Post by davidhr on Jan 19, 2010 14:30:46 GMT -5
Lara resumed her concert tour this past week, at Nantes on the 15th, at Orleans on the 16th, and in Geneva, Switzerland on the 17th. The two French shows got great reviews from the fans, and despite being considerably under capacity (the first had 2500-3000 people, the second 1700, in theatres that can hold up to three times those numbers) the ambiance was described as being very warm. As usual, the two medleys and the performance of Adagio at the end got special mention - with the version in Orleans being in Italian! In Nantes, following the idea of Zelda, fans wore luminescent bracelets, and also had signs with the word 'thanks', tributes that seemed to delight Lara. She also received many presents. One critic was less impressed, the reviewer for Nantes thinking that the adoration given Lara by "thirty-somethings" was pathetic. In contrast, several reviews for Orleans were full of superlatives, both for Lara and the holograms. Some pictures from the Nantes concert can be found (thanks to Christina on facebook) at:
www.lartscenes-photography.com/2010/01/16/lara-fabian-au-pays-des-bisounours/
and there are videos showing up on youtube from the shows. Hopefully, there will be more ☺.
Concerning the concert in Geneva, again Lara performed magnificently, but the concert was 25 minutes shorter (no 'besoin de parler', or the 'dessins animes medley') - the audience was not as involved as at the other two, and there was no merchandizing (hence no sales of EWIM). A positive review, emphasizing Lara's appearance (flashy outfit) and strong voice appeared on-line at purepeople.com.
Actually, the mismatch between the on-site reviews from fans and that of critics appeared elsewhere, this time with respect to the December concert in Montpellier. A review on PtitBlog repeated the basic criticisms that the show has gotten - holograms not really visible from the side, little interaction between Lara and the audience, no spontaneity hence not much feeling. The reviewer (Julien) was one of the original moderators of the official site, so his comments would seem to bear weight. However, 'Fabryss' on the official site pointed out that the reviewer was mistaken in various respects, and in reality Lara received numerous ovations. Lara herself has mentioned that concert as one of her favorites. It would appear that the problems mentioned are endemic to this type of show (as opposed to simply a concert, which some reviewers would seem to prefer), nevertheless, Lara still transports many people with her singing.
Lara was also featured in an interview for lamontagne.fr in advance of her concert in Auvergne this coming Saturday. One interesting point she made was that in re-doing the French classics for TLFM, she chose Simon Climie to produce the album precisely because he was not familiar with the originals, and could therefore bring a fresh perspective. Of course, this is just what some critics found objectionable.
Lara's appearance on 'Panique dans l'oreillette' was aired this past week, and it was another long, revealing performance. As usual, Lara was humorous, compassionate, spontaneous and vulnerable; her past successes were noted, and some of her quirks brought to light primarily through the efforts of her best friend Nathalie Slachmuylders, as well as the one-liners of Virginie Hocq. Lara was also subject to the usual questions concerning her critics (the one real deviation from the laugh-filled mood of the proceedings); in fact, people who had been there at the taping said they cut from the broadcast the part where Lara got really upset. Amongst various surprises to fans was Lara discussing both Rick Allison and Patrick Fiori. Non-interview segments of interest included pictures of Lara as a child; Lara's singing of 'Je t'aime'; her duet with Nathalie on 'Wind Beneath My Wings'; and a 'Romeo and Juliet' skit with Philippe Geluck. Videos of most of these are available individually on the web, with the whole show on NABBOX.
Here too, Lara was subject to criticism, with her moods and answers from the show ridiculed in 'Le Petit journal' with their 'Wonderful World of Lara' segment. It can be found at: player.canalplus.fr/#/308508. Lara is an easy target, because she is both very open and very human in her attitudes. Critics don't hesitate to take shots at her both because she can take it and also because she is affected by it, so they can get a response. One might say this is a natural consequence of her popularity, but it would be very hard to imagine Barbra Streisand putting up with the things people say to and about Lara. Clearly Lara does not get the respect an artist of her quality deserves, at least in the French media.
Lara has been using her recent shows, including this one, to promote TLFM (which has fallen to #143 in France) but she passed up the opportunity to also promote EWIM. It could easily have been done; some fans suggested that the promotional aspect was put together by Universal, and since EWIM is not their album, Lara was not free to push it. A report on-line at 'showbiz.net indicated that TLFM will be released in Quebec at the end of March (thanks to 'larabest' on the official site); the report also mentions EWIM, but without any indication as to whether it too will eventually be released there (which would make great sense!). There is also no indication if Lara will have the time (or inclination) to promote these albums in Quebec, which probably depends on the timing of her filming of the videos for 'Mme. Zhivago'.
Speaking of which: "d-mille' on the official site indicated that Cherie FM, in playing the single TLFM, has been publicizing not only Lara's tour in France but also the upcoming album, 'Mme. Zhivago'. The station indicated by their response to TLFM (the album) that they were primarily interested in new songs by Lara, and the upcoming album therefore fits their requirements.
