Post by davidhr on Jun 7, 2011 10:20:17 GMT -5
Having taken time off from performing, Lara had the time to leave a new message on her official site. As usual, it was only in French (at least so far), but larafabiannews.com took the time to translate it into English. As it can be read there, it is not repeated here, but the following are some impressions from what she wrote:
**What has been taking her time recently has been her move to a new house (she has referred to this several times in the past). Apparently it is now finished, at least as far as the movers are concerned.
**Her performance in the upcoming play '1939' will be basically to sing a few songs, so as to 'give confidence' to the student performers. Hence she doesn't consider this an acting role.
**The upcoming concert she is to give in Astana, Kazhakstan will be very similar to her Mlle. Zhivago shows in Moscow (so one can probably expect lip-synching on some of the songs).
**In contrast, her upcoming shows in the 'countries to the east' in the autumn will be acoustic. That's a surprise - presumably they are in support of the release of the 'Mlle. Zhivago' film in some sense, so one would have thought they would be given the orchestral support that those songs seem to require. Maybe we'll hear acoustic versions of those songs; or maybe they won't be greatly represented at all. Whatever ones are included, however, will almost certainly not be lip-synched!
**At the end of July, she's be doing a duet with one of the "great baritones" of the world, on a previously unrecorded song. On the Russian site, he was identified as Dmitri Hvorostovsky. "Wikipedia", in addition to verifying Lara's description of him operatically, notes that he was also listed by People magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world. He's recently being doing primarily Verdi operas, so if their piece is classical, it may be from one of them. But he's also known as a concert artist, so it could be literally anything (maybe even a new song of Lara's, if it is indeed previously unrecorded by anybody).
**Lara claims she is writing new songs for new projects; perhaps this refers to the next French album.
Also interesting is what she doesn't talk about, whether from oversight or lack of interest. She doesn't mention the charity concert she's been reported as giving in Belgium next September, although in other venues she has. When asked in an interview on their website what had interested her about the project, Lara said (in translation), "I have had the chance of having a serene, happy childhood. If I myself can offer a little of this happiness, it is normal for me to respond." She notes that "whether it is for children in Nepal or in Charerloi, projects dedicated to them touch me always". Tickets are available at www.spiroudome.be, with prices of 51 and 92 euros for the 'public spots', and 282 and 302 euros for the VIP seats (just in front of the stage, generally with a meal included). The hall holds 6000 people.
And she doesn't mention the release of the 'Mlle. Zhivago' film (or album) at all - since this message is clearly meant almost exclusively for her Belgium/French audience, that may indicate there are no plans to release it directly to them. Were it not for her upcoming concerts in the 'countries to the east', one would get the impression that she has moved past this project already. Nevertheless, added to the list of her upcoming performances there is the indication that she will be in Jurmala, Latvia for the 'New Wave' show on July 31st, and, as reported previously, will be part of the Armenian multi-singer recorded performance for their independence day (9/21) of Ara Gevorgyan's song "Love each other" (see the Lara Greek Music Treasure Box facebook site for more info on that).
While Lara is not pushing the 'Mlle. Zhivago' film, Igor Krutoi still is. More details are out concerning his recent appearances in the Ukraine. Apparently he had just gotten back from the U.S. where he had a medical procedure to remove kidney stones; he was described as looking paler and thinner. This diversion may have led to the delay in finishing the 'Mlle. Zhivago' film, which he now says will be debuted this fall (instead of the spring, as he had previously indicated). He said Lara is expected to appear in person at its premiere. So it seems it will have a real opening after all, at least in Russia/Ukraine.
In other news, a video of an interview Lara gave in China earlier this year has been made available on youtube; it can be found at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UblMFfh8yxM&feature=player_embedded#at=12
As can be understood (it is partly in English), Lara discusses visiting places in China to see how the people there really live.
Now for the next installment from the biography of Lara, pp. 130-137. This concerns her work in the cinema and international collaborations from 1992-2004.
**As early as 1992, Lara was involved in movie soundtracks, singing 'Laisse-moi rever' for the film 'La neige et le fue'. We of course know of her work as Esmeralda in the 1996 animated version of 'Le bossu de Notre-Dame' (the French soundtrack).
