Post by davidhr on Jul 28, 2020 7:31:52 GMT -5
Lara appeared on two TV shows in France this past week - obviously both pre-recorded in one sense or another. Lara was on TF1 on Saturday, the program “50 Inside” with Nikos Aliagas as host. As described: “In 1995, Lara Fabian won the Félix for Quebec performer of the year, five years after arriving in Canada. In front of the images of the ceremony, she remembers with Nikos Aliagas the young Lara of the time👩 An emotional interview to see tomorrow at 5:50 pm on TF1"
The full show, which contained much more than that, can be found at:
www.facebook.com/LaraFabianVideos/videos/646162516280279/UzpfSTMzOTczOTUxOTg1NzMwNzo5MjMyNjgxMjE1MDQ0NDE/
Called “A Portrait of – Lara Fabian" it reviewed her international career, starting from the present, her appearance on The Voice – la plus belle voix, and the release of Papillon (s), then going through her Italian roots; her time in Montreal; her experience in America including the Christmas Show at Madison Square Garden with Michael Jackson, Beyonce and Whitney Houston among others; her success in Russia; singing with her parents an Italian song on TV; and then her 50th birthday show in Brussels, with her father singing along from the audience on her performance of Take Me Home Country Roads. All in all a wonderfully loving portrait of Lara.
The 'young Lara' portion of the interview teased above was shown at
www.facebook.com/50Inside/videos/791707461655698/UzpfSTI0NTM0MDMyMjc3MDI2ODo2MzkxNTYxODMzODg2Nzg/ which contained the following:
----------------------------------------
What do you see in the face of Lara that you are at the time?
LF: I see the little one who has trouble believing it. That hasn't changed. This one, I still hold her hand strong, strong the one who always has trouble believing what's going on, who wonders when does it end. I still do.
Especially since you are not at home. You came in with a passport and a few hundred dollars, I imagine.
LF: I had $1200 Canadian, that's all I had.
And what do you do when you arrive?
LF: Well, I find myself a job in the supermarket, another in a piano bar, another to do housework. Finally, I do everything.
No one is waiting for you!
LF: Well, no, not at all.
But you tried.
LF: And I won all the trophies given by people
------------------------------------------
Actually, when we heard the story previously, Lara had gone with Rick Allison, who seems to have been filtered out of the picture.
You may remember an earlier, similar version of this “Portrait” (it was before the release of Papillon (s)) was shown in February, available at
www.facebook.com/LaraFabianVideos/videos/933976890453046/?eid=ARDN9McWqkCcH8abQY36z5n-IfiNih4N8x3bOM5FAjkqjEX0h2z_W5DnJCIhMqNU0wscQ22elPj5OuNp
Obviously, then, all of this was pre-pandemic…
Lara also was featured on several segments of the show “35 Years of Unforgettable Moments at the Victories de la Musique” on France 2 with Michel Drucker as host. There was Lara receiving the award “Artiste Revelation” in 1998
www.facebook.com/LaraFabianVideos/videos/291981621862582/?eid=ARDN9McWqkCcH8abQY36z5n-IfiNih4N8x3bOM5FAjkqjEX0h2z_W5DnJCIhMqNU0wscQ22elPj5OuNp
Lara and Maurane singing “Tu es mon autre”
www.facebook.com/LaraFabianVideos/videos/291137518766753/?eid=ARDN9McWqkCcH8abQY36z5n-IfiNih4N8x3bOM5FAjkqjEX0h2z_W5DnJCIhMqNU0wscQ22elPj5OuNp
and Lara appeared with Maurane honoring Veronique Sanson
www.facebook.com/LaraFabianVideos/videos/603304170326338/?eid=ARDN9McWqkCcH8abQY36z5n-IfiNih4N8x3bOM5FAjkqjEX0h2z_W5DnJCIhMqNU0wscQ22elPj5OuNp
Lara sang “Vancouver” and Maurane sang “Ma Reverence”, both beautifully done.