With more on that album: Maria and Ksenia on the official site indicated that it will include a song (in Spanish) called 'Leora'. It is apparently about a woman (Leora) who died at the hands of her husband and Lara dedicates a poem to her. One can hear the music for it at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVPtZ_-4Hfs&feature=player_embedded
The album certainly seems like it will have romantic, florid music, if this (and 'Demain n'existe pas') are any indications.
Ksenia also made available a photograph of Lara and the translator for the private concert Lara gave in Russia for President Medvedev. It is available at:
s58.radikal.ru/i160/1001/f1/136dbd7051a8.jpg
The wide-spread publicity Lara is getting in Russia indicates that she is held in appropriately high regard in that country. Which raises the point: Lara is slowly shifting her appeal away from France and even Belgium, towards other countries, despite the fact that so far her main tours are still in those two countries. Some of Lara's strongest supporters previously are now fairly inactive (or perhaps hostile). Just because Julien (the reviewer for Pitiblog) was once enamored of Lara does not mean he still is; in fact, he disassociated himself from various websites devoted to Lara. Other Belgian/French sites have fallen into disregard, or something close to it. Hezia's site has few posts nowadays. larafabianweb.com just has occasional updates; if you are tempted to donate money to the charities associated with that site in order to access their multi-media archives, don't bother (unless it is really for the charities) - there's been nothing new since last May. Compare that with the great job larafabiannews.blogger.com.br does in updating the important videos on close to a real-time basis. In fact, the best sites now for Lara's material (outside of NABBOX) are, not coincidentally, run by people from Brazil, Greece and Russia. The sooner Lara realizes that her center of gravity is shifting, the better off she will be. Her 'angels' may still largely reside in Belgium and France, but that shouldn't obscure the fact that the general public in those two countries has grown increasingly resistant to her great talent, and there are greener pastures for her to pursue.
Lara is no longer included in the announcement of guests for 'La Fête de la chanson française' to be shown January 30th on France 2. A number of fans had made reservations to attend the taping on the 20th, and so have been asking Nathalie on the official site whether Lara will be there or not. So far there's been no answer (no great surprise). It is not listed in the 'events' column on the official site, but as we know, that is not definitive.
French culture and media ministries in association with Universal records are preparing a free concert for Haiti along with an album release. Proceeds will go to benefit the victims of the devastating earthquake. Lara is listed as participating in the album called "Urgence Haiti", which will be released January 29th (hence most likely to include already recorded songs). The concert itself will take place on the 24th at the Zenith in Paris. It will be free to attendees, and telecast on France 2 and 5. It's not clear who will be performing at the live show; Lara has her own concert that date, at Clermont Ferrand in the Auvergne region of France.
In a follow-up to a project of a similar nature, the 'fight against AIDS', you may remember that the song "If" was released some time ago, along with a video about the making of the accompanying video. 'Katika' on the official site pointed out that the actual video is now available, at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOkFq-czhNE
Lara does a great job on it.
Coming up: 'L'ecole des fans' airs on the 23rd. And Lara has 7 concerts in the next 11 days, beginning the 21st in Lyons.
David
www.lartscenes-photography.com/2010/01/16/lara-fabian-au-pays-des-bisounours/
and there are videos showing up on youtube from the shows. Hopefully, there will be more ☺.
Concerning the concert in Geneva, again Lara performed magnificently, but the concert was 25 minutes shorter (no 'besoin de parler', or the 'dessins animes medley') - the audience was not as involved as at the other two, and there was no merchandizing (hence no sales of EWIM). A positive review, emphasizing Lara's appearance (flashy outfit) and strong voice appeared on-line at purepeople.com.
Actually, the mismatch between the on-site reviews from fans and that of critics appeared elsewhere, this time with respect to the December concert in Montpellier. A review on PtitBlog repeated the basic criticisms that the show has gotten - holograms not really visible from the side, little interaction between Lara and the audience, no spontaneity hence not much feeling. The reviewer (Julien) was one of the original moderators of the official site, so his comments would seem to bear weight. However, 'Fabryss' on the official site pointed out that the reviewer was mistaken in various respects, and in reality Lara received numerous ovations. Lara herself has mentioned that concert as one of her favorites. It would appear that the problems mentioned are endemic to this type of show (as opposed to simply a concert, which some reviewers would seem to prefer), nevertheless, Lara still transports many people with her singing.
Lara was also featured in an interview for lamontagne.fr in advance of her concert in Auvergne this coming Saturday. One interesting point she made was that in re-doing the French classics for TLFM, she chose Simon Climie to produce the album precisely because he was not familiar with the originals, and could therefore bring a fresh perspective. Of course, this is just what some critics found objectionable.
Lara's appearance on 'Panique dans l'oreillette' was aired this past week, and it was another long, revealing performance. As usual, Lara was humorous, compassionate, spontaneous and vulnerable; her past successes were noted, and some of her quirks brought to light primarily through the efforts of her best friend Nathalie Slachmuylders, as well as the one-liners of Virginie Hocq. Lara was also subject to the usual questions concerning her critics (the one real deviation from the laugh-filled mood of the proceedings); in fact, people who had been there at the taping said they cut from the broadcast the part where Lara got really upset. Amongst various surprises to fans was Lara discussing both Rick Allison and Patrick Fiori. Non-interview segments of interest included pictures of Lara as a child; Lara's singing of 'Je t'aime'; her duet with Nathalie on 'Wind Beneath My Wings'; and a 'Romeo and Juliet' skit with Philippe Geluck. Videos of most of these are available individually on the web, with the whole show on NABBOX.
