April, as natives say, is not the time to visit Quebec. Snowy amenities melted but the trees are not yet in leaf. Christmas decorations are gone, summer feasts yet to start. Chilly and windy. Unstable weather. Off-season.

However, this April ‘the season’ has begun and there is a reason to be in Montreal. Bruno Pelletier launches his new concert tour "Microphonium" at Casino de Montreal on the 8th of April.

Full of energy and enthusiasm, Bruno Pelletier has repeated on and on in every promotional interview, TV show and article that with this new pop record he is back with the new songs created specially for his fans, for those who had some years ago fallen in love with his "Miserere", with his Grengoire, "D’autres rives" etc. and who have recently followed with astonishment and delight  the musical theatre adventure and jazzy parenthese of monsieur Experimentalist. “Let’s not forget: I am a pop-singer, and now I feel that I am ready to be back into the pop world with the songs that can be played on the radio and will let me meet my fans again.”

Bruno loves to surprise the audience. And this time they have not been disappointed, it was that very program for his fans. Not only "Microphonium" but a mix of ”best” and ”rare on stage” songs wrapped in new arrangements and new vibe: his very first album "Bruno Pelletier", famous platinum record "Miserere", "D’autres rives' " hits and jazz… Many more of these shows are ahead in the next months of his tour… the tour which will bring him as well to Moscow this time.

He is singing the songs that made him famous - "Les Temps de Cathedrales", "Lune", "Miserere"... Songs are the same, but the voice has gained the exquisite maturity, and his drive on stage reveals how much has he been missing this kind of music. He has become wiser and deeper and is now back on stage accomplished as an artist and rich in his vocal perfection as never before. One could ask - is it at all possible to become more perfect than he already used to be? Oh, yes. When it comes to Bruno, everything is possible!

Hello!

Hello Bruno! I’m Elena.

English? French?

English.

Let’s see how I manage. (Smiling.)

We know for sure you speak perfect English.

We’ll see. It’s amazing that we’re meeting today, because yesterday the shows in Russia have been confirmed …

I know… It finally happened!

It’s such a great news for me, because I’ve been asked by people from your country for such a long time – when will you come to Russia to sing? But you know, we can't just “come” – we need someone to invite us, it should be a company with reputation…

I will tell you how it happened. The producer who invited you is promoting francophone artists, he has already organized Garou's shows, Patrick Fiori's... He's communicating with fans and looking for new ways to promote good artitsts that are not yet very well known in Russia. It was us who came to this producer saying that we do know such artists, not known all around Russia but having their own audience. Your name was on top of the list. Do you remember some time ago we wrote to your MySpace that the information about the concerts has become the Top 1 on the Russian blog rating?

Yeah..

And you probably did not really get what was it about.

Yeah, because the shows have not been confirmed yet.

I will explain you what was it all about. The promoter told us: “Prove me that your Number 1 is as popular as you say. Then I'll take the risk. " And we…

You have arranged a “buzz” on the internet!

Yes, we have spread the word about future concerts on the internet and the pre-ordering of tickets has been arranged.  And, you know, as a result of this activity, one thousand pre-orders for the tickets have been received in approximately one month,  six hundred of which have come in one week only!

It’s amazing! I am so looking forward to sing in Moscow. And I am worried at the same time, because the schedule is very tough. My musicians arrive the day of the concert. I arrive two days before, but the musicians arrive the same day, and they will play the rented instruments, we can not bring our own. So they arrive the same day and we need to get ready and everything…

I’m sure it will be all right, we've been waiting so long for you to come, let's cross our fingers… Let me introduce myself. I am representing the Russian site dedicated to French and Quebec music. This is the homepage of the site. (Showing the screenshots). And this is your chapter…

I saw something… It’s an airplane company, you know like "Air France" – they have aboard the airplane the catalog or something. So there was a catalog of Russian airplane company, I don’t know which one...

Ukrainian.

Ukrainian? There was my picture and there... (Laughing.) There was something about me on the plane, I was so surprised about that…

Yes, we have prepared a very good article about you and about "Dracula" and have been offering this article to different journals and magazines and these people said: "OK, give it to us".

Weird…

Couple of words about our site. 10 years ago a lot of people got interest in musical “Notre Dame de Paris”. Translations, articles started to come in and we decided to put them together, in one place. Gradually it became a site not only about musicals and “Notre Dame”, but a site in Russian about different francophone artists, their work, the site was growing and growing and growing. Now we have just started another one, the second site where the information is more structured. But everything began with “Notre Dame”, so we can say that you are a godfather of our site.

