This DVD chronicles the first week of a four-week residency at the Triton in Paris. Back in 2000, Magma had celebrated its 30th anniversary with an ambitious two-day event at the Trianon, during which the complete "Theusz Hamtaahk" trilogy was performed and filmed. For the 35th anniversary, Christian Vander upped the ante: four weeks of concerts, featuring four different set lists covering the whole history of the band, with new special guests each week. Filmed between May 10-14, 2005, Mythes et Légendes, Vol. 1 features the core instrumental lineup of the late-'90s and early-2000s Magma, with guest Klaus Blasquiz, original singer of the band and its most defining and popular figure after Vander himself. Blasquiz has not lost the amazing voice that made him stand out in the '70s -- it may be less piercing or menacing now, but it remains a full-bodied and precise instrument. The set list covers the early history of Magma, with several selections from Kobaïa, one track from 1,001 Degrees Centigrade and the complete first movement of the trilogy "Theusz Hamtaahk" itself. Some of these early pieces had not been performed in ages. For the first set (50 minutes), the band consists of Blasquiz, Vander, Emmanuel Borghi (keyboards), James Mac Gaw (guitar), Philippe Bussonnet (bass), and a horn section (Rémi Dumoulin, Yannick Soccal and Fabrice Theuillon, all newcomers). This lineup performs "Malaria," "Stoah," "Iss Lanseï Doïa," "Auraë" and "Kobaïa." Benoit Alziary was given the job of copying the original arrangements from the recordings and revamping them. He marvelously acquitted himself of this daunting task, highlighting along the way the free jazz leanings of "Iss Lanseï Doïa" and "Stoah," two highlights. When the band comes back after an intermission for the second set, the horn players are gone and vocalist Stella Vander is now standing at Blasquiz's right. The band launches into the 35-minute "Theusz Hamtaahk" and the concert takes a different turn. Christian Vander, who had been smiling wildly throughout the first set, swinging all over the kit and simply having fun, now falls into a deep, intense trance that propels the hypnotic epic. This arrangement sticks much closer to the early recordings of the piece (see BBC Radio Londres 1974), if only in comparison to the lush six-piece vocal arrangements of the 2000 Theusz Hamtaahk: La Trilogie au Trianon concerts. The encore features the "Sowiloï/KMX B12" medley. Despite the anachronism the latter piece introduces, since these two numbers have been performed together for so many years, separating them would have cruel, so to speak. "KMX B12" serves as a soloing vehicle for Bussonnet and Mac Gaw, who manage to lift the performance another step or two, a commanding feat after "Theusz Hamtaahk." Visually speaking, the film is very well shot (in 16/9 ratio) and tastefully edited, with backstage footage used as introduction, intermission and pre-encore interlude. This is a powerful performance, noteworthy both for Blasquiz's presence and its surprising set list.
© François Couture /TiVo