Post by lapayin on Oct 22, 2006 17:57:35 GMT -5
Obviously, the big news of the week was the release of the new live CD/DVD "Un Regard Neuf". It was supposed to happen on Friday, but in fact stores were selling it earlier in the week. For those who ordered it by mail, shipments from at least some of the outlets went out on Friday.
It's somewhat risky to encapsulate the different comments that have been made at such an early date, but here are some generalizations:
- The DVD has gotten an excellent reception, from just about everybody. It does include the full concert, the audience is very present, Lara is in top form, and the 45 minute bonus is very entertaining and revealing. The feeling is it may be the best live DVD Lara has done, and worthy of great praise. For those who want to see (very) brief cuts from the DVD, they are available in the publicity release from Polydor, available at www.lara-fabian.net/tv.
-The CD, while containing Lara's powerful and masterly voice (it is after all the same performance as on the DVD), has had a more mixed reception due to choices made in its selections. Common complaints are that it's not really a live CD - the audience reaction is largely missing except for applause after the songs, Lara doesn't talk much, and some of the best songs from the DVD - in particular I Guess I Loved You, Broken Vow and Humana - are not on it. The suggestion has been made that one should take the audio from the DVD, convert it into a CD, and listen to that. This is not a unanimous opinion - there are people who loved the CD as well - but perhaps it suffers in comparison with the DVD. Seeing Lara perform her songs obviously adds another dimension, and hearing the sound by itself will be less compelling, as I think was the case with the Lara Fabian Live CD/DVD.
One additional comment that pops up is that people wonder why she didn't record some of the other shows. Obviously it is a matter of economics, but it does seem like she was walking a highwire without a safety net by chosing only one show to record. From the general comments, it does seem to have worked out all right, although for each individual song, there was likely some other performance when it was done better. Lara Fabian Live recorded shows in both France and Belgium, and used both of them.
Sales appear brisk - anecdotally, a number of people report big displays in stores, only to find the CD+DVD combination all sold out. Ultimately the numbers will tell how widespread and sustained this is.
As part of the promotion for the album, Lara was on Champagne FM radio last Tuesday. Cuts from the new album were played and Lara spoke about the new Italian album as appearing next Spring. To show how the presentation format can influence opinion, the songs that were played (from the CD) got high praise from listeners. Recordings of her appearance are available on several sites.
Concerning the new Italian album, in an article to appear next Monday in le Téléstar, Lara gives its date as Spring of 2008 - perhaps that's just a mistake on her part or on the part of the publication. She also repeats that she will play the role of a 'profiler' in an American thriller - so unless this is a very old interview (somewhat less likely given her reference to the Italian album), that may be back on the table.
Friday night Lara appeared on the Star Academy. She sang three songs:" J'y Crois Encore" with Dominique, "Tout" with Cyril, and a live version of "Aime". As usual she looked great and sang well, with real power especially on the last two cuts. Her job after all is not to overwhelm her singing companion; this is a platform for them to display their talents, and in that sense Lara participated perfectly. Actually, Jérémy, a past finalist in the Star Academy, mentioned her generosity in this respect on his blog this morning (as reported by "nobigdeal" on Laradom). This is the first official live performance of Aime; Lara also 'sang' it on the CAP48 charity show last Sunday in Brussels but in a lip-synched version. It does not appear on the DVD (at least partly to provide a reason for getting the CD). Videos of both shows are available on the web.
On Saturday, Lara was live on "Les Disques d'Or" radio show. Lara was self-assured, as usual, and again commented on how she is treated (on the street) much more naturally in Belgium and Montreal than in France. A recording of the show is available on the web (Lara's radio shows can be downloaded at www.lara-fabian.net/radio).
Also on Saturday, Lara was on Belgium TV (RTL Tv1). Those who sat through the 30 minutes of news prior to Lara's appearance were rewarded with a portion of "Tout" from the DVD and another segment from the bonus DVD. The appearance showed once again what a great guest Lara is for talk shows - just give her a lead-in, and she carries the conversation.
For those who have not seen it, the official site has changed its opening sequence to show scenes from "Un Regard Neuf", and now uses the intro from "Les Homericains". The presentation is impressive, but it introduces the problem that it takes awhile to load. The site has also been updated in the sense that it no longer lists an "Italian single" to be released in September (sic).
Lara will be doing a "Night of the Proms" tour in France during the spring of 2007. So far there are nine dates schedueled. [It would be a good time to start promoting the "Italian" album.]
This coming week the publicity continues with Lara as the guest today of 'L'école des fans' in Québec on TVA (recorded last June). On the 23rd, Lara will be the guest of Bernard Stéphane in the radio broadcast 'Tête d'affiche' on France Info. On the 24th she will be live on MFM Radio from 11am to 12am, and on RTL radio from 14h30 to16. On the 25th she will be on Cheri Fm on the broadcast "En toute intimité" from 2100-2200. And on the 27th Lara will be on Laurent Boyer's talk-show "La tête dans les étoiles" from 2:30pm to 4pm live on RTL. A busy week ahead, for both her and her fans.
