About a year an a half ago, I made what was probably the most prolific of all my musical discoveries. And again, it sprung from a small observation during a non-music endeavor. I have a deep interest in the sport of figure skating, but developed it at a time following the participatory years of some of the coolest skaters out there. So, I was making the effort to collect videos of performances, skater by skater. I admired the French Ice Dance team of Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat, but took up figure skating fandom in their final year of competition. After acquiring a video of their earlier work, I was able to see a very particular exhibition performance. They were costumed to fit the song they were skating to, and it was from a musical.
It was an extremely powerful skating performance...but the song! My God, the song was amazing! I had to find out who was singing it and where I could find more! You see...I'm also a big fan of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's music, and this song reminded me of one of their singers. Deep, growling, guttural voice. Very powerful and moving. And so I thought this might be the same guy. Luckily, most figure skaters list the music along with the routine stats on their websites, so it was no trouble to find the name of the song and the name of the singer.
I quickly learned that the song was from a musical called "Notre Dame de Paris". So, I hopped onto Ebay and found a CD soundtrack from the musical. The musical is in French, but for Anissina and Peizerat's performance, the song was done part in French and Part in English. I did find a CD of the songs translated and sung in English, so that was my first purchase on the path to discovery. I got the CD and was finally able to obtain the song that had moved me so much. It's called "Danse Mon Esmeralda" (Dance, My Esmeralda), and it's the final song of the show. But, after listening to rest rest of the songs, I wanted more. Especially since the voice of one of the performers blew me away immediately. The growling, gravel voice was produced by a guy named Garou. That's it. Nothing more. Just "Garou" - which is French for wolf. The other voice that blew me away was from a man named Bruno Pelletier. And this voice could cut crystal! It's so clear, crisp and sharp. It cuts right to the eardrums, and is beautiful in all respects.
But the CD also came with pictures of the performers.
I had to see this musical! Luckily, it's not French. It's Canadian, and as such, there are Region 1 DVDs of it to be had on Ebay! By far the easiest acquisition I'd encountered thus far. The musical itself is in French, language-wise, but it's a creation of the entertainment industry in Montreal. There were English subtitles, so there was no hardship at all in viewing it. And by the end, I was struck speechless. Completely in awe. "Notre Dame de Paris" is the story of the Hunchback of Notre Dame. The first fellow pictured above played Quasimodo, and put forth one of the most amazingly powerful, dramatic performances I've ever seen in a stage musical. The second fellow play Gringoire, the street poet. And his performance was delightful. What they did with set and stage was brilliant in its minimalism, and the visual, dancers and other effects were...were... Well, I can't think of a word big enough or impressive enough. Oh, this DVD got shown around quickly. I had parties for the purpose of gathering group after group who wanted to see it. Two more copies of the DVD have been purchased by those to whom I introduced it, and word of this magnificent show is still spreading. There has not been a single person who has viewed it and not come away impressed. Since then, I have also managed to obtain a 2-CD set of the soundtrack for the entire show, in French. As opposed to my previously purchased English CD featuring highlight songs.
And none of us speak French. You'd think the language barrier would be a problem, but it's really not. Once through with the subtitles, and you know the story. Every subsequent viewing is just enjoyment of the music, the voices and visuals. And such enjoyment! And it's not just an awesome show. It's a record breaking show. Without the help of America, this musical is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the show that has been more successful in its opening season that any other show. Ever. Period. And that includes Phantom of the Opera! The show's signature song, "Belle" stayed at the top of French music charts for a record 16 weeks. So, don't just take my word for it, folks! Take the word of Canada, France, England, Russia, Germany, Japan and all the other countries that flocked in droves to their theaters to see it. And don't worry if you're not a "musical" kind of person. Suppose you're more of a standard "rock" kind of person. I guarantee you'll like it, and its music. My thrash-metal buddy Mike was fascinated by it!
I highly and strongly recommend it. You will not be disappointed. There are lots of DVD copies on Ebay...but I advise against the Asian import copies.
Once I had the show, however, I branched out even farther. Every single cast member in the show is a recording artist in his or her own right, and at least two of them are rock stars! Never heard of in America, but practicing and world famous less than 100 miles north of the American border in New York. Through them, and locating items in which they have participated with other Montreal and France artists, I came to find even more amazing artists that America has never heard of...but more about them in individual posts to come.
And about the French thing. It must now seem like I have an affinity for French stuff. Not true. I've never been that enthralled with French stuff. I hate the food...and in high school, when it came time to pick a language course, my thoughts were adamantly against French, and I went with Spanish. And as interested as I am in histories and cultures...France never struck me as particularly interesting. In fact, I'm most happy with Egypt and Celtic cultures. But then I discovered David Hallyday. I had no idea, and never expected that his origin would be France. But it was, so that was how that cookie crumbled. Then there was that skating pair. I liked them...it didn't matter what country they were from. But again, it just happened to be France. And being French, of course they would be most familiar with French music, and choose such for their routines.
