Post by davidhr on Dec 9, 2014 8:28:00 GMT -5
Lara’s international career resumed its dominance this past week, after a one week layoff, a position it has held for much of the time since her return to action this fall. The lead item was the showing of the recorded broadcast of the anniversary concert “In a Life of 60 Years of Igor Kruoi” recorded 11/22 in Moscow. It turns out that this is being presented in two parts: the first was seen last Saturday on TV Russia 1, and the second part will be next Saturday. In this week’s show Lara’s (lip-synced) performance of ‘Always’ was presented; it is viewable at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQJJxBkKcV4
[The full show was available for a while on the web, even outside of Russia, but it has since been removed…].
It turns out that Lara was the first performer presented, which says something about her perceived popularity in that country. Lara looked wonderful, and while we obviously can’t judge her singing, it’s useful to note that she can sing this song live quite successfully – she did it in her tour at the beginning of 2012 at several locales. The impression we have, partly from Lara herself, is that Krutoi wants perfection, achievable in his mind only by using pre-recorded versions. Too bad – Lara can out-perfect herself at times when she’s motivated by the circumstances, as she likely would have been here.
Part II next week may well include Lara’s two other performances, ‘Toccami’ and the new Russian single, translated as ‘Love of Tired Swans’.
Then, on the same day, Lara was actually back in Russia for the filming of the show "Song of the Year 2014". In it she ‘performed’ “Love of Tired Swans’ (whose video we provided a link to last week, and which has the music from ‘Je t’aime encore’). Photos of Lara looking gorgeous can be found on the ‘Lara Fabian est ton autre’ site, at:
www.facebook.com/166959643357708/photos/pb.166959643357708.-2207520000.1418098275./765760473477619
and
www.facebook.com/166959643357708/photos/pcb.764695353584131/764695300250803/
and from Lara Fabian – PHQ, at:
www.facebook.com/353946178085395/photos/a.582868641859813.1073741841.353946178085395/582871495192861/?type=1&theater
while a short clip of Lara’s performance (undoubtedly lip-synched) can be found, thanks to Lara Fabian Mexico, at:
www.facebook.com/video.php?v=765515233502539&set=vb.556364357750962
An even shorter clip is available from the Instagram site of Igor Gulyaev (
Additional pictures of Lara with his creations can be found (thanks to Thierry Palomares) at: www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10204563082268464&set=pcb.893673264010120 , from which Lara has been criticized for associating herself with the wearing of fur.
The actual broadcast of the show, which will likely provide us with a full, high quality video, will be seen on TV channel Russia 1 on January 2, 2015. [Lara has been seen on the ‘Song of the Year’ show before, e.g., with ‘Demaine n’existe pas’, in January of 2010].
In other news concerning her international appearances, Lara’s FB site announced another venue for her upcoming late winter/spring tour, this one in Tel Aviv for February 21, in the Nokia Arena (which seats 11,700 people!). Tickets are available at: www.2207.co.il/inner.asp?itemID=70. An announcement concerning this can be found at: www.facebook.com/246805652001644/photos/a.247913198557556.83420.246805652001644/978888932126642/?type=1&theater . Here’s the translation:
------------------------------------------
Lara will come to tell us ‘Je t’aime’, like a crazy person, like a soldier, for she truly loves Israel, as she has proved more than once, notably by singing in Hebrew in 2008 on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the creation of the State of Israel. In 2012 she had to cancel a concert in Lebanon, “I will not sing under threats…I do not walk with hatred…I walk with tolerance, generosity”, had declared the star on her official Facebook page. She was persona non grata in Lebanon on account of her strong ties to Israel. ‘She has already done too many things proving that she is implicated in Zionism and that she supports Israel’,, the ‘Boycott Israel’ movement had declared. “
Each time she has come to Tel Aviv, Lara has sold out the room, so reserve your places without waiting.
--------------------------------------------
Several months after her cancellation of the show in Lebanon for St. Valentine’s Day in 2012, Lara performed in Israel, and we wondered at the time why that cancellation had not been used by promoters for her Israeli show. Well, they’ve finally gotten around to it…and Lara would certainly love to sell out this hall!