In other news, this past week featured Belgian Day, which in past years would have been the occasion for mass celebrations. It goes without saying that did not happen this year…
You may have noticed that the youtube channel for ‘Lara Fabian Is My Heart’ is featuring “stripped down” versions of many of Lara’s songs – songs with just her voice, no instrumentation. They are well worth listening to, as they emphasize just how good that voice is, with depth and range (not that that is a great surprise to anyone…). There are both old and new songs available, and they cover a really wide range of her recordings (a wide range she should make better use of in her concerts). They can be found at
www.youtube.com/channel/UCVV2u7BZ0k0alb3nJ7p16fg
Speaking of youtube videos, you may also have noticed the “reaction of experts” videos that occasionally appear. Lara has a number of such ‘evaluations’, especially of her singing “Je suis malade”. A particularly nice one is that of “The Charismatic Voice”, which can be found at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kI_mLO65ito
[Her presentation of this song always gets ‘over the top’ reactions from people – for those interested, see the compilation at www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqfFU3DO8L4].
This particular evaluation was made of Lara’s performance during the show “From Lara With Love”, the PBS production. In a related point of interest, you may know that the show was broadcast in the U.S. as a one hour production, and it can be readily found on youtube in that version (e.g., www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETEdAfsrc6c). However, VIMEO has put together a reconstruction of the full show broadcast in Europe, which is close to one and a half hours, available at
vimeo.com/341988596
They’ve taken some of the clips from the U.S. show and added them to those broadcast in the European version; they seem to have made a few odd choices as to which version from which show to use, but overall it is a good quality production, something that is hard to find of the longer show.
As for our (now weekly) coronavirus update affecting Lara’s upcoming shows: the situation in Quebec appears generally stable. The following article provides information that would be relevant for Lara (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-gatherings-limit-250-1.5660688):
---------------------------
Despite uptick in new cases, Quebec opts to allow larger public gatherings
Public health authorities say change came after observing positive implementation of 50-person limit
The Quebec government will increase its limit on large public gatherings next month, even though the province is currently experiencing an increase in new cases of COVID-19.
The maximum number of people who can attend indoor or outdoor events in public venues will increase from 50 to 250 on Aug. 3, officials announced Thursday afternoon.
In a news release, the government said the change was recommended by public health authorities, and that the established rules for physical distancing and hygiene will remain in effect.
"We took into account the experience of the last few weeks, when the limit was set at 50 people, and we noted in particular that the operators were diligent in implementing the various measures necessary to ensure the safety of workers and the public," Dr. Richard Massé, a medical adviser to Quebec's public health department, said in the release.
But since the start of the month, the rolling average of new cases has been on the rise. CBC Montreal calculated the five-day average of new cases was at 70 on July 1. It stood at 156 on Thursday.
The increase has largely been concentrated in the Montreal area, and among people aged 18-40, according to public health officials.
Contact tracing has indicated that the biggest group of new cases is tied to family gatherings and private events that exceeded the 10-person maximum allowed under current public-health guidelines.
'I don't see the logic,' expert says
The government announcing an easing of restrictions amid a resurgence of cases puzzles one of Montreal's leading infectious disease specialists.
"I don't understand where this announcement came from," said Dr. Cécile Tremblay, a microbiologist and infectious disease specialist with the Université de Montréal hospital network.
"We're in a period where you would want to be the most cautious possible, because since cases bottomed out we've seen them increase again gradually."
Slight increase in new cases
In an interview with Radio-Canada, Tremblay said she was worried it sent a confusing message to the public, asking them on the one hand to limit the size of private gathering, and on the other giving the OK to large public ones.
"I don't see the logic," she added. "I don't see why it was necessary to do this now."
Masks may be taken off while seated
The change to indoor gatherings affects theatres, cinemas and other performance spaces, indoor amateur sports training and events, houses of worship, courtrooms and rented halls.
At such gatherings, two meters of distance must be maintained between people while standing and 1.5 meters when seated. Masks must be worn when circulating inside a venue, but as in bars, they can be taken off once seated.
Vincenzo Guzzo, president of Cinema Guzzo, said the change sends a message that movie theatres are safe, provided there's a two-seat space between people in the audience.
Quebec allowed indoor event venues to reopen on June 22, with a maximum capacity of 50 people. Since then, Guzzo said, said his cinemas have been doing about 25 per cent of the business they would do in an average pre-pandemic week.
The limit of 250 people will also apply to outdoor public events. Masks must be worn when two meters of physical distance cannot be observed.
The release says that festivals and major events remain prohibited until Aug. 31, "due to the significant risk of contagion and transmission of the virus."
Bars and restaurants are not affected by the change.