But here is what I have come to understand. I've listened to music from other countries. Music that passes for the popular music in other countries today. Britain, Canada, Australia and America, of course, are focused mostly on rock, pop, rap, etc. The major music industry toprunners. In other countries, however, that's not necessarily so. A great deal of their popular music, though with rock tendencies, is really stamped with the cultural sound. It would never make it onto the charts if it were played on the radio here in America...in English. It's just too far off the "norm" for the public to easily accept. Yes, there has been the odd band from the occasional non-English-speaking country, but not enough of them to say the rest of the world is on the same boat as the English speaking countries, music industry wise.
But then I became exposed to this French stuff...and what strikes me most about it is...it IS on the same boat. The choice of musical sound is exactly the same as American rock/pop. The music I began discovering through Notre Dame de Paris is comparable to Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen and other such artists. It's just sung in French, and if it were sung in English, it surely would be chart topping material - as it already is, elsewhere. The best thing is, most of these artists are still performing good music. With real musicians, more sophisticated song writing and awesome stage performances. It's as if they - like myself - caught onto the fact that good music styles should never die. Instead of moving on to spotlight the Christina Aguileras and Justin Timberlakes...and rap, they held back and kept doing the kind of stuff we had here between 1985 and 1995. GOOD STUFF. Excellent music....excellent musicians. The fact that it's in French is irrelevant. When you listen to music, you only pay attention to the lyrics and the meaning of the song maybe the first 2 or 3 times you hear it. After you know what the song says, each times you listen to it after that, you're simply hearing the sound. The sound of the voice mixing with the music for the overall effect. After the third time around, the language doesn't matter, because you're not listening word for word anymore. So why should it matter if the songs are in French? Or any other language for that matter? It doesn't. If you really do want to know what the songs are saying, Microsoft word has a translating tool. Paste the lyrics onto a document and use it. There are also all kinds of translating tools on the web. And I promise you that there are web sites out there that feature the lyrics to all of the artists I have discovered. And though none of the translations would be perfect, it would still be accurate enough to tell you what the song is saying. Once you know...keep listening to the stuff just for the sound.
Oh...and this musical is definitely NOT related to the Disney movie at all. It's more loyal to the original book by Victor Hugo. Enjoy! And find a copy of Notre Dame de Paris and watch it!
For now, however, YouTube has excerpts! Go to http://youtube.com/results?search=notre dame de paris&sort=relevance&page=3 Go immediately to page 3 (actually, this link takes you right to page 3) of the video list, because everything up to that point is NOT an excerpt from the DVD performance. On page 3, however, about 5 down, you'll see a clip called "Belle". There are several other Belle clips right there with it, but open the one with a time count of 06:20. Just a few more down, you'll see clips for "Lune", "Le Val d'Amour", "Ou est-elle", "La Fete des Fous" and "Le Temps Des Cathadrales". View them all!
It was an extremely powerful skating performance...but the song! My God, the song was amazing! I had to find out who was singing it and where I could find more! You see...I'm also a big fan of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's music, and this song reminded me of one of their singers. Deep, growling, guttural voice. Very powerful and moving. And so I thought this might be the same guy. Luckily, most figure skaters list the music along with the routine stats on their websites, so it was no trouble to find the name of the song and the name of the singer.
I quickly learned that the song was from a musical called "Notre Dame de Paris". So, I hopped onto Ebay and found a CD soundtrack from the musical. The musical is in French, but for Anissina and Peizerat's performance, the song was done part in French and Part in English. I did find a CD of the songs translated and sung in English, so that was my first purchase on the path to discovery.
I got the CD and was finally able to obtain the song that had moved me so much. It's called "Danse Mon Esmeralda" (Dance, My Esmeralda), and it's the final song of the show. But, after listening to rest rest of the songs, I wanted more. Especially since the voice of one of the performers blew me away immediately. The growling, gravel voice was produced by a guy named Garou. That's it. Nothing more. Just "Garou" - which is French for wolf. The other voice that blew me away was from a man named Bruno Pelletier. And this voice could cut crystal! It's so clear, crisp and sharp. It cuts right to the eardrums, and is beautiful in all respects.
But the CD also came with pictures of the performers.
I had to see this musical! Luckily, it's not French. It's Canadian, and as such, there are Region 1 DVDs of it to be had on Ebay! By far the easiest acquisition I'd encountered thus far. The musical itself is in French, language-wise, but it's a creation of the entertainment industry in Montreal. There were English subtitles, so there was no hardship at all in viewing it. And by the end, I was struck speechless. Completely in awe. "Notre Dame de Paris" is the story of the Hunchback of Notre Dame. The first fellow pictured above played Quasimodo, and put forth one of the most amazingly powerful, dramatic performances I've ever seen in a stage musical. The second fellow play Gringoire, the street poet. And his performance was delightful. What they did with set and stage was brilliant in its minimalism, and the visual, dancers and other effects were...were... Well, I can't think of a word big enough or impressive enough.
