They had worldwide success with alegria, in the mid-1990s before they parted ways. But in the last ten years, Francesca Gagnon and René Dupéré have rediscovered the joy of working together in the studio and now also on stage. In a few days, the duo will present a show bringing tracks from the new album together. music to the starswithout forgetting the Cirque du Soleil classics.
“I think people should want to hear and see us. Yes, I am the voice of Alegria. But I did other things too! says Francesca Gagnon with a smile.
She has just put together a show with her longtime accomplice, composer René Dupéré, to be performed in Montreal and Quebec City in a few days. The duo’s wish is to land a show agent who will tour them around the province.
“I haven’t been to Quebec much in the past few years and I want to correct that,” Francesca said. I wish we could reach at least 60 cities with this show. »
On stage, the two accomplices are accompanied by other musicians, including a string quartet. It will be the same formation as the last show they did in Istanbul in 2019.
Lost
Among the 19 tracks on the show will be some from Cirque du Soleil’s new album, as well as some covers by Jacques Brel, Mercedes Sosa and Edith Piaf.
“Piaf is very important to me in my career, in my life. He influenced me a lot,” says Francesca.
Today, Francesca Gagnon and René Dupéré are almost inseparable professionally, but lost touch for many years after the end of the Alegria hurricane.
“I was in Cirque for two years and then I made an album,” says Francesca. We had written songs with René. But we had an agent who worked differently. It didn’t go the way we thought, René and I. I took a different path. »
In the following years she released several solo albums and toured North America for two years with the Chilean group Inti-Illimani.
In 2012, as part of a project he was carrying out in Sainte-Agathe, René came up with the idea of calling Francesca. Since then they have not stopped working together.
Under 200 singers
But when did they first meet, by the way? For that we have to go back to 1994, a few weeks before the launch of Alegria. After launching Mystère in Las Vegas the previous year, René Dupéré immediately launched the new show under the Cirque du Soleil umbrella.
“We were looking for a singer,” he recalls. As for Saltimbanco and Mystère, I had two very typical singers. I fell in love with these voices the first time I heard them. The casting team [du Cirque] pushed me into the background and didn’t find it funny not having a singer a month before the premiere. I told them: when I hear it, I will know. I didn’t make many friends with it [rires] ! »
Shortly after, someone told him to watch a video of Francesca. “I listened to that voice and said: It’s her, it’s settled! Go and get her. We’ll work together from now on. »
According to Francesca, people from the cirque had auditioned no fewer than 200 singers for Alegria. “You were about to go to Paris [pour continuer les auditions] “, she says. Ultimately, they didn’t have to.
Like a balance sheet
After Alegria, René Dupéré wondered if he wanted to continue working with Cirque. He allowed himself to be persuaded twice more: for Kà, by Robert Lepage [2004]and Zed, by Francois Girard [2008].
“I didn’t do anything with the circus after that,” he said. I walked around, I think, the music of the cirque. And I hate competing with myself. »
René Dupéré even sees this new show with Francesca Gagnon as a career review. “I could have stopped afterwards and said what I wanted to say,” concludes the 77-year-old composer.
Francesca Gagnon and René Dupéré will perform at the Salle Claude-Léveillée des Place des Arts on May 25th and at the Salle d’Youville of the Palais Montcalm in Quebec City on May 25th.
For info: francescagagnon.com.