Post by davidhr on Dec 31, 2013 10:53:08 GMT -5
The big news for this past week, the last of the year, was obviously Lara’s concert at Carnegie Hall in N.Y. on Friday. Not only was it her first on that hallowed stage, it was her first in NYC, the media capital of the world, her first in the United States, and, as far as I know, her first full concert in an English speaking country. A lot of firsts! Given how easily she pulled it off, one wonders why it took so long, more than two decades after her career started. As her schedule shows, the second should occur much quicker – in English-speaking Toronto in January. One imagines the show will likely be of a similar nature (setlist). This might be true as well for upcoming shows in other non-French speaking countries, Germany and Finland in particular coming to mind. Perhaps there will now be more excursions outside the world of the Francophile and ‘countries to the east’.
If she was true to her statements beforehand, her family came to NYC for the Christmas holiday, so she did not have to travel at the last moment. There is a video of them after the concert in Times Square (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5eIRE5097U) but whether they stayed longer (i.e., through New Years Eve) is not clear. [It would make sense, and also allow for a trip ahead of time to Canada for her first show on January 8, without the burden of several more long airplane flights].
As to the concert itself, it was (oddly) the Brazilians who made the most effort to record it. The best videos are at
www.larafabianbrasil.com.br/2013/12/show-em-nova-york-estados-unidos.html
There are a few others already available, several of whose links are provided below (especially for their sound), and perhaps more will be added.
Neil Bullock provided an audio of the show, his latest version being at:
app.box.com/s/icueyei2klhdf3wfmcsl
I reworked an earlier version, and, through January 6th, this is at:
www.hightail.com/download/elNMS3hRaFIxUUExWjhUQw
(its stay can be extended if someone requests it).
A number of photos are available on the web, e.g.:
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=666205020069165&set=a.666205000069167.1073741846.127093573980315&type=1&theater
Fan comments, as can be seen on the separate thread, were overwhelmingly positive. I’ll use this Update to provide my own, given that there are some broader points to be made concerning what happened.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Reflections on Carnegie Hall
** A complete success, artistically, emotionally, and, presumably, financially, e.g.,
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=601471966573138&set=a.601471939906474.1073741854.166959643357708&type=1&theater
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10202264495243469&set=gm.671352136242235&type=1&theater
The audience was therefore some 2800 people.
**An included note in the program (thanks to Julie Clift McGraw, Neil Bullock, David Việt Nguyễn and others) suggested the audience give Lara a surprise sustained standing ovation when she first came out on stage. While the note probably helped, the audience might well have done so anyway, primed as they were for this long-awaited appearance on American shores.
** It was one of many standing ovations throughout the night, after particularly affecting songs, and not only English language ones.
**Lara was surprised, one might even say occasionally stunned by the response, but delighted nonetheless. This might well influence her view on whether to do more concerts in English speaking countries.
** The program handed out to the audience had been done up (for both here and Toronto) to include an extended up to date biography of Lara in English (avoiding of course all mention of any troubles). Again, it will prove useful for other such venues. A picture of part of the article can be seen at:
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=601946396525695&set=a.601471939906474.1073741854.166959643357708&type=1&theater
**Lara started out by speaking in both English and then French, but wondered whether that was appropriate. So she asked the audience what language they spoke and where people were from. She was very happy to find some people were from the States, and grateful for those who had come from Belgium and France. But she was also smart enough to ask how many were from/spoke Russian, and got a big response. Then she nodded, as if now understanding something. And English became the primary language for discourse.
**What she might have been understanding was how the show had gotten to be sold out, which on the surface was a bit of a mystery in a country where Lara is barely known by the general public. For quite some time it was about half-full, with the balcony especially empty, but then in a matter of a few weeks, it went to approximately sold-out status. Josh mentioned he felt the balcony was 80% Russian speaking. And while waiting outside, what one heard was a great deal of Russian being spoken - almost as if this were a Russian show. Pam indicated that Lara's management team for her US production, Maestro Artist Management, who focuses on presenting international artists to audiences in the U.S. (http://www.maestroartist.com/pages-2-20.aspx), located in Stamford, CT, has a Russian flavor, and advertised the show heavily in the Northeast.
