AN EYE ON MUSIC HALL
1966-1976, ten years of music hall through the eyes of photographer Jacques Verrier
From February 28 to June 30, 2013, Olympia audiences will have the pleasure of discovering a never-before-seen exhibition of black-and-white photos by photographer Jacques Verrier, who from 1966 to 1976 captured the quintessential spirit of the most famous of music halls. Funny, surprising and moving, nearly one hundred photos will be exhibited for the first time in the foyer of the Olympia bar. Images in which the stage gave way to opening acts where English and American stars and attractions rubbed shoulders with famous artists. Some might think that this Music-hall spirit belongs solely to the past, but today it has a very contemporary resonance at the Olympia under the impetus of its current director, Arnaud Delbarre, who ten years ago reintroduced opening acts to the programming.
Jacques Verrier loved photographing opening acts at the Olympia, to capture both theprofessionalism and the spirit of these artists from the circus and music-hall family, who gave their all to their art. With his eye riveted on the lens, nothing else existed around him, and he completely ignored the noise and the audience, concentrating on the performance delivered by the artist, hoping to capture the emotion and the spectacularity as best he could.
Paula Birèche-Verrier, photographer and former assistant to Jacques Verrier, has conceived this exhibition as a thematic tour based around 36 panels featuring all these artists, famous and not so famous, national and international, to give a better feel for the atmosphere that reigned at the Olympia at the time. It begins with a photo of Jacques Verrier and Johnny Halliday, showing the intensity of the photographer’s desire to perfectly capture the artist in his performance; a tribute to the man who was Johnny’s photographer on his tours. This is followed by a photo of the world-famous neon pediment for a series of recitals given by Charles Trenet in 1971. An emblematic photograph, since it shows all the artists who were to perform in the opening act, as we celebrate the centenary of the singing madman in 2013. The public will also discover previously unpublished photographs of Liza Minnelli, Salvatore Adamo and Michel Sardou, artists who will be returning to the Olympia stage this spring, on March 5, March 26 & 27 and June 7 – 12 respectively. And of course, this exhibition is an opportunity to (re)discover all those magic acts, acrobatics, ballets, crazy numbers and presenters!
Jean-Michel Boris, former artistic director and manager of L’Olympia, remembers: “We took the audience by the hand as soon as they entered the hall, and never let go. A drink at the bar. A program. An autographed photo. A unicyclist. A damsel cutter. A beginner. A storyteller. A little singer with a radio hit or two. Intermission: sweets, caramels, eskimos, chocolates. Then the orchestra, the big star. And sometimes, one last beer or a handful of peanuts for the subway home.” (Excerpt from the book L’Olympia, 50 ans de Music-Hall)
For Arnaud Delbarre, Chairman, CEO and Artistic Director of Olympia, the music-hall spirit has not come to an end : “There is a real link between the great hours of music-hall, which Jacques Verrier’s photos captured so well, and the future of concert halls. Today, long recitals lasting several weeks are rare. We’re going back to opening acts, and I’m betting on the emergence of new forms of entertainment where artists can rediscover the energy, effervescence and melting-pot spirit so dear to music hall.
Cette publication est également disponible en : Français (French)