Here too, Lara was subject to criticism, with her moods and answers from the show ridiculed in 'Le Petit journal' with their 'Wonderful World of Lara' segment. It can be found at: player.canalplus.fr/#/308508. Lara is an easy target, because she is both very open and very human in her attitudes. Critics don't hesitate to take shots at her both because she can take it and also because she is affected by it, so they can get a response. One might say this is a natural consequence of her popularity, but it would be very hard to imagine Barbra Streisand putting up with the things people say to and about Lara. Clearly Lara does not get the respect an artist of her quality deserves, at least in the French media.
Lara has been using her recent shows, including this one, to promote TLFM (which has fallen to #143 in France) but she passed up the opportunity to also promote EWIM. It could easily have been done; some fans suggested that the promotional aspect was put together by Universal, and since EWIM is not their album, Lara was not free to push it. A report on-line at 'showbiz.net indicated that TLFM will be released in Quebec at the end of March (thanks to 'larabest' on the official site); the report also mentions EWIM, but without any indication as to whether it too will eventually be released there (which would make great sense!). There is also no indication if Lara will have the time (or inclination) to promote these albums in Quebec, which probably depends on the timing of her filming of the videos for 'Mme. Zhivago'.
Speaking of which: "d-mille' on the official site indicated that Cherie FM, in playing the single TLFM, has been publicizing not only Lara's tour in France but also the upcoming album, 'Mme. Zhivago'. The station indicated by their response to TLFM (the album) that they were primarily interested in new songs by Lara, and the upcoming album therefore fits their requirements.
With more on that album: Maria and Ksenia on the official site indicated that it will include a song (in Spanish) called 'Leora'. It is apparently about a woman (Leora) who died at the hands of her husband and Lara dedicates a poem to her. One can hear the music for it at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVPtZ_-4Hfs&feature=player_embedded
The album certainly seems like it will have romantic, florid music, if this (and 'Demain n'existe pas') are any indications.
Ksenia also made available a photograph of Lara and the translator for the private concert Lara gave in Russia for President Medvedev. It is available at:
s58.radikal.ru/i160/1001/f1/136dbd7051a8.jpg
The wide-spread publicity Lara is getting in Russia indicates that she is held in appropriately high regard in that country. Which raises the point: Lara is slowly shifting her appeal away from France and even Belgium, towards other countries, despite the fact that so far her main tours are still in those two countries. Some of Lara's strongest supporters previously are now fairly inactive (or perhaps hostile). Just because Julien (the reviewer for Pitiblog) was once enamored of Lara does not mean he still is; in fact, he disassociated himself from various websites devoted to Lara. Other Belgian/French sites have fallen into disregard, or something close to it. Hezia's site has few posts nowadays. larafabianweb.com just has occasional updates; if you are tempted to donate money to the charities associated with that site in order to access their multi-media archives, don't bother (unless it is really for the charities) - there's been nothing new since last May. Compare that with the great job larafabiannews.blogger.com.br does in updating the important videos on close to a real-time basis. In fact, the best sites now for Lara's material (outside of NABBOX) are, not coincidentally, run by people from Brazil, Greece and Russia. The sooner Lara realizes that her center of gravity is shifting, the better off she will be. Her 'angels' may still largely reside in Belgium and France, but that shouldn't obscure the fact that the general public in those two countries has grown increasingly resistant to her great talent, and there are greener pastures for her to pursue.
Lara is no longer included in the announcement of guests for 'La Fête de la chanson française' to be shown January 30th on France 2. A number of fans had made reservations to attend the taping on the 20th, and so have been asking Nathalie on the official site whether Lara will be there or not. So far there's been no answer (no great surprise). It is not listed in the 'events' column on the official site, but as we know, that is not definitive.
French culture and media ministries in association with Universal records are preparing a free concert for Haiti along with an album release. Proceeds will go to benefit the victims of the devastating earthquake. Lara is listed as participating in the album called "Urgence Haiti", which will be released January 29th (hence most likely to include already recorded songs). The concert itself will take place on the 24th at the Zenith in Paris. It will be free to attendees, and telecast on France 2 and 5. It's not clear who will be performing at the live show; Lara has her own concert that date, at Clermont Ferrand in the Auvergne region of France.
In a follow-up to a project of a similar nature, the 'fight against AIDS', you may remember that the song "If" was released some time ago, along with a video about the making of the accompanying video. 'Katika' on the official site pointed out that the actual video is now available, at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOkFq-czhNE
Lara does a great job on it.
Coming up: 'L'ecole des fans' airs on the 23rd. And Lara has 7 concerts in the next 11 days, beginning the 21st in Lyons.
David