**As a template for further US appearances, therefore, it is far from a perfect model. After all, how many other US cities have such a large Russian-speaking population? None, and Wikipedia lists only two others of note: Miami, Florida and West Hollywood, California, although there are probably more.
**If anything, it might solidify in Lara's mind the validity of her approach to pursue her career in the 'countries to the east', rather than an American model.
**However, her reception, and this audience, might well suggest future NYC appearances. On closing Lara said she hoped she would "see you sometime" - not exactly a guarantee, but after the euphoria of this night, definitely an increased possibility.
**Actually the show in Toronto might be a better indicator of her viability for an English speaking audience in North America, with the presumed added bonus that she can be advertised as a Canadian citizen.
**Je t'aime was performed closer to the old powerful mode she uses in Russia than the acoustic mode in France. As a first song it would seem to have made sense due to its signature nature for her, rather than 'Le Secret' which usually goes first. But in retrospect it would probably have been better off later on, for Lara grew in confidence as the show progressed and her singing got stronger. Not that it wasn't acceptable right from the start.
**In contrast, as Josh and others noted, the inclusion of 'J'ai zappe' in this highly selective set list made no real sense - it seemed as if it was just carried over from the ‘Le Secret’ tour without much scrutiny. If something of that nature had been desired, 'Un ange est tombe' was at least more relevant for Le Secret album. Nevertheless, it, too, was performed well.
**Lara's singing was strong throughout, with some transcendental moments. There was some humor leading up to the performance of 'Caruso', which might have relaxed her, for it was an amazing rendition, worthy of her best, and IMHO, the best song of the show. She might also have been reveling in singing in Italian. It can be seen, and especially heard for example, at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYccq1q-XHs
** Other notable performances were on 'Adagio' (especially impressive given that she hasn't been singing it), 'La vie est la' (further validating the suggestion that it should be the next single), 'Je reve d’une etoile' (another contender), 'Je suis malade' (fully up to her standards, available, e.g., at www.facebook.com/pages/LaraFabianWeb/246805652001644), the main refrain of “I Am A-Wa”, the vocalization at the end of 'Immortelle', 'I will love again' (done with full gusto) - but all selections were at least well-sung. All this can be investigated for yourselves via the videos and audios.
** Lara took the time to give an extended thank you to Janey Clewer who was in the audience for composing Le Secret. A picture of Janey and her husband Bruce Gaitsch (who played on the album) standing in front of the Carnegie Hall poster can be seen at:
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=601877956532539&set=a.168982793155393.43222.166959643357708&type=1&theater
It was the one explicit reference to the album, which theoretically this concert was supposed to promote. As usual, the promotion was really for Lara. There were no copies of the album, or anything else of Lara's, obviously available for sale.
**We don’t know of many other ‘celebrities’ there, but one cohort of Lara’s, George Perris obviously was, e.g.,
**Unfortunately, and worryingly, Lara touched or held her left ear numerous times, during almost every song. It didn't appear to affect her vocal performance.
** Lara's tuxedo outfit was a testimony to the song 'New York, New York', as it's what she has generally worn when she sings it, reminiscent of Frank Sinatra. It perhaps led people to suspect she would actually sing that song, which undoubtedly would have gone over exceedingly well. In a sense, 'I will love again', at the end of the show, occupied the same niche.
**Lara was continually conscious of the historic nature, for her, of this appearance. At the end of 'Humana', cutting off the possibility of an extended audience response, she said that now she/we could say she performed 'Humana' “on the stage of Carnegie Hall”. She didn’t sing this, but do you remember the song from the ‘Sound of Music’ with the lines "Climb every mountain, ford every stream, follow every rainbow, 'til you find your dream"? This was the top of the mountain for her: after more than two decades of her career, NYC, Carnegie Hall - no way she could top this, and as she has said several times, it was the fulfillment of a long-time dream. True for many in the audience as well - I didn't meet one person who did not think the show fulfilled all their expectations.