In announcing the Tel Aviv concert, Lara’s people indicated more concert announcements would be made very soon. And then Lara’s site announced the availability of tickets for her show in Los Angeles, which (they then neglected to note) are available through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com/lara-fabian-beverly-hills-california-03-31-2015/event/0B004D83EFEF370F?artistid=723970&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=1. Still no official word on the concert in Atlantic City (for which tickets are already being sold directly by the ‘Borgata Event Center’, though not by Ticketmaster). In each case, they are being advertised as ‘Best of’ concerts.
The ‘Lara Fabian Connection People’ site provided some insight into Lara’s singing the Azer folksong ‘Sari Galin’ when she was in Baku, Azerbaijan. Here’s the translation:
--------------------------------------
Did you know? It was Ilkin Mammadov's idea with “Sari Gəlin” - he really wanted Lara to sing the Azerbaijani song at her Baku concert. However, the singer initially reacted quite cautiously to this venture. According to Ilkin, as it turned out, Lara did not immediately agree to perform “Sari Gəlin”.
"She really liked the song, - he said. - I sent her a song in several different ways - and Lara said it was gorgeous, but adding: "If I do something, I do it well - or it is not done at all." But I did not want to say goodbye to this idea. And along with Lara and her team, we began work on a song - especially for Lara I wrote and sent the words of “Sari Gəlin” with the French transcription, and then we talked on the phone for a long time - she strives hard to achieve a good pronunciation. And until the last moment it was not clear whether Lara will perform “Sari Gəlin” at a concert or not. Everything was decided during the final rehearsal - everyone saw that she was able to feel the song as it turned out - and then it was decided to include this song in the program. "
----------------------------------------
There’s always more ‘behind the scenes’ when something happens with Lara – one wonders what the back story was for Lara singing with eight year old Fidan
.
Then there was an item posted on the Mlle. Zhivago FB site concerning Lara’s relations with the record company ‘Odacity’, and their release of the upcoming ‘Best of’ album. Thierry Palomares, based on information from ‘Nicolas N’, claims that Lara and Odacity are at loggerheads over the company’s desire to access Lara’s catalog from the time of her work with Rick Allison. According to this report, she is refusing, because they are not providing funding for her future projects, only for media representation. While this may be no more than a rumor, these sources have a track record, in this sort of thing at least (e.g., they reported on Lara’s split with Universal months before it was acknowledged). And there are some other possible signs. Why would Odacity, a record company based in Brussels and Los Angeles, release a ‘Best of’ disc of Lara’s songs with potentially strong international appeal only in Turkey? It was suggested on the MZ site that this was possibly because they could not get world-wide distribution rights for some of these songs from Lara. [However, other explanations could certainly be relevant - such as it was primarily meant for the Turkish audience in the first place, excited by her duet with Mustafa Cecelli. The Lara Fabian Turkey page noted that they have now become the most popular Lara fan site on the national level, an amazing achievement in a short amount of time! And they – with an email address of ‘odacity.eu’ - will be distributing the album internationally]. In addition, we have noted the slippage of her new French album (and probably next English album as well), from March, to April, and now to the Fall. In the past when that has happened with Lara, it has often indicated trouble with her record company (e.g., Sony for both English albums, and Universal for TLFM). Issues with financing the production and release could also be involved. If anyone is in the position to accurately explain the situation – like Odacity, for example - we offer here all the space they need! [We know - Lara having trouble with a record company is a ‘dog bites man’ story ].
