Les Les Parapluies de Cherbourg [Original Soundtrack] [SHM-CD]

by Michel Legrand

Overview

Michel Legrand's abundantly lyrical soundtrack to Jacques Demy's 1964 movie musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg faithfully evokes the film's predominant theme of young love foiled by adult reality. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg's overriding melancholia finds a voice in two main melodic motifs Legrand uses throughout the soundtrack, the first from the Legrand jazz standard "Watch What Happens" and the second from his song "I Will Wait for You." Legrand's considerable arranging abilities are on display here as he works the recurring themes through a variety of settings: tragic duets cloaked in dramatic string passages, broken-down cabaret soliloquies, and even a tango piece a la Astor Piazzolla. A prevalent jazz waltz theme also seesaws its way through the score, providing a break from the gloom. As with his later Demy soundtrack, The Young Girls of Rochefort, Legrand does integrate jazz into the mix, but not in such pervasive fashion; occasional big-band outbursts and light jazz backgrounds ultimately take a back seat to Legrand's preferred chanson mode. Combining Debussy's opaque melodies and Richard Rodgers song economy, he transforms the whimsical French song of Piaf and Trenet into petite arias. For Legrand it comes down to the song, and there are plenty of good ones on The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. ~ Stephen Cook

Product Details

Release Date:	09/29/2017
Label:	Philips
UPC:	4988031240823
Rank:	80895

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Michel Legrand   Primary Artist,Piano,Vocals,Conductor,Music Direction
Genevieve   Primary Artist
Madeleine   Primary Artist
Puis Deux Ouvriers   Primary Artist
Le Client   Primary Artist
Mme Emery   Primary Artist
Cassard   Primary Artist
Jenny   Primary Artist
Le Patron   Primary Artist
Aubin   Primary Artist
Guy   Primary Artist
Dubourg   Primary Artist
Elise   Primary Artist
Francois Theberge   Primary Artist
Marc Michel   Primary Artist
Andre Ceccarelli   Primary Artist,Percussion
Tony Bennett   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Michel Legrand Big Band   Primary Artist
Jose Bartel   Primary Artist,Vocals
Georges Blanes   Primary Artist
Herve Mechinet   Primary Artist
Will Bronson Singers   Primary Artist,Vocal Ensemble
Claudine Meunier   Primary Artist,Vocals
Christiane Legrand   Primary Artist,Vocals
Jean Champion   Primary Artist
Danielle Licari   Primary Artist,Vocals
Denis Leloup   Primary Artist,Trombone
Claire Meunier   Primary Artist
Guy Bartel   Primary Artist
Claire Leclerc   Primary Artist
The Ralph Sharon Trio   Primary Artist
Jacques Demy   Primary Artist,Vocals
Marc-Michel LeBevillon   Primary Artist
Stephane Belmondo   Primary Artist
Georges Blaness   Vocals
Anthony Dominick Benedetto   Vocals

Technical Credits

Michel Legrand   Booklet Concept,Composer
Rodolphe Sanguinetti   Mixing
Norman Gimbel   Composer
Claude Ermelin   Balance Engineer
Catherine Deneuve   Interpretation
d'Agnes Varda   Photography
Jacques Demy   Dialogue,Composer
A. Bruant   Composer
Stephane Lerouge   Booklet Concept