Violaine Corradi on the Music of Zaia

violaine-corradi-zaia

This is an interview by Keith Johnson (Seattle, Wa – USA) of “Cirque Fascination” with the music composer of Cirque Du Soleil’s ZAIA show, Violaine Corradi. I hope Keith will not mind me posting the full article here on my blog for three reasons:

  1. I will include a link to his original ezine article here: Corradi Zaia Interview
  2. I am quoted in the article with comments mined from my blog. (Which I think is very cool).
  3. Many people come to my blog here for info on Zaia, and they may also be interested in following Keith’s ezine “Cirque Fascination”. (Follow the article link).

As assistant bandleader for Zaia and in writing the string arrangements for the Hong Kong Symphony on the Zaia album – I’ve had the pleasure of working very closely with composer Corradi. Because of Violaine and Cirque’s influence, terms that are now part of my regular music vocabulary include “organic”, “cosmic”, “evoke”, “provoke”.

Thank you Keith for the wonderfully detailed article. Even being in the middle of all of it, I learned quite a bit from the article! And now for the Cirque music buffs – read and enjoy….

Continue reading “Violaine Corradi on the Music of Zaia”

ZAIA takes Bollywood stars on a space journey

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKmB4IOYBAU

June 2009 – Stars of Bollywood and the movie “Slumdog Millionaire” see the ZAIA show by Cirque Du Soleil in Macau, China.

Continue reading “ZAIA takes Bollywood stars on a space journey”

Cirque du Soleil performs at Bollywood Awards Ceremony

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msyV_GS3IW4

The cast of ZAIA performs at the Bollywood IIFA Awards Ceremony with a specially choreographed 5-minute opening segment on June 13, 2009.

ZAIA is Cirque du Soleils first permanent show in Asia

Cirque Du Soleil ZAIA Band 2009

zaia-band

The Cirque Du Soleil ZAIA band, June 2009 in Macau, China. A rare moment where all the musicians are together for a photo opp.

In this photo: Eduard Harutyunyan (percussion), Jay Elfenbein (viol, dare I say cello, strings, bass guitar), Darrin Johnson (drummer), Olivier Milchberg (guitar, Turkish banjo, plucked strings), Maria Andersson (singer), Steven Bach (keyboards – bandleader), Rose Winebrenner (vocalist), Racheal Cogan (recorder, EWI)and Conrad Askland (keyboards, assistant bandleader).

“Bollywood Awards” at Venetian Macau June 11-13 2009

Videocon IIFA Awards

The Videocon IIFA 2009 awards will be televised from the Venetian Macau June 11-13, 2009. This award for the Indian film industry is popularly called the “Bollywood Awards”. Artists from Cirque Du Soleil’s ZAIA show will perform during the ceremony. I am told these awards are televised to 300-500 million people worldwide.

Yes, this is a pretty big deal. I don’t know when the ceremonies are aired in the USA but I’ll add info to this post if I find out before the airing. We’ll have extra shows of Cirque Du Soleil’s ZAIA for attendees of the event – and you can bet that the artists are working VERY hard right now to prepare for this presentation, in addition to their regular show schedule.

And did you know Cirque Du Soleil’s 25th Anniversary is the middle of June 2009? Things are jumping at the Venetian Macau in June!

Continue reading ““Bollywood Awards” at Venetian Macau June 11-13 2009″

ZAIA CD Soundtrack Released

ZAIA - Cirque Du Soleil

The official soundtrack for Cirque Du Soleil’s ZAIA show (Venetian Macau, China) was released on May 26, 2009. You can currently purchase on Amazon.com: ZAIA CD Amazon.com – or go to Amazon.com and search for “ZAIA”. A cut from the CD should also be on the Cirque Du Soleil 25th Anniversary CD which will also be available on Amazon.com late June 2009.

If you follow the Amazon link you can also listen to Mp3 excerpts from the album. I’ve heard rumors there will be a “Making of ZAIA” documentary released that will include many of the musicians and artists involved in creating the CD soundtrack. 

To my knowledge, this is the first Cirque Du Soleil original soundtrack CD that has been recorded by the original show musicians. Most tracks recorded in Macau (SAR) China, string parts recorded in Hong Kong.

Music composed by Violaine Corradi. As a sidenote, I was asked by Violaine to arrange string parts for the CD which were recorded by members of the Hong Kong Philharmonic. That was a very fun project to work on. Hope you enjoy the soundtrack!

CNN Comes to Zaia – March 2009

CNN came to our ZAIA show on March 26, 2009 to interview Daniel Lamarre, President of Cirque Du Soleil. In this interview you will also footage of that night’s ZAIA show and backstage shots of artists warming up and preparing for the show.

Daniel Lamarre talks about strategies of the arts and entertainment during the global financial crisis.

Also in attendance on this show was the band that opened for Coldplay, which did a concert in Hong Kong on March 25, 2009.

ZAIA is Cirque Du Soleil’s resident show at the Sands Venetian in Macau (SAR) China.

Aomen TV Backstage with ZAIA in Macao

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUrHrWuuk0c

Aomen TV goes behind-the-scenes of ZAIA to give you a glimpse of what goes on backstage. The more you see this show the more you will enjoy the experience. The artists and crew do an excellent job of bringing the magic of theatre, dance, and acrobatics to life. This is a must-see experience in a fantastic purpose-built theatre. So, if you haven’t already been, go on a journey of your own. If you’ve been once, see it again!