Finally, there was some news back on the ‘home front’, although it is of the sad variety. The broadcast ‘Cest du belge’ with the subject the latest program of the ‘Little Dream Foundation’, with Lara contributing, was scheduled to be shown on December 5th. Unfortunately, it had to be postponed to a later date because of the death that day of Queen Fabiola, the fifth queen of Belgium. Instead programming was dedicated to a special on her life. According to the ‘Independent’ of the UK (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/queen-fabiola-of-belgium-spanish-aristocrat-headhunted-to-marry-king-baudouin-of-belgium-to-whom-she-was-a-popular-consort-9911360.html):
------------------------------------------------------------------
In the late 1950s it was decided that King Baudouin I, who had been on the Belgian throne for nine years, was lonely and needed a queen. An Irish nun from the Legion of Mary, Sister Veronica O'Brien, was sent by the future Cardinal Suenens, then auxiliary bishop of Malenes, to scour Europe for a suitable bride. The king gave two conditions: she had to be aristocratic, and like him she had to be a devout Catholic.
Sister O'Brien met the headmistress of a school in Madrid who recommended a former pupil, Fabiola de Mora y Aragon, the daughter of one of Spain's biggest landowners, who was working as a nurse, to aid her in her search. It turned out that Fabiola herself fitted the bill – Sister O'Brien described her in a letter to Suenens as "a breath of fresh air, tall, thin, well-built, good-looking and striking, bubbling with life, intelligence and energy" – and despite initial reluctance she married Baudouin in 1960, remaining his steadfast consort until his death in 1993.
To celebrate the marriage, Spanish bakers created a type of bread, la fabiola, which is still eaten in the country today. In Belgium, Fabiola found great popularity with the people, and was often referred to as "Queen of all Belgians"; the explorer Guido Derom named Queen Fabiola Mountains, a newly discovered range in the Antarctic, in her honour in 1961.
It was a source of great sadness, however, that the couple were unable to produce an heir. Fabiola became pregnant five times but suffered a series of miscarriages and one stillbirth. "You know, I myself lost five children," she said. "You learn something from that experience. I had problems with all my pregnancies, but you know, in the end I think life is beautiful."
----------------------------------------------------------------
While Lara has indicated she took her stage name from her uncle ‘Fabiano’, one wonders how much this queen influenced her as well. Lara undoubtedly could empathize with the Queen’s suffering and her resolve to see beyond it. Queen Fabiola was 86 years old.
Given that Lara has been back in Russia, she is somewhat closer to Moldova, the site of her next ‘Best of’ concert later today (12/9) (https://www.facebook.com/353946178085395/photos/a.353954938084519.1073741828.353946178085395/583003815179629/?type=1&theater). We should have more information and hopefully some videos from it by the time of the next Update.
David
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQJJxBkKcV4
[The full show was available for a while on the web, even outside of Russia, but it has since been removed…].
It turns out that Lara was the first performer presented, which says something about her perceived popularity in that country. Lara looked wonderful, and while we obviously can’t judge her singing, it’s useful to note that she can sing this song live quite successfully – she did it in her tour at the beginning of 2012 at several locales. The impression we have, partly from Lara herself, is that Krutoi wants perfection, achievable in his mind only by using pre-recorded versions. Too bad – Lara can out-perfect herself at times when she’s motivated by the circumstances, as she likely would have been here.
Part II next week may well include Lara’s two other performances, ‘Toccami’ and the new Russian single, translated as ‘Love of Tired Swans’.
Then, on the same day, Lara was actually back in Russia for the filming of the show "Song of the Year 2014". In it she ‘performed’ “Love of Tired Swans’ (whose video we provided a link to last week, and which has the music from ‘Je t’aime encore’). Photos of Lara looking gorgeous can be found on the ‘Lara Fabian est ton autre’ site, at:
www.facebook.com/166959643357708/photos/pb.166959643357708.-2207520000.1418098275./765760473477619
and
www.facebook.com/166959643357708/photos/pcb.764695353584131/764695300250803/
and from Lara Fabian – PHQ, at:
www.facebook.com/353946178085395/photos/a.582868641859813.1073741841.353946178085395/582871495192861/?type=1&theater
while a short clip of Lara’s performance (undoubtedly lip-synched) can be found, thanks to Lara Fabian Mexico, at:
www.facebook.com/video.php?v=765515233502539&set=vb.556364357750962
An even shorter clip is available from the Instagram site of Igor Gulyaev (
http://instagram.com/p/wTuHQOEq8F
Additional pictures of Lara with his creations can be found (thanks to Thierry Palomares) at: www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10204563082268464&set=pcb.893673264010120 , from which Lara has been criticized for associating herself with the wearing of fur.
