The Rugby World Cup may be the event of the moment, but getting the layman to look at certain posters can be a complicated mission. Like Italy-Namibia, which fought on Saturday in Saint-Etienne: “But yes, with the Toulouse Ange Capuozzo, we are going to see a spectacle! » Not convincing. “We could see a first surprise in this World Cup with Namibia! » We were sent back to our 22. “The Italian anthem is super beautiful, you absolutely have to listen to it. » Banco!
Well, that was before the anthem broadcast to Geoffroy-Guichard when the two teams found themselves facing the presidential stand. A Fratelli d’Italia in a lyrical version, sung a cappella by dozens of children, recorded and broadcast in the Chaudron speakers. “Can’t we have the hymns sung normally please? The most important thing is the players… It’s a unique moment,” exclaimed former Transalpine international Mirco Bergasmaco on X (formerly Twitter).
“ The Marseillaisethere, we had difficulty recognizing her »
The Italian is not the only one to have had his ears ringing during the anthems. Ask those who wanted to vibrate in front The Marseillaise, during France-New Zealand, Friday. A monster cacophony, while the children were, this time, present on the pitch of the Stade de France. “The sound recording wasn’t necessarily ideal, because they favored voices that not everyone necessarily hears, and we ultimately didn’t hear much of the tune. The sound was not taken from the tune sung by the crowd. The Marseillaisethere, we had difficulty recognizing her,” admits Alain Palma, director of the Sannois music school (Val-d’Oise).
With his wife Delphine, professor of musical education at the Jean-Moulin college in Sannois, Alain Palma participated in the Mêlée du choir project, launched in particular by the former Minister of Education Jean-Michel Blanquer. The objective? Let the anthems of the twenty nations participating in the World Cup be sung by hundreds of students. Basically, the kids all had to be present on site. Ultimately, only the matches at the Stade de France and the Vélodrome should be affected (even if there were no little singers on the pitches this weekend).
The interpretation had to be extremely precise, we did not do as we wanted, says Delphine Palma. Since it is broadcast worldwide, the arrangement of the anthems had to be validated by the federations. The Opéra Comique de Paris took care of the musical aspect and the arrangement of the hymns. Then, we worked on each hymn with natives of each country and integrated that into the educational course. »
Rehearsal in front of François Hollande
In Sannois, the budding singers rehearsed several times, notably in front of François Hollande, or during an ice hockey match to understand stress management. They will normally be present on the pitch at the Stade de France for the quarter-final on October 15. And the management hopes not to relive the same scenario as that experienced during the opening match.
“The choice to sing a cappella is the most difficult thing, because we are without musical support,” continues Delphine Palma. The problem is that in a stadium of 80,000 people, everything went wrong. The song is thought of in three voices, but not in canon. By ear, you could completely hear a lag, but it’s due to the live. »
The arrangements of the Opéra-Comique also raise questions. “Me, when I was a player, I wanted the anthem to be sung in the most faithful way to the version that everyone knows,” explains former Argentine international pillar Omar Hasan, who is also a lyric singer. It allows us to sing in a united way, both players and supporters. It’s always complicated when there are arrangements, like here with the children and a cappella, where different types of voices are mixed. »
It was perhaps a little too licked, a little too intellectual, if one can say it like that, develops Alain Palma. A hymn is something patriotic that is normally sung in one voice, at full throttle, we don’t need to make arrangements as complex as that. We didn’t necessarily hear the melody behind it, we almost couldn’t hear the second voices anymore… As professionals, it didn’t bother us, but it perhaps took away from the simple side of the anthem. »
“Everything has to be perfect”
Speaking of simplicity, we were feverishly awaiting the interpretation, on Sunday, at the Velodrome before South Africa-Scotland, of Flower of Scotland, one of the most beautiful anthems in the world which, accompanied by bagpipes, could be transfused into us intravenously every morning at breakfast. And the interpretation given by the children visibly charmed Scottish coach Gregor Townsend: “I love the children’s choir, Flower of Scotland was very well sung and both anthems were impressive. »
Same response from Siya Kolisi, the Boks captain: “I think they were very good. In any case, we barely hear because we sing ourselves, and with our big voices, we can’t hear anything. When I sing I think about what I have to do, and I have nothing to complain about. » Unlike Iñaki Ayarza, the Chilean full-back, asked if he appreciated this new interpretation: “Mmmh… It’s not huge, I’m not going to lie. The anthem was good because I could hear people singing in the stadium, and because I could hear my friends singing next to me. That’s what makes it beautiful. »
According to RMC Sports, a meeting to discuss the subject took place on Monday between France 2023, the International Federation and the Ministry of Sports. Hoping, for the kids, who have been rehearsing for a year, that everything that has been worked on does not shatter. “The project is magnificent, to involve children in this event, the intention is good, but we should have anticipated the constraints of a live broadcast, a World Cup, a full stadium,” summarizes Omar Hasan. There is the constraint of a very large place, with resonance. It’s a quick moment, it has to be perfect. » Come on, let’s put a play on Omar Hasan to sing the anthems during the final.