**In a year with many ups and downs, Lara will remember this final Up for a lifetime. So will many in the audience.
**Outside of the ‘Southhampton’ review, whose link was kindly posted by Ismael Bonavita and also by T.J. Clemente (http://southampton.patch.com/groups/arts-and-entertainment/p/lara-fabian-at-carnegie-hall), the show was ignored by the local media. It was in the general listing of goings-on-about-town (that automatically include Carnegie Hall events). The NY Times did not include it ahead of time in its notable events of the week, and none of the major papers reviewed it. Except for a “special elite clientele”
- and the Russian community - Lara continues to remain Le Secret here. They don't know what they have missed .
In summary, the set list was out of the ordinary in that it included more English songs than usual, and Lara’s singing was top-notch, which is not unusual. But what made the concert so special to everyone (Lara included) was its historic nature, and the great enthusiasm of an audience so long-deprived of seeing her in such a venue. An unforgettable end to the year for her, and for those who were there. A very nice photo of Lara on stage can be seen at:
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=523863241053988&set=a.200734066700242.44466.183951155045200&type=1&theater
In other news, it was reported that the Canadian program ‘Acces illimité’ during which Lara discussed her eating disorder - done in preparation for her Canadian concerts and originally broadcast on October 17th in that country - was seen by 3.5 million people in France when it was purchased and shown there by the program “50 minutes Inside”. That was about 20% of the early evening, ‘prime time’ audience. We’ve long known that Lara feels freer with the Canadian press than with the press in Europe, and more apt to tell them things she’s kept hidden. Too bad she doesn’t give them more interviews!
‘Le Figaro’ produced a video of the most emotional stores of the year on French TV, and Lara’s appearance discussing her hearing problem on ‘Touche pas a mon poste’ made the list. It’s at the 4 minute mark (thanks to the Lara Fabian International site for the info).
tvmag.lefigaro.fr/programme-tv/article/television/78982/zapping-tv-best-of-2013-les-instants-d-emotion-les-plus-forts-de-l-annee.html
Lara would certainly have preferred not to have had to be on that video.
In another unfortunate occurrence, although of a different scale, another excellent fan website for Lara is ‘going out of business’. Claire Evelyne Daugé, who often had insider information that always proved correct, left the following message on her site (in translation):
----------------------------------------------
Here is the news, unfortunately it is a bad!
The "Lara Fabian: Lara, Angel sublime" by Claire Evelyne Daugé will cease to exist from 1 January 2014! I do not change my mind, I no longer have the strength, and I think it's time to make room for new ones that are more current and prettier, this one has done its time, it is like this. Thank you for spending all these years in my company, for those who wish, I keep in touch with my Facebook account "Claire Evelyne Daugé" I embrace you, THANK you all, I spent wonderful years with you, somewhere soon I hope ......
------------------------------------------------
A number of other websites suffered declines this past year, if not actual extinction. Among those with much less activity are the ‘Pure’ site, LFIAG (which instituted a ‘closed group’ for discussion), and the Russian forum. Lara Fabian Romania continued their excellent work of providing English subtitles to many videos, and other sites flourished as well. Here’s hoping a good 2014 for all of them.
Pretty much the final end-of-year statistics are in on the sales of ‘Le Secret’ for 2013. Nicolas Boucaud on the MZ site noted that in Belgium, “Le Secret" is the 23rd best-selling album and 4th in the ranking of Belgian albums. This is worse than her last ‘new’ album, Neuf in 2005. The 56,600 albums sold in France in 2013 were not in the top 100 for the year. Currently it is 208th in France, in its 31st week on the charts (something to be said for persistence - and expanded chart lists), and 59th in Belgium.