Father?

GODfather!

GODfather? (Laughing.) My god…

Yeah. The one who’s baptizing the child…

But it’s all so surprising for us..

Why?

You know, it’s so surprising for me to be here in Canada and receive so many letters and good words from people from your country but I’ve never been there… you know. It’s really weird, really weird and amazing to see what internet could do. And it’s all about "Notre Dame", internet and after that all those people discover all the rest of the career.

Yeah it usually starts with "Notre Dame", but the biggest interest is your career, your solo career.

It’s great...

And now there's a new generation of people who were hooked up by "Dracula", they have heard "Dracula" first.

Oh!

Yes! So not only "Notre Dame", but now "Dracula" does the same thing, and also a huge amount of the people discovered your solo songs first, because in 'francopholies' community we are communicating, you know…

It’s amazing… Fantastic… It’s the good part about the Internet

I wanted to give this interview the title «In travel and at home» - «Ailleurs et ici» - but after yesterday's news I have added some questions about Russia. How do you imagine the ‘mysterious Russia’?

You know, it’s really funny that you asked this question, because when I was in my car two hours ago, there was a report [on the radio] about what happened in Georgia, Ukraine, Moldavia and all these political things about Russia. And I was really concerned to hear exactly what happened. I was interested to meet the guy who was… not an expert, but he was kind of a teacher in University, political [science] teacher and I would like to meet him before going to Russia, to talk about your country and just to know all the aspects, all the political aspects around the country and on the international point of view too. Because I know a little bit about the things that are coming from the media...

But why do you need to know all these political things? You will be singing there…

Because it’s like here, I’m really concerned about politics in my country and about what’s happening. And to know what the people live, all the aspects of the society… It’s not just to go there and be a star and sing my songs and go back, you know, I want to know exactly what is the feeling about the country and what the people who are there for me – what they are living exactly - day after day.

I see.

Yes, on the political and international point of view - what is this all about? Because before it was the Soviet Union and now it's Russia and there’s a lot of other countries, and we are far from you, it’s really complicated for us to understand everything. It’s a long answer, I’m sorry.

But it’s an interesting answer, not a standard one. And what is the feeling about singing in the new country?

I think that music has no frontiers at all, you know, but the only thing that I’m concerned is about when I have to talk between my songs, do I have to speak French, English… I want to learn a couple of words in Russian…

More people know English, but if you speak French it will be also all right, as many people learned it because of you.

So you will see the show tonight…

I have seen it two times already.

Ah! Ok! So maybe you can give me couple of adivce about people in Russia – they won’t know every song it’s not like here...

The fans will know, but half of the audience will be fans, maybe more, so it does not really matter.

No?

No, it does not really matter.

Ok.

It’s my own opinion but we can think about it.

Anyway, I will do my best.

Are you going to change the set-list for Moscow shows as compared to today's?

Oh yeah… I think if I’m in a good shape vocally…

Please – don’t!

No?

It’s a great program!

Oh but it will be the same songs but more!

Mo-o-ore? 

(Laughing at Elena's reaction.) Probably more. It’s just because here we can’t. It’s a rule.

Time limited?

Yeah, it’s a rule. But when we are playing somewhere else we have two parts on the same night so it could be longer, it depends on my voice, on my vocal strings and everything, so if I’m in a good shape in Russia, I could maybe do a 2 hours of show, you know…We’ll see.

Are you thinking about bringing your son to Moscow?

No, no.

You are not travelling with him?

Yeah, but now he’s 18, you know, he has to do his own stuff, his own travel. He travels a lot with me, but now he has to do his life… I don’t know maybe I’ll go with my girlfriend, but my son, I don’t think so, he has to go to school and do his stuff.

What is so far your opinion about MySpace and Facebook? Has it been a productive experience?

It’s ok. Me, I’m not from that generation. I think that young artists are really concerned about MySpace and Facebook because they have to be known by those sites. I have discovered a couple of artists by MySpace that I didn’t know, and it was really interesting. For me it was more a new tools to put on the market and to be able to talk with people who are far and it’s great for that. I can’t answer to everybody but sometimes I answer and if I don’t I ask my team to say something to the people to not let them down, you know. So, for that - it’s really interesting. In my case - there are people from other countries who can know better what I’m doing, for the Quebec audience and fans it’s just cool because they’re talking together. But it doesn’t give me more exposure.

 Which countries that you have visited you liked most of others and where except the Quebec you feel the best?

I like France in principle, but I love a lot of places - Los Angeles, Belgium, London, I’ve played in London. I don’t know…in fact all of these places were great.