The actual broadcast of the show, which will likely provide us with a full, high quality video, will be seen on TV channel Russia 1 on January 2, 2015. [Lara has been seen on the ‘Song of the Year’ show before, e.g., with ‘Demaine n’existe pas’, in January of 2010].
In other news concerning her international appearances, Lara’s FB site announced another venue for her upcoming late winter/spring tour, this one in Tel Aviv for February 21, in the Nokia Arena (which seats 11,700 people!). Tickets are available at: www.2207.co.il/inner.asp?itemID=70. An announcement concerning this can be found at: www.facebook.com/246805652001644/photos/a.247913198557556.83420.246805652001644/978888932126642/?type=1&theater . Here’s the translation:
------------------------------------------
Lara will come to tell us ‘Je t’aime’, like a crazy person, like a soldier, for she truly loves Israel, as she has proved more than once, notably by singing in Hebrew in 2008 on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the creation of the State of Israel. In 2012 she had to cancel a concert in Lebanon, “I will not sing under threats…I do not walk with hatred…I walk with tolerance, generosity”, had declared the star on her official Facebook page. She was persona non grata in Lebanon on account of her strong ties to Israel. ‘She has already done too many things proving that she is implicated in Zionism and that she supports Israel’,, the ‘Boycott Israel’ movement had declared. “
Each time she has come to Tel Aviv, Lara has sold out the room, so reserve your places without waiting.
--------------------------------------------
Several months after her cancellation of the show in Lebanon for St. Valentine’s Day in 2012, Lara performed in Israel, and we wondered at the time why that cancellation had not been used by promoters for her Israeli show. Well, they’ve finally gotten around to it…and Lara would certainly love to sell out this hall!
In announcing the Tel Aviv concert, Lara’s people indicated more concert announcements would be made very soon. And then Lara’s site announced the availability of tickets for her show in Los Angeles, which (they then neglected to note) are available through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com/lara-fabian-beverly-hills-california-03-31-2015/event/0B004D83EFEF370F?artistid=723970&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=1. Still no official word on the concert in Atlantic City (for which tickets are already being sold directly by the ‘Borgata Event Center’, though not by Ticketmaster). In each case, they are being advertised as ‘Best of’ concerts.
The ‘Lara Fabian Connection People’ site provided some insight into Lara’s singing the Azer folksong ‘Sari Galin’ when she was in Baku, Azerbaijan. Here’s the translation:
--------------------------------------
Did you know? It was Ilkin Mammadov's idea with “Sari Gəlin” - he really wanted Lara to sing the Azerbaijani song at her Baku concert. However, the singer initially reacted quite cautiously to this venture. According to Ilkin, as it turned out, Lara did not immediately agree to perform “Sari Gəlin”.
