Two concerts – Two icons!
Two older men, not giving in to old(er) age, and as one put it, still pursing the dream!
Charles Aznavour, 85 today actually, gave us one of these polished performances you come to expect from such long-lasting talents. This time at the Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto a few weeks ago. All in French, but for one; all classics : «Je me voyais déjà», «Non je n’ai rien oublié », « Désormais », « Trousse chemise », « Il faut savoir », « Comme ils disent », « La bohème », « Emmenez-moi », and others. He has not lost any of his showmanship, well rehearsed actually; With his daughter Katia on the stage as a chorist, very blonde – must be from his marriage with his Swedish wife. A trip to nostalgia land for me, Aznavour has been with us, with me, from the very beginning, 50 years ago, to this day. One annoying fact: his accompanying music drowning him
And then last night, Leonard Cohen! We had to go “all the way” to Kingston to finally catch up with him – he has been touring for months now. First North America and the big Canadian cities last year – Toronto, Montreal – we missed him. Then Europe and now back in North America, after “down under” doing places like Hamilton, London, Ont., Ottawa, etc., before again carrying on in Europe all summer and fall. Funny enough, he was performing at Radio City Hall in New-York last weekend when we were there, looking for something to replace the play we were supposed to see and that was cancelled!
The “hockey ring” is full! 25,000 people all devoted to the old bard from Montreal. And he did not disappoint. At 74, forced back on the stage for money (we are all aware of his financial “déboire”, having lost most of his accumulated money to an unscrupulous manager – should we thank her?!), he has acquired this almost ethereal, zen-like quality: his presence, in the words of one reviewer, “is austere and lighthearted, serene and uplifting, humble and magnificent” http://www.lauraleanalle.com/Blog/leonard-cohen-review.html .
Cohen, dapper as ever in his signature accoutrement – black suit, grey shirt buttoned up to the neck and the fedora tightly sitting on his grey head – strikes by his limber and fit figure: kneeling more than once to kick off a song, sauntering on and off the stage between numbers and generous encores, Surrounded by an extraordinary cast of musicians and vocalists, especially this older guitarist with his 12-string instrument – a bonus to quote Cynthia. He is Spanish guitar virtuoso Javier Mas from Barcelona; his introductory solo to “The Partisan” is phenomenal: the Spanish accents and rhythms of his traditional string instrument confer a whole new meaning to this song – adding a “Spanish Civil War” twist to this French Resistance tale!
And it is classic after classic; you want to sing every song along with him! “Hotel Chelsea”, “Suzanne”, “The Tower of Song”, “I’m Your Man”, “If It Be Your Will” (forever fixed in my mind by the haunting interpretation of Anthony of Anthony and the Johnsons in the 2005 film production “I’m your Man”, here in a very but no less beautiful performance by vocalists sisters Webb), “First We Take Manhattan” (“and then we take Berlin” – I love this line!), “Take this Waltz” (after a poem of Frederico Garcia Lorca) “Famous Blue Raincoat”, “Sisters of Mercy”, “Bird on a Wire”, “So Long Marianne”, “Everybody Knows”, “Closing Time”, and not to forget “Hallelujah”!
May 22, 2009