Lara’s ‘Canadian adventure’ begins with her next concert on the 8th of January, 2014 in Quebec, followed by one the next day in Montreal, and then four days later, her first full concert in Toronto. We’ll see if she has more ‘revealing’ Canadian interviews.
Lara left a Christmas photo on her Instagram site (
David
If she was true to her statements beforehand, her family came to NYC for the Christmas holiday, so she did not have to travel at the last moment. There is a video of them after the concert in Times Square (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5eIRE5097U) but whether they stayed longer (i.e., through New Years Eve) is not clear. [It would make sense, and also allow for a trip ahead of time to Canada for her first show on January 8, without the burden of several more long airplane flights].
As to the concert itself, it was (oddly) the Brazilians who made the most effort to record it. The best videos are at
www.larafabianbrasil.com.br/2013/12/show-em-nova-york-estados-unidos.html
There are a few others already available, several of whose links are provided below (especially for their sound), and perhaps more will be added.
Neil Bullock provided an audio of the show, his latest version being at:
app.box.com/s/icueyei2klhdf3wfmcsl
I reworked an earlier version, and, through January 6th, this is at:
www.hightail.com/download/elNMS3hRaFIxUUExWjhUQw
(its stay can be extended if someone requests it).
A number of photos are available on the web, e.g.:
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=666205020069165&set=a.666205000069167.1073741846.127093573980315&type=1&theater
Fan comments, as can be seen on the separate thread, were overwhelmingly positive. I’ll use this Update to provide my own, given that there are some broader points to be made concerning what happened.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Reflections on Carnegie Hall
** A complete success, artistically, emotionally, and, presumably, financially, e.g.,
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=601471966573138&set=a.601471939906474.1073741854.166959643357708&type=1&theater
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10202264495243469&set=gm.671352136242235&type=1&theater
The audience was therefore some 2800 people.
**An included note in the program (thanks to Julie Clift McGraw, Neil Bullock, David Việt Nguyễn and others) suggested the audience give Lara a surprise sustained standing ovation when she first came out on stage. While the note probably helped, the audience might well have done so anyway, primed as they were for this long-awaited appearance on American shores.
** It was one of many standing ovations throughout the night, after particularly affecting songs, and not only English language ones.
**Lara was surprised, one might even say occasionally stunned by the response, but delighted nonetheless. This might well influence her view on whether to do more concerts in English speaking countries.
** The program handed out to the audience had been done up (for both here and Toronto) to include an extended up to date biography of Lara in English (avoiding of course all mention of any troubles). Again, it will prove useful for other such venues. A picture of part of the article can be seen at:
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=601946396525695&set=a.601471939906474.1073741854.166959643357708&type=1&theater
**Lara started out by speaking in both English and then French, but wondered whether that was appropriate. So she asked the audience what language they spoke and where people were from. She was very happy to find some people were from the States, and grateful for those who had come from Belgium and France. But she was also smart enough to ask how many were from/spoke Russian, and got a big response. Then she nodded, as if now understanding something. And English became the primary language for discourse.
**What she might have been understanding was how the show had gotten to be sold out, which on the surface was a bit of a mystery in a country where Lara is barely known by the general public. For quite some time it was about half-full, with the balcony especially empty, but then in a matter of a few weeks, it went to approximately sold-out status. Josh mentioned he felt the balcony was 80% Russian speaking. And while waiting outside, what one heard was a great deal of Russian being spoken - almost as if this were a Russian show. Pam indicated that Lara's management team for her US production, Maestro Artist Management, who focuses on presenting international artists to audiences in the U.S. (http://www.maestroartist.com/pages-2-20.aspx), located in Stamford, CT, has a Russian flavor, and advertised the show heavily in the Northeast.
**As a template for further US appearances, therefore, it is far from a perfect model. After all, how many other US cities have such a large Russian-speaking population? None, and Wikipedia lists only two others of note: Miami, Florida and West Hollywood, California, although there are probably more.