-----------------------------
Events in Quebec of the size Lara draws are not allowed now, but Lara’s upcoming concerts there are not scheduled until early December, and at least regulations (at the moment) are headed in the right direction…both for assemblies in the country as well as simply living there.
Of more immediate concern are her concerts in France scheduled for early September. The first question is whether she could get there from Canada. According to (https://ph.ambafrance.org/New-information-on-entering-French-territory-updated-July-20-2020):
“People arriving from the following countries: Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay will no longer be subject to restrictions on the grounds of preventing risks linked to the COVID-19 epidemic when entering Metropolitan France.”
So the answer is yes - at the moment. However, just yesterday there was this announcement:
------------------------------
EU May Backtrack on Loosening Visitor Curbs
The European Union appears set to keep its external borders shut to travelers from most countries -- including the U.S. -- for at least two more weeks amid spikes in coronavirus cases, according to two officials familiar with the matter.
The EU is leaning toward shortening a list of 13 states -- Canada, China, Japan and South Korea among them -- whose residents have the green light to visit the bloc, the officials said. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because deliberations on Monday among experts were confidential.
--------------------------------------
Canada would seem to be a country that would once again pass muster, given its still relatively low infection rate.
As noted last week, facemasks in France are now mandatory in enclosed places, including concert halls. Events of more than 5000 people are still banned – which would allow Lara’s concerts to take place, in general. However, there has been a definite uptick in new cases in the country, with the number doubling in the past week, so Lara’s health risk is a question that will have to be decided within the next month, at the latest.
Interesting photo(s) of the week: from the Lara Fabian Connecting People site,
vk.com/lf_cp?z=photo-121236_457271028%2Falbum-121236_93868298%2Frev
from the Lara Fabian Mexico FB site,
www.facebook.com/LaraFabianfromMexico/photos/a.747329741987755/3073709836016389/?type=3&theater
and from Lara Fabian America
www.facebook.com/larafabianamerica/photos/a.353726431791949/923662878131632/?type=3&theater
As she had indicated, Lara’s interaction with the public via social media has been reduced, though occasional TV appearances still seem to pop up. There’s no indication that next week will be any different. At some point a decision about those September concerts will have to be made; if they think they are likely, there would seem to be the need for rehearsals – with safe distancing – in the near future. Meanwhile, maybe Lara can spend time working on the ‘confinement’ album she mentioned she may release by the end of the year, and also the book about herself (not an autobiography). Stay tuned, and stay safe, everybody!
David
The full show, which contained much more than that, can be found at:
www.facebook.com/LaraFabianVideos/videos/646162516280279/UzpfSTMzOTczOTUxOTg1NzMwNzo5MjMyNjgxMjE1MDQ0NDE/
Called “A Portrait of – Lara Fabian" it reviewed her international career, starting from the present, her appearance on The Voice – la plus belle voix, and the release of Papillon (s), then going through her Italian roots; her time in Montreal; her experience in America including the Christmas Show at Madison Square Garden with Michael Jackson, Beyonce and Whitney Houston among others; her success in Russia; singing with her parents an Italian song on TV; and then her 50th birthday show in Brussels, with her father singing along from the audience on her performance of Take Me Home Country Roads. All in all a wonderfully loving portrait of Lara.
The 'young Lara' portion of the interview teased above was shown at
www.facebook.com/50Inside/videos/791707461655698/UzpfSTI0NTM0MDMyMjc3MDI2ODo2MzkxNTYxODMzODg2Nzg/ which contained the following:
----------------------------------------
What do you see in the face of Lara that you are at the time?
LF: I see the little one who has trouble believing it. That hasn't changed. This one, I still hold her hand strong, strong the one who always has trouble believing what's going on, who wonders when does it end. I still do.
Especially since you are not at home. You came in with a passport and a few hundred dollars, I imagine.
LF: I had $1200 Canadian, that's all I had.
And what do you do when you arrive?
LF: Well, I find myself a job in the supermarket, another in a piano bar, another to do housework. Finally, I do everything.
No one is waiting for you!
LF: Well, no, not at all.
But you tried.
LF: And I won all the trophies given by people
------------------------------------------
Actually, when we heard the story previously, Lara had gone with Rick Allison, who seems to have been filtered out of the picture.