"She really liked the song, - he said. - I sent her a song in several different ways - and Lara said it was gorgeous, but adding: "If I do something, I do it well - or it is not done at all." But I did not want to say goodbye to this idea. And along with Lara and her team, we began work on a song - especially for Lara I wrote and sent the words of “Sari Gəlin” with the French transcription, and then we talked on the phone for a long time - she strives hard to achieve a good pronunciation. And until the last moment it was not clear whether Lara will perform “Sari Gəlin” at a concert or not. Everything was decided during the final rehearsal - everyone saw that she was able to feel the song as it turned out - and then it was decided to include this song in the program. "
----------------------------------------
There’s always more ‘behind the scenes’ when something happens with Lara – one wonders what the back story was for Lara singing with eight year old Fidan
.Then there was an item posted on the Mlle. Zhivago FB site concerning Lara’s relations with the record company ‘Odacity’, and their release of the upcoming ‘Best of’ album. Thierry Palomares, based on information from ‘Nicolas N’, claims that Lara and Odacity are at loggerheads over the company’s desire to access Lara’s catalog from the time of her work with Rick Allison. According to this report, she is refusing, because they are not providing funding for her future projects, only for media representation. While this may be no more than a rumor, these sources have a track record, in this sort of thing at least (e.g., they reported on Lara’s split with Universal months before it was acknowledged). And there are some other possible signs. Why would Odacity, a record company based in Brussels and Los Angeles, release a ‘Best of’ disc of Lara’s songs with potentially strong international appeal only in Turkey? It was suggested on the MZ site that this was possibly because they could not get world-wide distribution rights for some of these songs from Lara. [However, other explanations could certainly be relevant - such as it was primarily meant for the Turkish audience in the first place, excited by her duet with Mustafa Cecelli. The Lara Fabian Turkey page noted that they have now become the most popular Lara fan site on the national level, an amazing achievement in a short amount of time! And they – with an email address of ‘odacity.eu’ - will be distributing the album internationally]. In addition, we have noted the slippage of her new French album (and probably next English album as well), from March, to April, and now to the Fall. In the past when that has happened with Lara, it has often indicated trouble with her record company (e.g., Sony for both English albums, and Universal for TLFM). Issues with financing the production and release could also be involved. If anyone is in the position to accurately explain the situation – like Odacity, for example
- we offer here all the space they need! [We know - Lara having trouble with a record company is a ‘dog bites man’ story ].Finally, there was some news back on the ‘home front’, although it is of the sad variety. The broadcast ‘Cest du belge’ with the subject the latest program of the ‘Little Dream Foundation’, with Lara contributing, was scheduled to be shown on December 5th. Unfortunately, it had to be postponed to a later date because of the death that day of Queen Fabiola, the fifth queen of Belgium. Instead programming was dedicated to a special on her life. According to the ‘Independent’ of the UK (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/queen-fabiola-of-belgium-spanish-aristocrat-headhunted-to-marry-king-baudouin-of-belgium-to-whom-she-was-a-popular-consort-9911360.html):
------------------------------------------------------------------
In the late 1950s it was decided that King Baudouin I, who had been on the Belgian throne for nine years, was lonely and needed a queen. An Irish nun from the Legion of Mary, Sister Veronica O'Brien, was sent by the future Cardinal Suenens, then auxiliary bishop of Malenes, to scour Europe for a suitable bride. The king gave two conditions: she had to be aristocratic, and like him she had to be a devout Catholic.
Sister O'Brien met the headmistress of a school in Madrid who recommended a former pupil, Fabiola de Mora y Aragon, the daughter of one of Spain's biggest landowners, who was working as a nurse, to aid her in her search. It turned out that Fabiola herself fitted the bill – Sister O'Brien described her in a letter to Suenens as "a breath of fresh air, tall, thin, well-built, good-looking and striking, bubbling with life, intelligence and energy" – and despite initial reluctance she married Baudouin in 1960, remaining his steadfast consort until his death in 1993.
To celebrate the marriage, Spanish bakers created a type of bread, la fabiola, which is still eaten in the country today. In Belgium, Fabiola found great popularity with the people, and was often referred to as "Queen of all Belgians"; the explorer Guido Derom named Queen Fabiola Mountains, a newly discovered range in the Antarctic, in her honour in 1961.
It was a source of great sadness, however, that the couple were unable to produce an heir. Fabiola became pregnant five times but suffered a series of miscarriages and one stillbirth. "You know, I myself lost five children," she said. "You learn something from that experience. I had problems with all my pregnancies, but you know, in the end I think life is beautiful."
----------------------------------------------------------------
While Lara has indicated she took her stage name from her uncle ‘Fabiano’, one wonders how much this queen influenced her as well. Lara undoubtedly could empathize with the Queen’s suffering and her resolve to see beyond it. Queen Fabiola was 86 years old.
Given that Lara has been back in Russia, she is somewhat closer to Moldova, the site of her next ‘Best of’ concert later today (12/9) (https://www.facebook.com/353946178085395/photos/a.353954938084519.1073741828.353946178085395/583003815179629/?type=1&theater). We should have more information and hopefully some videos from it by the time of the next Update.
David
