A one of a kind experience, The Wall of Sound is a pyromusical show that amazes with its unique conceptual and scenographic approach. Perched in an 18m high by 27m wide scaffolding wall, 300 choristers, 50 musicians and many guest artists revisit popular musical hits. Their voices echo in the night while the wall becomes an imposing projection surface that serves as a vehicle through which the story of each song is laid out in images and punctuated by pyrotechnic bursts. At each port of call, the Wall is reinvented and offers a new perspective of the hosting region. It is built upon the collaboration that takes place between the host populationand the production team, as well as in the surprising blend of Quebec and local assets and know-how. Combining songs, multimedia, and pyrotechnics, the Wall is a genuine proposal that reaches the audience’s heart.
The Wall of Sound has been presented in Lausanne, Switzerland in September 2012 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of 24 heures. The event was such a success that a third show was added, reaching a total of 40.000 amazed spectators.
The structure, a temporary building specifically designed to support large loads of technical equipment, could also comfortably accommodate hundreds of choristers of Vaud. The technically complex projection surface offered great transparency, giving the possibility for the public to see the signers appear or disappear from inside the structure, right before their eyes. Furthermore, the selected surface had to offer the necessary brilliance in order to guarantee high definition projections. As a matter of fact, most of the images had to be edited in the onsite video suite in order to be optimized for maximum visual impact.
Through an exclusive selection of songs arising from local and universal heritage, 16 films, created specifically to acknowledge just as many aspects of the hosting region, lead to one another, and take you away. While the celebration set in, the local artists and musicians joined the large choir to convey 90 minutes of pure emotion to the spectators. Endowed with an evocative power, it is literally a human wall that stands before the audience with all its warmth.
Olivier Dufour’s show is ideally suited to travel across the world: original and touching, it pleases audiences of any age and background. It also invites local choirs’ participation and showcases the host region’s popular headliners.
Hosting The Wall of Sound is like writing a love letter to one’s culture, paying it a true multimedia tribute. It resembles those who build it and those who are part of it.
Equipment List:
- 30 Clay Paky Alpha Spot HPE 1500
- 6 Martin Professional MAC III Performance
- 24 Clay Paky Sharpy
- 90 LED Powerstick Expolite ELP60
- 90 Martin Professional StageBar
- 70 Showtech Strip Light sunstrip
- 60 JB Lighting A7 Zoom RGB
- 2 MA Lighting grandMA
- 8 Barco 20K
- 2 Coolux Media Server
- 72 d&b audiotechnik J-Series
- 22 d&b audiotechnik V-Series
- 54 d&b audiotechnik D12 Amp
- 24 d&b audiotechnik Q-Series
- 30 Kling & Freitag-CA106
- 4 Soundcraft Vi6 Console
- 2 ProTools HD-10
- 100 Neumann KM184
- 50 DPA 4066
- 24 Shure KSM9
- 50 Shure PSM900/600
Design Team:
- Original Concept, Creative Director: Olivier Dufour
- Post-Production: Studio Élément
- Lighting Designer: Atomic3
- Sound Designer: Alexandre Forgues
- Original Images: François-Xavier Roy, David Cannon
- Music Arrangements: François Couture
- Pyrotechnics Designer: Benoît Berthelet