On 14 July 1789, troops stormed the Bastille in Paris during the French Revolution. Just one year later, the first Fête de la Fédération was held to celebrate the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in France.

Now formally La Fête Nationale, the tradition continues each year with parades, music and fireworks displays. More recently, Lawo has become an integral part of the celebration.

Lawo

Concert de Paris

Central to the Paris celebration is the Concert de Paris, held at the foot of the Eiffel Tower and one of the largest classical music events held anywhere in the world.

The concert is broadcast on France Inter and France 2, to upwards of 10 million people around Europe. The 2019 concert celebrated Lawo’s fifth successive year serving both the live and broadcast sound requirements.

With 200 musicians performing and 450 technicians in support, the 2019 Concert de Paris broadcast involved 22 cameras, a helicopter and seven OB trailers.

Previous years had seen a Lawo mc²96 console used for the event’s FOH mixes with an mc²36 for monitors. This year, Lawo again raised the stakes for the live sound with a third-generation mc²56 console for the orchestra mix and an mc²36 dedicated to the soloists at front-of-house.

For monitoring, the engineers opted for an mc²56, with two operators manning the console to cover the 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’s No 5 OB vehicle enabled use of the on-air console’s own stageboxes and Dallis mic preamps.

Lawo is exhibiting at IBC2019 on Stand 8.B50