After Georges Brassens, Jacques Brel and Édith Piaf the fourth pearl in Ménestrel’s series of “Homages” pays tribute to yet another legend of the French chanson: the phenomenal Charles Aznavour.
Aznavour released more than 100 albums, was said to have sold 180 million records, and wrote and composed more than 1000 songs. His musical career spanned close to eight decades and at the age of 93, six months before his death, he still performed on stage, mesmerizing his audience. Grand Charles rightfully earned the epithet “patriarch of the French chanson”. What’s more, his fame and notoriety extended way beyond his homeland’s borders, like in North-America, where he was nicknamed “the French Sinatra”.
From the outset however this worldwide acclaim seemed way off the horizon. In his early artist-years Charles Aznavour – born in Paris on May 22nd 1924 as Shahnourh Vaghinag Aznaourian into a modest Armenian refugee-family – was mocked, humiliated in the press and drew boos from the audience because of his small height (5ft 3in), his disproportionate nose and his hoarse, gravelly voice, caused by a paralysed vocal cord. Newspaper-reviews were without mercy: “Watching and hearing this monsieur Aznavour we asked ourselves: why not sing with a wooden leg? Disabled persons should not be allowed to perform on stage”, a critic wrote.
But Charles didn’t give up and – guided and encouraged by the great Edith Piaf, ultimately broke through. With her help he learned to overcome his doubts about his vocal limitations and developed a style of his own, the unique timbre that became his trademark. He charmed and won over the hearts of his audience, in France for a start and then the rest of the world.
In “Hommage à Charles” Ménestrel takes you on a journey – with images, anecdotes and fifteen of his chansons -through the life and impressive career of Charles Aznavour. You will hear classics from his repertoire, such as “La Bohème”, “Hier Encore”, “For me, formidable” and “The old-fashioned way”, but also less well-known pearls such as “Ils sont tombés”, his moving account of the Armenian genocide.
Charles Aznavour, modest child of refugees who became patriarch of the French chanson, unrivalled and unforgettable!!!