Oh, this DVD got shown around quickly. I had parties for the purpose of gathering group after group who wanted to see it. Two more copies of the DVD have been purchased by those to whom I introduced it, and word of this magnificent show is still spreading. There has not been a single person who has viewed it and not come away impressed. Since then, I have also managed to obtain a 2-CD set of the soundtrack for the entire show, in French. As opposed to my previously purchased English CD featuring highlight songs.
And none of us speak French. You'd think the language barrier would be a problem, but it's really not. Once through with the subtitles, and you know the story. Every subsequent viewing is just enjoyment of the music, the voices and visuals. And such enjoyment! And it's not just an awesome show. It's a record breaking show. Without the help of America, this musical is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the show that has been more successful in its opening season that any other show. Ever. Period. And that includes Phantom of the Opera! The show's signature song, "Belle" stayed at the top of French music charts for a record 16 weeks. So, don't just take my word for it, folks! Take the word of Canada, France, England, Russia, Germany, Japan and all the other countries that flocked in droves to their theaters to see it. And don't worry if you're not a "musical" kind of person. Suppose you're more of a standard "rock" kind of person. I guarantee you'll like it, and its music. My thrash-metal buddy Mike was fascinated by it!
I highly and strongly recommend it. You will not be disappointed. There are lots of DVD copies on Ebay...but I advise against the Asian import copies.
Once I had the show, however, I branched out even farther. Every single cast member in the show is a recording artist in his or her own right, and at least two of them are rock stars! Never heard of in America, but practicing and world famous less than 100 miles north of the American border in New York. Through them, and locating items in which they have participated with other Montreal and France artists, I came to find even more amazing artists that America has never heard of...but more about them in individual posts to come.
And about the French thing. It must now seem like I have an affinity for French stuff. Not true. I've never been that enthralled with French stuff. I hate the food...and in high school, when it came time to pick a language course, my thoughts were adamantly against French, and I went with Spanish. And as interested as I am in histories and cultures...France never struck me as particularly interesting. In fact, I'm most happy with Egypt and Celtic cultures.
But then I discovered David Hallyday. I had no idea, and never expected that his origin would be France. But it was, so that was how that cookie crumbled. Then there was that skating pair. I liked them...it didn't matter what country they were from. But again, it just happened to be France. And being French, of course they would be most familiar with French music, and choose such for their routines.
But here is what I have come to understand. I've listened to music from other countries. Music that passes for the popular music in other countries today. Britain, Canada, Australia and America, of course, are focused mostly on rock, pop, rap, etc. The major music industry toprunners. In other countries, however, that's not necessarily so. A great deal of their popular music, though with rock tendencies, is really stamped with the cultural sound. It would never make it onto the charts if it were played on the radio here in America...in English. It's just too far off the "norm" for the public to easily accept. Yes, there has been the odd band from the occasional non-English-speaking country, but not enough of them to say the rest of the world is on the same boat as the English speaking countries, music industry wise.
But then I became exposed to this French stuff...and what strikes me most about it is...it IS on the same boat. The choice of musical sound is exactly the same as American rock/pop. The music I began discovering through Notre Dame de Paris is comparable to Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen and other such artists. It's just sung in French, and if it were sung in English, it surely would be chart topping material - as it already is, elsewhere. The best thing is, most of these artists are still performing good music. With real musicians, more sophisticated song writing and awesome stage performances. It's as if they - like myself - caught onto the fact that good music styles should never die. Instead of moving on to spotlight the Christina Aguileras and Justin Timberlakes...and rap, they held back and kept doing the kind of stuff we had here between 1985 and 1995. GOOD STUFF. Excellent music....excellent musicians.
The fact that it's in French is irrelevant. When you listen to music, you only pay attention to the lyrics and the meaning of the song maybe the first 2 or 3 times you hear it. After you know what the song says, each times you listen to it after that, you're simply hearing the sound. The sound of the voice mixing with the music for the overall effect. After the third time around, the language doesn't matter, because you're not listening word for word anymore. So why should it matter if the songs are in French? Or any other language for that matter? It doesn't. If you really do want to know what the songs are saying, Microsoft word has a translating tool. Paste the lyrics onto a document and use it. There are also all kinds of translating tools on the web. And I promise you that there are web sites out there that feature the lyrics to all of the artists I have discovered. And though none of the translations would be perfect, it would still be accurate enough to tell you what the song is saying. Once you know...keep listening to the stuff just for the sound.
Oh...and this musical is definitely NOT related to the Disney movie at all. It's more loyal to the original book by Victor Hugo. Enjoy! And find a copy of Notre Dame de Paris and watch it!
For now, however, YouTube has excerpts! Go to http://youtube.com/results?search=notre dame de paris&sort=relevance&page=3
Go immediately to page 3 (actually, this link takes you right to page 3) of the video list, because everything up to that point is NOT an excerpt from the DVD performance. On page 3, however, about 5 down, you'll see a clip called "Belle". There are several other Belle clips right there with it, but open the one with a time count of 06:20. Just a few more down, you'll see clips for "Lune", "Le Val d'Amour", "Ou est-elle", "La Fete des Fous" and "Le Temps Des Cathadrales". View them all!