**If anything, it might solidify in Lara's mind the validity of her approach to pursue her career in the 'countries to the east', rather than an American model.
**However, her reception, and this audience, might well suggest future NYC appearances. On closing Lara said she hoped she would "see you sometime" - not exactly a guarantee, but after the euphoria of this night, definitely an increased possibility.
**Actually the show in Toronto might be a better indicator of her viability for an English speaking audience in North America, with the presumed added bonus that she can be advertised as a Canadian citizen.
**Je t'aime was performed closer to the old powerful mode she uses in Russia than the acoustic mode in France. As a first song it would seem to have made sense due to its signature nature for her, rather than 'Le Secret' which usually goes first. But in retrospect it would probably have been better off later on, for Lara grew in confidence as the show progressed and her singing got stronger. Not that it wasn't acceptable right from the start.
**In contrast, as Josh and others noted, the inclusion of 'J'ai zappe' in this highly selective set list made no real sense - it seemed as if it was just carried over from the ‘Le Secret’ tour without much scrutiny. If something of that nature had been desired, 'Un ange est tombe' was at least more relevant for Le Secret album. Nevertheless, it, too, was performed well.
**Lara's singing was strong throughout, with some transcendental moments. There was some humor leading up to the performance of 'Caruso', which might have relaxed her, for it was an amazing rendition, worthy of her best, and IMHO, the best song of the show. She might also have been reveling in singing in Italian. It can be seen, and especially heard for example, at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYccq1q-XHs
** Other notable performances were on 'Adagio' (especially impressive given that she hasn't been singing it), 'La vie est la' (further validating the suggestion that it should be the next single), 'Je reve d’une etoile' (another contender), 'Je suis malade' (fully up to her standards, available, e.g., at www.facebook.com/pages/LaraFabianWeb/246805652001644), the main refrain of “I Am A-Wa”, the vocalization at the end of 'Immortelle', 'I will love again' (done with full gusto) - but all selections were at least well-sung. All this can be investigated for yourselves via the videos and audios.
** Lara took the time to give an extended thank you to Janey Clewer who was in the audience for composing Le Secret. A picture of Janey and her husband Bruce Gaitsch (who played on the album) standing in front of the Carnegie Hall poster can be seen at:
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=601877956532539&set=a.168982793155393.43222.166959643357708&type=1&theater
It was the one explicit reference to the album, which theoretically this concert was supposed to promote. As usual, the promotion was really for Lara. There were no copies of the album, or anything else of Lara's, obviously available for sale.
**We don’t know of many other ‘celebrities’ there, but one cohort of Lara’s, George Perris obviously was, e.g.,
http://instagram.com/p/ieBvUUxukA#
**Unfortunately, and worryingly, Lara touched or held her left ear numerous times, during almost every song. It didn't appear to affect her vocal performance.
** Lara's tuxedo outfit was a testimony to the song 'New York, New York', as it's what she has generally worn when she sings it, reminiscent of Frank Sinatra. It perhaps led people to suspect she would actually sing that song, which undoubtedly would have gone over exceedingly well. In a sense, 'I will love again', at the end of the show, occupied the same niche.
**Lara was continually conscious of the historic nature, for her, of this appearance. At the end of 'Humana', cutting off the possibility of an extended audience response, she said that now she/we could say she performed 'Humana' “on the stage of Carnegie Hall”. She didn’t sing this, but do you remember the song from the ‘Sound of Music’ with the lines "Climb every mountain, ford every stream, follow every rainbow, 'til you find your dream"? This was the top of the mountain for her: after more than two decades of her career, NYC, Carnegie Hall - no way she could top this, and as she has said several times, it was the fulfillment of a long-time dream. True for many in the audience as well - I didn't meet one person who did not think the show fulfilled all their expectations.