Home question. What do you like to cook yourself?

Oh... (Thinking.)

 Are you cooking?

In the morning – omelet. I do a really great omelet, vegetable omelets. And for the main course – maybe couscous.

Couscous… Of course, it’s famous. We have discovered what is it because of you actually...

Oh really? (Laughing.) And now we have begun the “barbeque time”. For the summer time it’s barbecue stuff.

Five degrees but already barbeque?

Yeah, five degrees but no snow, so I have taken my barbeques out of the, you know, that little place outside, a little garage. And it works now.

When we started to listen to Quebec music – again because of you – we discovered that Quebec has a unique music tradition, amazing amount of composers and singers and concentration of them that probably only Italy has.

Yeah.

 Why do you think it happens so?

I think it’s because we are only 7 million people surrounded by 350 million of American and English people around us. We have all those American routs mixed with European and Latin routes. It’s a weird mix. It gives us something that is very different from French singers, French musicians. We are not special, we are just us. Like Italian people are them.

But musically, you know – it captures us – I don’t know why Russian people are so much into it but that happens.

I think that in Russia they like voice a lot. And in Italy it’s the same thing. That’s why I think people like singers from Quebec. In France, the real people - it’s the same, they also like voice. But the media – I think that they can’t any more. (Laughing.) They are tired about, you know, all those “voice singers”, they prefer …

 …something more simple…

Yeah. I don’t know why, it’s cultural I think.

But when the audience sings along with you – do you like that?

Yeah.

In Russia we don’t have a tradition of singing along, we listen till the last second, and then – explosion.

Explosion...

Now it changes a little bit, especially with young people, but that’s the tradition.

 They are really straight for the show? They are polite?  And this? (Claps his hands.)

Yeah, this - yes. But when the singer is singing they don’t want to break the moment.

Ok. That’s great!

Like meloman’s approach. Don't want to spoil the moment.

 Hmm... I hope that I will be in shape when I’m gonna be there because we will be on tour, I have to take the plane, the jet lag, everything, it’s so fast, the moment that we are there and I want so much to not disappoint people, you know…

Ah, you will not disappoint…

So it’s like a pressure, you know… (Laughing.) I am so happy to go there, it’s very interesting…

And we are very happy that you are coming finally. (Elena to Maurice, Bruno's tour manager.) Do we have a couple or minutes?

(Maurice) Yeah, go ahead!

(Bruno) He’s the main guy…

(Elena) I know that already!

(Bruno) He’s watching! (Smiling.)

(Elena) I have a question about Jacques Brel. How did you discover his songs and what exactly do you like about them? Because it’s an interesting and very daring experience to sing Brel. How are you working preparing to interpret his songs? How do you choose them?

I have discovered most of the French icons close to my 30 years.

Thirty?

 Thirty years old. All my young music experience was English tradition and rock. And when I went to Paris for the first time, I discovered those big stars but they were gone already, they were not there. And I was more prepared and more open to hear this kind of artists. So Jacques Brel for me is not a kind of music that young guy of 21 could sing. When I see all those TV shows, reality shows with young stars, who are singing big songs like Edith Piaf or Jacques Brel, I don’t understand – they can’t have all the experience to sing those songs. So I was ready to sing "Les vieux amants" of Jacques Brel, because I know exactly what it means to try to be a long time with someone, you know, try to be forever or try to be twenty or thirty years with someone – it’s really hard and it’s really difficult. And me – I have experienced it. I know what it means to suffer. And to love a lot. And that’s why I’ve chosen that song. For me it’s the greatest love song ever.

Speaking about composers. You’re singing the songs of so many composers. Whose melodic style of putting harmonies together is closer to you? Whose songs do you like to sing most?(Bruno is thinking.) Does it matter to you?

No, it does not matter. In fact, it is always a question of the song. But Richard Cocciante, the composer of Notre Dame is a great melodist. Daniel Lavoie is a great melodist. Romano Musumara from I, taly is a great melodist. There’s not a lot. Michel Legrand is a great melodist. But it depends…

On the songs…

Yes.

What is the process of choosing the songs, for instance, for the last album?

My heart. The lyrics, the melody. It’s not the arrangements, it’s not all this…

 But does it happen immediately that you understand that this is "your" song?

Yeah. No, in fact. I have a heart … coup de coeur… I can have a flash on the song immediately – you know, to put it on a bank, you know, in the files. And if after six months I am still in love with the song…

So you have a technique to choose the song.

(Maurice) …to fall in love with the song. In French it’s "coup de coeur" – “coming from the heart”.

