Scott Price didn’t detect any signs of stress in Celine Dion last Friday, just before she performed at the Paris Olympics. “She was very determined, very strong. I didn’t sense her nervousness; I felt her like, ‘Check me out!'”
The conductor accompanied the singer on the piano during her performance of theOde to love. Captured from an illuminated Eiffel Tower, the 3 min 30 performance left its mark. Since then, the whole planet seems to be talking about it. From social networks to New York Times (“triumphant”), passing through Billboard (” breathtaking “), Le Figaro (“phenomenal”), Kelly Clarkson (“incredible”) and several other celebrities, the number garnered a cascade of praise.
Scott Price, Celine Dion’s musical director since 2015, humbly expected such a reaction. To pretend otherwise would be a lie. “I saw it coming,” the composer admits in an interview. “It was an alignment of the planets: Celine’s first performance in four years, the Olympic Games, the Eiffel Tower, a song by Édith Piaf… I knew it was going to be big.”
Perched on the first floor of the famous Parisian monument, the duo never lost their concentration. Despite the rain. Despite the grandeur of the moment. Because in addition to the hundreds of millions of curious onlookers in front of their screens (in the United States alone, there were 29 million, according to Nielsen and Adobe Analytics), this issue marked the return of Céline Dion to the microphone, a month after the release of a disturbing documentary that recounts her constant battle against a rare and disabling disease that has kept her off stage for some time. Anyone who watched I Am: Celine Dion knows how unexpected a performance of this kind was.
“I was happy to see Celine again,” Scott Price said. “She looked good. We love Celine. We want her to be well.”
PHOTO OLYMPIC BROADCASTING SERVICES, PROVIDED BY REUTERS
Celine Dion, accompanied on the piano by Scott Price, during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games, last Friday
“That she was able to accomplish what she accomplished was wonderful. She had really, really prepared. Like an athlete, like a gymnast. She had done her homework. When I saw her in Paris, her performance was planned. Every sentence was ready. She knew what she was doing.”
“I’m very proud, and I think she is too.”
“Holy shit!”
Scott Price had known for “several months” that Celine Dion planned to perform at the Paris Games. Due to the Quebec artist’s health, confirmation that she would indeed participate in the celebrations did not come until the spring.
His reaction when he first heard about the project? “Holy shit!” the conductor replies with a laugh.
Celine Dion had already sung theOde to love alongside Scott Price. It was in November 2015, at the American Music Awards. However, the circumstances were quite different. At the time, the City of Lights had suffered terrorist attacks a week earlier. The organizers of the American gala had asked Celine Dion to pay tribute to the victims of the attacks by covering the classic by Édith Piaf and Marguerite Monnot.
“On Friday, the context was completely different,” comments Scott Price. “You could feel it in the interpretation.”
“Was I nervous? Yes and no,” the musician adds. “I was pretty excited. It’s more stressful playing in a small room of 20 people who hear every note you play. When you’re playing in front of a crowd that big, it becomes abstract.”
“To be honest, I was surprised by how not nervous I was. I almost felt like I was alone with her. And that’s not stressful.”
PHOTO NATACHA PISARENKO, ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Eiffel Tower during Celine Dion’s performance
It must be said that Scott Price is used to big events. As a conductor and arranger, he was with Céline Dion on the Plains of Abraham in 2008 to mark the 400e from Quebec. Among his many feats of arms, he also recalls his tour of shows with Charles Aznavour in 2002.
This number at the Summer Games, however, takes the cake. “Today, honestly, it would be ridiculous to think that I could do something that would surpass what we just did.”
“Celine impresses me. She’s a racehorse. She rises to the occasion [elle est à la hauteur]. We just had another example of this.”
What about Vegas?
Like Celine Dion, Scott Price did not stay in Paris to attend the start of the Olympic competitions. The next day, he was back in Montreal to continue preparing for the SuperFrancoFête 2024 in Quebec City, which will bring together dozens of artists in a few weeks, including Patrick Bruel, IAM, Isabelle Boulay and Véronic DiCaire.
A mystery “symphonic project” he has been working on for some time should also be released soon.
As for the rumors of Celine Dion’s return to Las Vegas, nothing has been confirmed, insists Scott Price. “I hope Celine feels well enough to get back on stage. I would be very happy for her.”