You may remember an earlier, similar version of this “Portrait” (it was before the release of Papillon (s)) was shown in February, available at
www.facebook.com/LaraFabianVideos/videos/933976890453046/?eid=ARDN9McWqkCcH8abQY36z5n-IfiNih4N8x3bOM5FAjkqjEX0h2z_W5DnJCIhMqNU0wscQ22elPj5OuNp
Obviously, then, all of this was pre-pandemic…
Lara also was featured on several segments of the show “35 Years of Unforgettable Moments at the Victories de la Musique” on France 2 with Michel Drucker as host. There was Lara receiving the award “Artiste Revelation” in 1998
www.facebook.com/LaraFabianVideos/videos/291981621862582/?eid=ARDN9McWqkCcH8abQY36z5n-IfiNih4N8x3bOM5FAjkqjEX0h2z_W5DnJCIhMqNU0wscQ22elPj5OuNp
Lara and Maurane singing “Tu es mon autre”
www.facebook.com/LaraFabianVideos/videos/291137518766753/?eid=ARDN9McWqkCcH8abQY36z5n-IfiNih4N8x3bOM5FAjkqjEX0h2z_W5DnJCIhMqNU0wscQ22elPj5OuNp
and Lara appeared with Maurane honoring Veronique Sanson
www.facebook.com/LaraFabianVideos/videos/603304170326338/?eid=ARDN9McWqkCcH8abQY36z5n-IfiNih4N8x3bOM5FAjkqjEX0h2z_W5DnJCIhMqNU0wscQ22elPj5OuNp
Lara sang “Vancouver” and Maurane sang “Ma Reverence”, both beautifully done.
In other news, this past week featured Belgian Day, which in past years would have been the occasion for mass celebrations. It goes without saying that did not happen this year…
You may have noticed that the youtube channel for ‘Lara Fabian Is My Heart’ is featuring “stripped down” versions of many of Lara’s songs – songs with just her voice, no instrumentation. They are well worth listening to, as they emphasize just how good that voice is, with depth and range (not that that is a great surprise to anyone…). There are both old and new songs available, and they cover a really wide range of her recordings (a wide range she should make better use of in her concerts). They can be found at
www.youtube.com/channel/UCVV2u7BZ0k0alb3nJ7p16fg
Speaking of youtube videos, you may also have noticed the “reaction of experts” videos that occasionally appear. Lara has a number of such ‘evaluations’, especially of her singing “Je suis malade”. A particularly nice one is that of “The Charismatic Voice”, which can be found at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kI_mLO65ito
[Her presentation of this song always gets ‘over the top’ reactions from people – for those interested, see the compilation at www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqfFU3DO8L4].
This particular evaluation was made of Lara’s performance during the show “From Lara With Love”, the PBS production. In a related point of interest, you may know that the show was broadcast in the U.S. as a one hour production, and it can be readily found on youtube in that version (e.g., www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETEdAfsrc6c). However, VIMEO has put together a reconstruction of the full show broadcast in Europe, which is close to one and a half hours, available at
vimeo.com/341988596
They’ve taken some of the clips from the U.S. show and added them to those broadcast in the European version; they seem to have made a few odd choices as to which version from which show to use, but overall it is a good quality production, something that is hard to find of the longer show.
As for our (now weekly) coronavirus update affecting Lara’s upcoming shows: the situation in Quebec appears generally stable. The following article provides information that would be relevant for Lara (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-gatherings-limit-250-1.5660688):
---------------------------
Despite uptick in new cases, Quebec opts to allow larger public gatherings
Public health authorities say change came after observing positive implementation of 50-person limit
The Quebec government will increase its limit on large public gatherings next month, even though the province is currently experiencing an increase in new cases of COVID-19.
The maximum number of people who can attend indoor or outdoor events in public venues will increase from 50 to 250 on Aug. 3, officials announced Thursday afternoon.
In a news release, the government said the change was recommended by public health authorities, and that the established rules for physical distancing and hygiene will remain in effect.
"We took into account the experience of the last few weeks, when the limit was set at 50 people, and we noted in particular that the operators were diligent in implementing the various measures necessary to ensure the safety of workers and the public," Dr. Richard Massé, a medical adviser to Quebec's public health department, said in the release.
But since the start of the month, the rolling average of new cases has been on the rise. CBC Montreal calculated the five-day average of new cases was at 70 on July 1. It stood at 156 on Thursday.