**Stephen Spielburg asked her to sing 'For Always' in the film 'AI' in 2001 after having heard her English album. This song was also played at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, which as the book notes, means that millions of Americans (and many more worldwide) got to hear Lara's voice.
**Possibly as a result of that, she was asked to sing 'World at your Feet' for the 2002 World Cup recording, representing Belgium. That was followed by being asked to sing 'The Dream Within' for the film 'Final Fantasy' in Japan.
**The book covers the controversy concerning what is the clear plagiarism by Kate Ryan of Lara's song 'Giving Up On You' (which she co-wrote with Patrick Leonard). A comparison of the lyrics is presented, and although not identical, there is no doubt. One wonders how those involved thought they could get away with it; Lara's album was not some minor disc hidden away somewhere, from an out-of-the-way record company. Of course, if this were a true investigative biography, the author would then explore what happened with that - did Lara sue (as the magazine Platine suggested she should do), was an apology offered, etc? It goes without saying that he did not, ending the discussion as if all this just happened yesterday, rather than almost a decade ago.
**The next section deals with Lara's appearance in De-Lovely. She explained she loved the film because it contained both music and an exploration of emotions, desire and joy. She said she would always be open to being part of films of that nature.
**In it, she plays the role of Patricia Morrison (who was the star of Cole Porter's "Kiss Me Kate", where she performed in over 1000 shows on Broadway, and 400 more in London). Here is a little of what Wikipedia says about her:
------------------------------------------------------
Patricia Morison (born March 19, 1915) is an American stage and motion picture actress and mezzo-soprano singer. She made her feature film debut in 1939 after several years on the stage. During her time as a screen actress she was lauded for her patrician beauty, with her blue eyes and extremely long, dark hair among her most notable physical attributes. During this period of her career she was often cast in unsympathetic roles as a femme fatale or a haughty "other woman." It was only when she returned to the Broadway stage that she achieved her greatest success as the lead in the original production of Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate.
--------------------------------------------------------
**The above is noted because Lara originally was only supposed to sing in the movie (she and Frangoulis were last minute additions to the cast). On seeing Lara, however, the director noted her "striking resemblance" to Patricia Morrison [despite the different hair and eye color)], and therefore expanded her role to include some dancing and speaking as well.
Lara is still off, publicly, probably until her appearances in '1939' at the end of June. Her duet with Michael Bolton is still scheduled to be released on his CD in two weeks.
David
**What has been taking her time recently has been her move to a new house (she has referred to this several times in the past). Apparently it is now finished, at least as far as the movers are concerned.
**Her performance in the upcoming play '1939' will be basically to sing a few songs, so as to 'give confidence' to the student performers. Hence she doesn't consider this an acting role.
**The upcoming concert she is to give in Astana, Kazhakstan will be very similar to her Mlle. Zhivago shows in Moscow (so one can probably expect lip-synching on some of the songs).
**In contrast, her upcoming shows in the 'countries to the east' in the autumn will be acoustic. That's a surprise - presumably they are in support of the release of the 'Mlle. Zhivago' film in some sense, so one would have thought they would be given the orchestral support that those songs seem to require. Maybe we'll hear acoustic versions of those songs; or maybe they won't be greatly represented at all. Whatever ones are included, however, will almost certainly not be lip-synched!
**At the end of July, she's be doing a duet with one of the "great baritones" of the world, on a previously unrecorded song. On the Russian site, he was identified as Dmitri Hvorostovsky. "Wikipedia", in addition to verifying Lara's description of him operatically, notes that he was also listed by People magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world. He's recently being doing primarily Verdi operas, so if their piece is classical, it may be from one of them. But he's also known as a concert artist, so it could be literally anything (maybe even a new song of Lara's, if it is indeed previously unrecorded by anybody).
**Lara claims she is writing new songs for new projects; perhaps this refers to the next French album.
Also interesting is what she doesn't talk about, whether from oversight or lack of interest. She doesn't mention the charity concert she's been reported as giving in Belgium next September, although in other venues she has. When asked in an interview on their website what had interested her about the project, Lara said (in translation), "I have had the chance of having a serene, happy childhood. If I myself can offer a little of this happiness, it is normal for me to respond." She notes that "whether it is for children in Nepal or in Charerloi, projects dedicated to them touch me always". Tickets are available at www.spiroudome.be, with prices of 51 and 92 euros for the 'public spots', and 282 and 302 euros for the VIP seats (just in front of the stage, generally with a meal included). The hall holds 6000 people.