David
It's somewhat risky to encapsulate the different comments that have been made at such an early date, but here are some generalizations:
- The DVD has gotten an excellent reception, from just about everybody. It does include the full concert, the audience is very present, Lara is in top form, and the 45 minute bonus is very entertaining and revealing. The feeling is it may be the best live DVD Lara has done, and worthy of great praise. For those who want to see (very) brief cuts from the DVD, they are available in the publicity release from Polydor, available at www.lara-fabian.net/tv.
-The CD, while containing Lara's powerful and masterly voice (it is after all the same performance as on the DVD), has had a more mixed reception due to choices made in its selections. Common complaints are that it's not really a live CD - the audience reaction is largely missing except for applause after the songs, Lara doesn't talk much, and some of the best songs from the DVD - in particular I Guess I Loved You, Broken Vow and Humana - are not on it. The suggestion has been made that one should take the audio from the DVD, convert it into a CD, and listen to that. This is not a unanimous opinion - there are people who loved the CD as well - but perhaps it suffers in comparison with the DVD. Seeing Lara perform her songs obviously adds another dimension, and hearing the sound by itself will be less compelling, as I think was the case with the Lara Fabian Live CD/DVD.
One additional comment that pops up is that people wonder why she didn't record some of the other shows. Obviously it is a matter of economics, but it does seem like she was walking a highwire without a safety net by chosing only one show to record. From the general comments, it does seem to have worked out all right, although for each individual song, there was likely some other performance when it was done better. Lara Fabian Live recorded shows in both France and Belgium, and used both of them.
Sales appear brisk - anecdotally, a number of people report big displays in stores, only to find the CD+DVD combination all sold out. Ultimately the numbers will tell how widespread and sustained this is.
As part of the promotion for the album, Lara was on Champagne FM radio last Tuesday. Cuts from the new album were played and Lara spoke about the new Italian album as appearing next Spring. To show how the presentation format can influence opinion, the songs that were played (from the CD) got high praise from listeners. Recordings of her appearance are available on several sites.
Concerning the new Italian album, in an article to appear next Monday in le Téléstar, Lara gives its date as Spring of 2008 - perhaps that's just a mistake on her part or on the part of the publication. She also repeats that she will play the role of a 'profiler' in an American thriller - so unless this is a very old interview (somewhat less likely given her reference to the Italian album), that may be back on the table.
Friday night Lara appeared on the Star Academy. She sang three songs:" J'y Crois Encore" with Dominique, "Tout" with Cyril, and a live version of "Aime". As usual she looked great and sang well, with real power especially on the last two cuts. Her job after all is not to overwhelm her singing companion; this is a platform for them to display their talents, and in that sense Lara participated perfectly. Actually, Jérémy, a past finalist in the Star Academy, mentioned her generosity in this respect on his blog this morning (as reported by "nobigdeal" on Laradom). This is the first official live performance of Aime; Lara also 'sang' it on the CAP48 charity show last Sunday in Brussels but in a lip-synched version. It does not appear on the DVD (at least partly to provide a reason for getting the CD). Videos of both shows are available on the web.
On Saturday, Lara was live on "Les Disques d'Or" radio show. Lara was self-assured, as usual, and again commented on how she is treated (on the street) much more naturally in Belgium and Montreal than in France. A recording of the show is available on the web (Lara's radio shows can be downloaded at www.lara-fabian.net/radio).
Also on Saturday, Lara was on Belgium TV (RTL Tv1). Those who sat through the 30 minutes of news prior to Lara's appearance were rewarded with a portion of "Tout" from the DVD and another segment from the bonus DVD. The appearance showed once again what a great guest Lara is for talk shows - just give her a lead-in, and she carries the conversation.
For those who have not seen it, the official site has changed its opening sequence to show scenes from "Un Regard Neuf", and now uses the intro from "Les Homericains". The presentation is impressive, but it introduces the problem that it takes awhile to load. The site has also been updated in the sense that it no longer lists an "Italian single" to be released in September (sic).
Lara will be doing a "Night of the Proms" tour in France during the spring of 2007. So far there are nine dates schedueled. [It would be a good time to start promoting the "Italian" album.]
This coming week the publicity continues with Lara as the guest today of 'L'école des fans' in Québec on TVA (recorded last June). On the 23rd, Lara will be the guest of Bernard Stéphane in the radio broadcast 'Tête d'affiche' on France Info. On the 24th she will be live on MFM Radio from 11am to 12am, and on RTL radio from 14h30 to16. On the 25th she will be on Cheri Fm on the broadcast "En toute intimité" from 2100-2200. And on the 27th Lara will be on Laurent Boyer's talk-show "La tête dans les étoiles" from 2:30pm to 4pm live on RTL. A busy week ahead, for both her and her fans.
David