The increase has largely been concentrated in the Montreal area, and among people aged 18-40, according to public health officials.
Contact tracing has indicated that the biggest group of new cases is tied to family gatherings and private events that exceeded the 10-person maximum allowed under current public-health guidelines.
'I don't see the logic,' expert says
The government announcing an easing of restrictions amid a resurgence of cases puzzles one of Montreal's leading infectious disease specialists.
"I don't understand where this announcement came from," said Dr. Cécile Tremblay, a microbiologist and infectious disease specialist with the Université de Montréal hospital network.
"We're in a period where you would want to be the most cautious possible, because since cases bottomed out we've seen them increase again gradually."
Slight increase in new cases
In an interview with Radio-Canada, Tremblay said she was worried it sent a confusing message to the public, asking them on the one hand to limit the size of private gathering, and on the other giving the OK to large public ones.
"I don't see the logic," she added. "I don't see why it was necessary to do this now."
Masks may be taken off while seated
The change to indoor gatherings affects theatres, cinemas and other performance spaces, indoor amateur sports training and events, houses of worship, courtrooms and rented halls.
At such gatherings, two meters of distance must be maintained between people while standing and 1.5 meters when seated. Masks must be worn when circulating inside a venue, but as in bars, they can be taken off once seated.
Vincenzo Guzzo, president of Cinema Guzzo, said the change sends a message that movie theatres are safe, provided there's a two-seat space between people in the audience.
Quebec allowed indoor event venues to reopen on June 22, with a maximum capacity of 50 people. Since then, Guzzo said, said his cinemas have been doing about 25 per cent of the business they would do in an average pre-pandemic week.
The limit of 250 people will also apply to outdoor public events. Masks must be worn when two meters of physical distance cannot be observed.
The release says that festivals and major events remain prohibited until Aug. 31, "due to the significant risk of contagion and transmission of the virus."
Bars and restaurants are not affected by the change.
-----------------------------
Events in Quebec of the size Lara draws are not allowed now, but Lara’s upcoming concerts there are not scheduled until early December, and at least regulations (at the moment) are headed in the right direction…both for assemblies in the country as well as simply living there.
Of more immediate concern are her concerts in France scheduled for early September. The first question is whether she could get there from Canada. According to (https://ph.ambafrance.org/New-information-on-entering-French-territory-updated-July-20-2020):
“People arriving from the following countries: Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay will no longer be subject to restrictions on the grounds of preventing risks linked to the COVID-19 epidemic when entering Metropolitan France.”
So the answer is yes - at the moment. However, just yesterday there was this announcement:
------------------------------
EU May Backtrack on Loosening Visitor Curbs
The European Union appears set to keep its external borders shut to travelers from most countries -- including the U.S. -- for at least two more weeks amid spikes in coronavirus cases, according to two officials familiar with the matter.
The EU is leaning toward shortening a list of 13 states -- Canada, China, Japan and South Korea among them -- whose residents have the green light to visit the bloc, the officials said. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because deliberations on Monday among experts were confidential.
--------------------------------------
Canada would seem to be a country that would once again pass muster, given its still relatively low infection rate.
As noted last week, facemasks in France are now mandatory in enclosed places, including concert halls. Events of more than 5000 people are still banned – which would allow Lara’s concerts to take place, in general. However, there has been a definite uptick in new cases in the country, with the number doubling in the past week, so Lara’s health risk is a question that will have to be decided within the next month, at the latest.
Interesting photo(s) of the week: from the Lara Fabian Connecting People site,
vk.com/lf_cp?z=photo-121236_457271028%2Falbum-121236_93868298%2Frev
from the Lara Fabian Mexico FB site,
www.facebook.com/LaraFabianfromMexico/photos/a.747329741987755/3073709836016389/?type=3&theater
and from Lara Fabian America
www.facebook.com/larafabianamerica/photos/a.353726431791949/923662878131632/?type=3&theater
As she had indicated, Lara’s interaction with the public via social media has been reduced, though occasional TV appearances still seem to pop up. There’s no indication that next week will be any different. At some point a decision about those September concerts will have to be made; if they think they are likely, there would seem to be the need for rehearsals – with safe distancing – in the near future. Meanwhile, maybe Lara can spend time working on the ‘confinement’ album she mentioned she may release by the end of the year, and also the book about herself (not an autobiography). Stay tuned, and stay safe, everybody!
David
