Estelle Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 I've just heard that singer-songwriter Jean Ferrat passed away (aged 79). He was one of my parents' favorite singers... He was especially known for his songs on poems by Louis Aragon, e.g. "Que serais-je sans toi ?" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZaXuFzi4Rw "Aimer à perdre la raison" He also had written songs dealing with political themes (e.g. "Nuit et Brouillard" about the victims of the Nazi death camps- which included his own father, who died in Auschwitz). His last studio album had been released around 1995. He had been living a quiet life in a small village of Ardèche since the mid-1970s (his last concert in France was in 1973), but I've read his albums still were very successful (still ranking in the top 10 last year). He had a tiny connection to ballet: in 1961, he had performed for six months at the l'Alhambra Cabaret with Zizi Jeanmaire (singer, wife of Roland Petit and dancer who premiered his "Carmen"); he had also written some songs for her. He probably was the last one among a generation of great French singers and songwriters (with Jacques Brel, Léo Ferré, Georges Brassens...) Here's a link to a biography of him in English: http://www.rfimusique.com/siteEN/biographi...raphie_6300.asp Link to comment
bart Posted March 14, 2010 Share Posted March 14, 2010 I especially liked "Aimer a perdre la raison," plossibly because I could follow the written French lyrics. (Aragon is better known in the U.S. as World War II Communist resistant than as a poet. I didn't know he wrote such romantic verses.) Like your parents, I am a sucker for this kind of voice. And what about the face? Talk about joli laid. I don't think I've ever seen such extraordinary cheekbones -- or such a likeably lopsided mouth -- on a man. He looked as though someone had started out with Yves Montand's face, then stretched and pushed the various features around until something much more interesting was created. Link to comment
dirac Posted March 14, 2010 Share Posted March 14, 2010 I've just heard that singer-songwriter Jean Ferrat passed away (aged 79).He was one of my parents' favorite singers... He was especially known for his songs on poems by Louis Aragon, e.g. "Que serais-je sans toi ?" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZaXuFzi4Rw "Aimer à perdre la raison" He also had written songs dealing with political themes (e.g. "Nuit et Brouillard" about the victims of the Nazi death camps- which included his own father, who died in Auschwitz). His last studio album had been released around 1995. He had been living a quiet life in a small village of Ardèche since the mid-1970s (his last concert in France was in 1973), but I've read his albums still were very successful (still ranking in the top 10 last year). He had a tiny connection to ballet: in 1961, he had performed for six months at the l'Alhambra Cabaret with Zizi Jeanmaire (singer, wife of Roland Petit and dancer who premiered his "Carmen"); he had also written some songs for her. He probably was the last one among a generation of great French singers and songwriters (with Jacques Brel, Léo Ferré, Georges Brassens...) Here's a link to a biography of him in English: http://www.rfimusique.com/siteEN/biographi...raphie_6300.asp Thanks for posting this, Estelle. I had not heard of him. What a distinctive voice. Link to comment
dirac Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 Just listening to him sing "Ma France." Link to comment
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