And she doesn't mention the release of the 'Mlle. Zhivago' film (or album) at all - since this message is clearly meant almost exclusively for her Belgium/French audience, that may indicate there are no plans to release it directly to them. Were it not for her upcoming concerts in the 'countries to the east', one would get the impression that she has moved past this project already. Nevertheless, added to the list of her upcoming performances there is the indication that she will be in Jurmala, Latvia for the 'New Wave' show on July 31st, and, as reported previously, will be part of the Armenian multi-singer recorded performance for their independence day (9/21) of Ara Gevorgyan's song "Love each other" (see the Lara Greek Music Treasure Box facebook site for more info on that).
While Lara is not pushing the 'Mlle. Zhivago' film, Igor Krutoi still is. More details are out concerning his recent appearances in the Ukraine. Apparently he had just gotten back from the U.S. where he had a medical procedure to remove kidney stones; he was described as looking paler and thinner. This diversion may have led to the delay in finishing the 'Mlle. Zhivago' film, which he now says will be debuted this fall (instead of the spring, as he had previously indicated). He said Lara is expected to appear in person at its premiere. So it seems it will have a real opening after all, at least in Russia/Ukraine.
In other news, a video of an interview Lara gave in China earlier this year has been made available on youtube; it can be found at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UblMFfh8yxM&feature=player_embedded#at=12
As can be understood (it is partly in English), Lara discusses visiting places in China to see how the people there really live.
Now for the next installment from the biography of Lara, pp. 130-137. This concerns her work in the cinema and international collaborations from 1992-2004.
**As early as 1992, Lara was involved in movie soundtracks, singing 'Laisse-moi rever' for the film 'La neige et le fue'. We of course know of her work as Esmeralda in the 1996 animated version of 'Le bossu de Notre-Dame' (the French soundtrack).
**Stephen Spielburg asked her to sing 'For Always' in the film 'AI' in 2001 after having heard her English album. This song was also played at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, which as the book notes, means that millions of Americans (and many more worldwide) got to hear Lara's voice.
**Possibly as a result of that, she was asked to sing 'World at your Feet' for the 2002 World Cup recording, representing Belgium. That was followed by being asked to sing 'The Dream Within' for the film 'Final Fantasy' in Japan.
**The book covers the controversy concerning what is the clear plagiarism by Kate Ryan of Lara's song 'Giving Up On You' (which she co-wrote with Patrick Leonard). A comparison of the lyrics is presented, and although not identical, there is no doubt. One wonders how those involved thought they could get away with it; Lara's album was not some minor disc hidden away somewhere, from an out-of-the-way record company. Of course, if this were a true investigative biography, the author would then explore what happened with that - did Lara sue (as the magazine Platine suggested she should do), was an apology offered, etc? It goes without saying that he did not, ending the discussion as if all this just happened yesterday, rather than almost a decade ago.
**The next section deals with Lara's appearance in De-Lovely. She explained she loved the film because it contained both music and an exploration of emotions, desire and joy. She said she would always be open to being part of films of that nature.
**In it, she plays the role of Patricia Morrison (who was the star of Cole Porter's "Kiss Me Kate", where she performed in over 1000 shows on Broadway, and 400 more in London). Here is a little of what Wikipedia says about her:
------------------------------------------------------
Patricia Morison (born March 19, 1915) is an American stage and motion picture actress and mezzo-soprano singer. She made her feature film debut in 1939 after several years on the stage. During her time as a screen actress she was lauded for her patrician beauty, with her blue eyes and extremely long, dark hair among her most notable physical attributes. During this period of her career she was often cast in unsympathetic roles as a femme fatale or a haughty "other woman." It was only when she returned to the Broadway stage that she achieved her greatest success as the lead in the original production of Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate.
--------------------------------------------------------
**The above is noted because Lara originally was only supposed to sing in the movie (she and Frangoulis were last minute additions to the cast). On seeing Lara, however, the director noted her "striking resemblance" to Patricia Morrison [despite the different hair and eye color)], and therefore expanded her role to include some dancing and speaking as well.
Lara is still off, publicly, probably until her appearances in '1939' at the end of June. Her duet with Michael Bolton is still scheduled to be released on his CD in two weeks.
David
