A chanson - that's a drama in three minutes. Hardly anyone could tell it as musically and poetically as Jacques Brel, who was born in Brussels in 1929 and died far too early in Paris in 1978. He was the hero among chansonniers: great in his pain, his cheekiness, his tenderness and his urge for freedom and adventure. Being old without ever growing up. Offering every girl sweets instead of flowers, because sweets don't wither, infatuation does. Loving the flat land, where the wind can come from all directions to tell its stories. Crying over the unfaithful women in Amsterdam instead of pissing on them. Admiring the elegance of blacks and the courage of Jews. Wondering why people in the Métro look like drowned people and whether spring is a good time to die. Waiting for the madness of tired citizens, the return of lovers and the oldest tango in the world.
Natanaël Lienhard is half French by birth and grew up with French chansons. Now he sings Jacques Brel's music for an entire evening and tells the stories of his songs. He is accompanied by a string trio and the pianist & composer Jacob Bussmann, who arranged the 16 musical miniatures in a sophisticated and sensitive way.
