Notre-Dame de Paris, le spectacle musical (Paris, December 2016)

When I come to theater I am after some magic. What exactly do I mean by magic? Well, a well-made solid production (or any art work for that matter) usually fits the formula: 1+1=2, while the one with magic in it is more like 1+1=6¿#dh7. In the new production of Notre-Dame de Paris the musical (NDDP) I found exactly this kind of magic in Victor Hugo's story, Riccardo Cocciante's music, Hiba Tawaji's Esmeralda and Daniel Lavoie's Frollo.

Mes longs voyages (album) / Daniel Lavoie (2016, Spectra Musique)

By now I have listened to Daniel Lavoie’s new album Mes longs voyages (MLV) many times, and have found that it not only offers the listener some truly beautiful music, but is at the same time a poetic and philosophical statement of striking sincerity and poignancy. Clearly designed as an attempt to draw up a "balance sheet" of life's journey, it exposes the idea of finality and acceptance while at the same time offering a true declaration of love for fragile human beings and for life itself.

William Blake's Songs of Experience, an album by Laurent Guardo, 2011.

 

Here are a few words about Laurent Guardo's early album "William Blake's Songs of Experience". Curiously labeled anything from "lounge" to "international" and even "Broadway" (I am looking at you, Amazon.com), to me this album's music sounds more like modern jazz with strong ambience and psychedelic overtones, although perhaps it's simply difficult to categorize precisely. This is a meditative music, but depending on the mode d'emploi it can make a very different impact on the listener. If one puts earbuds on and surrenders to the album completely, this music is likely to overpower one's reality and take one with it to its own philosophical space, which begins with Blake's great poetry and stretches to the depths of the listener's own mind. However, when enjoyed in a company of friends it makes a great background music for a quiet conversation about life...

Les filles de Caleb: a few words in honor of a Québec musical

Image source: http://www.tandem.mu/photos/artistes/bannieres/fillesdecaleb2.jpg

This is a nostalgic post remembering an original musical Les filles de Caleb that we saw in 2011 at the Grand Théâtre de Québec.