Jean-Michel Jarre, the electronic music pioneer and former president of CISAC, the global confederation of authors societies, has been awarded the French Legion of Honour, the country’s highest order of merit.
Earlier this week, President Emmanuel Macron presented Jarre with the insignia of Commander to the Legion of Honour, recognized as the country’s highest honor, both military and civil.
Later, Jarre delivered a pumping set at the Cour d’honneur courtyard of the Elysée presidential palace in Paris, for a special concert that also featured performances from Irène Dresel, Glitter, Cerrone and NSDOS. It’s said to be the first time electronic music has filled the palace’s courtyard.
“After so long apart, it was wonderful to spend a special evening with a real-life audience,” Jarre says in a statement. “We shared these good vibes with everyone around the world via the livestream, and I know we will all be together again soon. Thank you to all the artists who performed, it was a night I will never forget.”
Born in Lyon, France, Jarre is a legend of electronic music, whose albums Oxygene, Equinoxe, Zoolook and Magnet Fields are part of the bedrock of the genre.
The 72-year-old artist and composer’s spectacular concerts have set several marks in the Guinness World Records, and he was the first western musician ever to be invited to perform in post-Mao China, the recordings of which were released in 1981 as the double album, The Concerts In China.
His catalog includes 21 studio albums, including 2021’s Amazonia, and career sales surpass 85 million combined copies worldwide. Jarre stepped down as President of CISAC on May 28, 2020, after seven years in the role. His successor at the global confederation is ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus.
Watch Jarre’s performance at Elysée Palace, part of the Fête de la Musique, below.
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