Rufus Wainwright's concert was divided into two parts, one devoted to songs from her latest album All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu (an album that I commented in this blog a few months ago which the article can be read here ), And the second in a bunch of "old" songs. The first part consisted of pieces whose original form and unbridled invariably recalls the music of some great masters of jazz and classical music - Rufus knows so well away from the basic structure of traditional song to walk paths where terms pop and even baroque pop no longer really belong. Let's talk here song, in the classical sense (Gershwin, Porter, Rodgers & Hammerstein) or rooms where the influence of opera and even the song is nice felt, who knows, perhaps these pieces would they liked to Hugo Wolf? We asked the audience not to applaud between songs (another reference to classical music), which was difficult at times because of the undisputed success of the singer's interpretations, interpretations which on several occasions, deserved to feverish applause. The parts that touched me most during this first part are: Real Love, A Dream and, of course, Zebulon, the latest , where the singer talks about the last moments of his mother shortly before his death ("all Montreal misses her "he says, between two tunes). The first part was accompanied by a very subtle staging, where the singer was wearing a sort of medieval coat of diva and where the visual, provided by a series of images projected discreetly served as a backdrop, the album cover Songs for lulu akin to those images. This setting has nothing in particular to the concert, we would be perfectly content with a good and simple set of lights.
The second part was devoted to songs from previous albums by Rufus Wainwright. A medley that began with Beauty Mark, a piece composed for his mother and from her first album, followed by songs from his first two albums, whose performance we confirmed again that Rufus is a musician of excellent caliber. Indeed, it takes a real athlete to play piano and sing like he does, simultaneously, while keeping just a voice and a proper breath. I could write at length about the second part so it touched me, but I'll just say that where Rufus "had me literally was when he sang the beautiful Dinner at Eight - drawn the album Want One - an elegy to his father ("it's pretty hard at first but it ends with love" he said in French with a perfect diction). This song, one of my favorite singer and probably one of those like me the most profound since I listen to pop, made me feel emotions strong enough to put me after the concert, in a particular existential loneliness, I return to these moments later. The rest, then went on with Rufus Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk, that plunged the crowd in a beautiful delusion ambient. Then a few minutes later, the Montreal singer left the stage. He gave three reminders: Poses dock where our soft liquid eyes, the melancholy Going To A Town and a piece of the McGarrigle sisters, where the songwriter Montreal, referring to his mother , could not hold back her tears. In writing all this now, "revisits the fiery emotion of the evening. It was one of the most beautiful services I've seen Rufus since I regularly attend his concerts.
we know well, art can change lives, transform, make us a better person. These transformations are not without sometimes we stir deep inside. Leaving the Theatre St-Denis, I told the friend who accompanied me that I could not go home immediately, I needed to relax and drink a little silence, a question to ponder this . So I went to take a bite alone, before I go to a neighborhood bar. Think of the fate that awaits us, cogitate on that verge on real heartbreak, fear suddenly some absolution, healing absolute thinking about music, what she calls the musician, what it promises. Why write? was the first question of the hour. Why music? second. Undoubtedly, there was for me during this concert, yet another revelation of the art of sound, a muffled voice telling me to relax, not thinking too much and especially not to worry, because the Music knows my impatience, understands, embraces. The music will not go away. Alas, that last sentence has nothing to reassure me. So when the music can she expect?
I could finish this post without mentioning the singer Teddy Thompson , which provided the first part of the concert Rufus. The songs of this songwriter, who are a mix of folk-country melodies simple and often predictable, have not reversed, but this singer's voice was enchanting in every way. Nice surprise, he even joined Rufus duets for two!
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