foundation...
, they were filmed to get additional coverage for a post-live edit; the rehearsals were also filmed to prevent any bad weather during the live concert preventing its release on video, as had happened before with The Twelve Dreams of the Sun
The Twelve Dreams of the Sun
The Twelve Dreams Of The Sun was a concert held by musician Jean Michel Jarre on the Pyramids of Giza, Egypt starting on December 31, 1999 and carrying overnight to January 1, 2000. It was attended by 120,000 people. The concert consisted of two parts, the Main Concert and a Sunrise Concert...
(1999–2000) and Aero - Tribute to the Wind (2002).
During rehearsals, a balloon with an internal projector was placed on center stage, but it did not appear in the concert itself.
Track listing
- "Intro Saturée" - 3'50
- "Suite for Flute"
- "Oxygene 2"
- "Miss Moon"
- "Oxygene 7"
- "Space of Freedom" (originally "March 23")
- "Chronologie 6"
- "Millions of Stars"
- "Oxygene 4"
- "Education" (originally "Revolution, Revolutions", with new lyrics)
- "Gagarin" (originally Hey Gagarin)
- "Light My Sky" (originally "Tout Est Bleu", with new lyrics)
- "Oxygene 12"
- "Chronologie 2"
- "C'est la Vie"
- "Theremin Memories"
- "Souvenir of China"
- "UNESCO Theme" (originally "Eldorado")
- "Rendez-Vous 4"
- "Rendez-Vous 2"
"Intro Saturée" was premiered at this concert, loosely based on "Melancholic Rodeo", a track from his then forthcoming Téo & Téa
Téo & Téa
Téo & Téa is a conceptual album by French composer and artist Jean Michel Jarre, published by Warner Music in late March 2007. The album was released in the U.S. three weeks later, on 16 April 2007...
album. Of all the retitled tracks and new lyrics (from their original recordings), only the lyrics for "Education" were premiered at this concert. "Suite for Flute" had been previously performed as the intro of "Oxygene 2".
Personnel
- Jean Michel JarreJean Michel JarreJean Michel André Jarre is a French composer, performer and music producer. He is a pioneer in the electronic, ambient and New Age genres, and known as an organiser of outdoor spectacles of his music featuring lights, laser displays, and fireworks.Jarre was raised in Lyon by his mother and...
: bass guitar, cymbals, Dynacord, Eminent, Laser Harp, Midi flute, music box, Roland AX-1, Theremin - Francis RimbertFrancis RimbertFrancis Rimbert is a French musician and composer.- Biography :Francis Rimbert started playing classical piano when he was 5 years old. At the conservatory, he studied harmony, counterpoint, the fugue and orchestral leading...
: Fantom, Roland JD800, Roland S760 - Claude Samard: musical director, guitar, keyboards
- Morocco Philharmonic Orchestra
- Casablanca Orchestra of Arabic Modern Music
- Alizées Choir
- Gnawa Maaster Hamid Elikasri and his Band
- B'net from Marrakesh
- Charaf and Dansers
- Hadji Younes (luth)
- Abdellah El Miry (violin)
- Saida Charaf (vocals)
- Ahmed Alaoui (vocals)