**In a year with many ups and downs, Lara will remember this final Up for a lifetime. So will many in the audience.
**Outside of the ‘Southhampton’ review, whose link was kindly posted by Ismael Bonavita and also by T.J. Clemente (http://southampton.patch.com/groups/arts-and-entertainment/p/lara-fabian-at-carnegie-hall), the show was ignored by the local media. It was in the general listing of goings-on-about-town (that automatically include Carnegie Hall events). The NY Times did not include it ahead of time in its notable events of the week, and none of the major papers reviewed it. Except for a “special elite clientele”
- and the Russian community - Lara continues to remain Le Secret here. They don't know what they have missed .In summary, the set list was out of the ordinary in that it included more English songs than usual, and Lara’s singing was top-notch, which is not unusual. But what made the concert so special to everyone (Lara included) was its historic nature, and the great enthusiasm of an audience so long-deprived of seeing her in such a venue. An unforgettable end to the year for her, and for those who were there. A very nice photo of Lara on stage can be seen at:
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=523863241053988&set=a.200734066700242.44466.183951155045200&type=1&theater
In other news, it was reported that the Canadian program ‘Acces illimité’ during which Lara discussed her eating disorder - done in preparation for her Canadian concerts and originally broadcast on October 17th in that country - was seen by 3.5 million people in France when it was purchased and shown there by the program “50 minutes Inside”. That was about 20% of the early evening, ‘prime time’ audience. We’ve long known that Lara feels freer with the Canadian press than with the press in Europe, and more apt to tell them things she’s kept hidden. Too bad she doesn’t give them more interviews!
‘Le Figaro’ produced a video of the most emotional stores of the year on French TV, and Lara’s appearance discussing her hearing problem on ‘Touche pas a mon poste’ made the list. It’s at the 4 minute mark (thanks to the Lara Fabian International site for the info).
tvmag.lefigaro.fr/programme-tv/article/television/78982/zapping-tv-best-of-2013-les-instants-d-emotion-les-plus-forts-de-l-annee.html
Lara would certainly have preferred not to have had to be on that video.
In another unfortunate occurrence, although of a different scale, another excellent fan website for Lara is ‘going out of business’. Claire Evelyne Daugé, who often had insider information that always proved correct, left the following message on her site (in translation):
----------------------------------------------
Here is the news, unfortunately it is a bad!
The "Lara Fabian: Lara, Angel sublime" by Claire Evelyne Daugé will cease to exist from 1 January 2014! I do not change my mind, I no longer have the strength, and I think it's time to make room for new ones that are more current and prettier, this one has done its time, it is like this. Thank you for spending all these years in my company, for those who wish, I keep in touch with my Facebook account "Claire Evelyne Daugé" I embrace you, THANK you all, I spent wonderful years with you, somewhere soon I hope ......
------------------------------------------------
A number of other websites suffered declines this past year, if not actual extinction. Among those with much less activity are the ‘Pure’ site, LFIAG (which instituted a ‘closed group’ for discussion), and the Russian forum. Lara Fabian Romania continued their excellent work of providing English subtitles to many videos, and other sites flourished as well. Here’s hoping a good 2014 for all of them.
Pretty much the final end-of-year statistics are in on the sales of ‘Le Secret’ for 2013. Nicolas Boucaud on the MZ site noted that in Belgium, “Le Secret" is the 23rd best-selling album and 4th in the ranking of Belgian albums. This is worse than her last ‘new’ album, Neuf in 2005. The 56,600 albums sold in France in 2013 were not in the top 100 for the year. Currently it is 208th in France, in its 31st week on the charts (something to be said for persistence - and expanded chart lists), and 59th in Belgium.
Lara’s ‘Canadian adventure’ begins with her next concert on the 8th of January, 2014 in Quebec, followed by one the next day in Montreal, and then four days later, her first full concert in Toronto. We’ll see if she has more ‘revealing’ Canadian interviews.
Lara left a Christmas photo on her Instagram site (
http://instagram.com/p/iT42RVB8x-) and, who knows, there may be a New Year’s one before the day is out. Happy New Year to her and to all of you! The Year in Review 2013 follows in a separate thread.
David