     Are some of the people you’re working together with on stage or in the studio your friends? Is it easy or hard to work together with friends?

      No, it’s easy because they’re not close friends as friends since we are young. It’s "friendship from the music". There’s a…frontier, line...

     (Maurice) Distance.

      (Bruno)They know that it’s my record, it’s my show.

      So you’re the boss?

      I hire them. So, I can hear their point of view, we can talk with them, we can exchange and communicate things, but ultimately I have to make decisions. So we never fight, it’s really smooth.

      Which type of art would you like to try that you've not tried yet?

      Art? Maybe painting. (Ironically.) When I will be old, I will maybe try to paint.   

      Tastes and preferences. Some time ago you mentioned that you like wine and your collect wines.  Do you still do that? 

       No. It was a passion that I had for ten years I think. And now I slowly let go, for my health. But I still love wine. And I received a beautiful bottle from people from Russia for my birthday.

       Yes, it was a Ukrainian wine, from Massandra.

      You know that?

 Yeah, I know the entire story. It was a lo-o-ong story.

      Yeah, but I received it! It’s a 1962 bottle. And all this travelling to stop by my place…

      It’s incredible…

      It was so amazing. But I received it! And it’s in my cellar. And I wait to drink the bottle. It’s supposed to come from the super wine yard place in Ukraine.

      Yes, it’s the best wine yard in Ukraine, very old one, with traditions… It should be a sweet wine.

      Ok, so there should be sugar in it?

      I think it is a dessert wine. We don’t produce good dry wines, and as this bottle was supposed to be a very good one, so it’s a dessert wine.

      I am waiting for the occasion to drink it.

      Has it ever happened that some interesting thing on the rehearsal is later used in your show?

      Very often. Most of the time, when I’m doing my shows, some things happen and I’m keeping them show after show and it’s a part of the “mise en scene” after a while. Because I like to be prepared but not too much. And let go and improvise a little bit and see what happens with public, with the audience, and just capture the things that work very well, and keep it show after show, more and more and more. After a year of tour very often the show may be longer than in the beginning because of so many things that happen.

      When you planned "Dracula", did you consider Robert Lepage as a director?

      Yeah. Yeah, but he was not available.

      Because he’s an expert in great effects, like in Peter Gabriel’s shows…

      Yeah, he’s one of my favorite art directors.

      What book would you choose to read on a vacation – science fiction, fantasy or…

      Police novel. Well, I like a lot to read. Now I’m reading Ken Follet, “Les piliers de la terre”. And now he has another one called “Un monde sans fin”. “Les piliers de la terre”  it’s 1200 pages, it’s like this thick (showing how thick), it’s really big and it’s amazing and it’s about 1325 and it’s cool, it’s very good.

      Are you an adventurer or more a conservative person?

      So-so. I’m more conservative, but I’m explorer in music – that’s my way to travel.

       Speaking about travelling and home. Is there a song that represents the feeling of home for you?

Maybe “Ailleurs c’est comme ici”. It’s always that in quest [of something] you want to go somewhere else to find something and ultimately you come back at your place and after a while you know where are you from. That’s what happened for me. After travelling for 10 -15 years with my music, the best place where I feel comfortable is always at home. And I had to decide at the beginning of 2000 if I had to move to Europe for my career, and I decided to not. Because every time that I take the plane and I arrive there, I have that feeling that I have to stay here, to live here.

      Thank you very much for answering our questions. The shows these two days were great!

      It’s a pleasure to meet you, because you are the first ambassador from your country just before that I’m going there.

Could you write a couple of words for our site?

(Writing.) “Thank you so much...”

      Could you write…

      In French?

       Maybe on the next page…

      (Writing.) Voila. Thank you, Elena. So – I’ll see you in November?

      Yes, I will come to Moscow for your shows.

      Take care of yourself and have a good trip here in Canada.

      Oh, I am having a great trip already!

      (Both laughing)

      Thank you very much.

      Thanks a lot!

 

Interview: Elena Haritonova
Photo: Bea Moreau
Montreal, April 10, 2009
Placed on bp.ru with permission of the authors

For Bruno's message to Russian fans click here.

 

      PlaceFM would like to express our sincere thanks to Bea Moreau and to Maurice Richard for their kind assistance in setting up this interview. Thanks to Bea Moreau for pictures.

     

      For inviting Bruno Pelletier and for Bruno's "new destination" to sing in Moscow, special thanks to "Euro Entertainment" and personally to Ildar Bakeyev who is using a new approach to organizing concerts of foreign artists based on exchange of information with the fans.