Juliette Gréco and her Greatest Chansons - Plak

ENGLISH

Juliette Gréco was born on 7 February 1927 in Montpellier. At seven she moved with her family to Paris; when she was 15 her mother and sisters were deported. Juliette made it through the war years and in 1945 she received her first small acting rolls.<br /><br /> In June 1949 she debuted as a singer at the Paris nightclub “Au Bœuf sur le Toit”. Overnight, the unknown chanteuse was the talk of all Paris. Sartre was so impressed that he wrote a chanson for her, “Les Blancs manteaux”. Later, Raymond Queneau wrote lyrics for her with music by J. Kosma. The popular success of the Muse of Saint-Germain-des-Prés was so great, in fact, that she often sang at three different “etablissements” on the same evening.<br /><br /> Over the years Juliette Gréco has developed into one of the great interpreters of the French chanson. A singer of rare penetration, in performance she combines a minimum of gesture with a warm intensity of vocal and facial expression. She has succeeded in uniting – and reconciling – the French traditions of the chanson and intellectualism. Her interpretations of modern poets such as Prévert, Queneau and Brecht bear eloquent testimony to the refinement of both their and her art.<br /><br /> With the present recording Juliette Gréco has provided connoisseurs with an outstanding documentation of the French chanson. Care has been taken to capture the intimacy of mood which made her concerts a fascinating experience. Indeed, it is not easy to escape the magic of Juliette Gréco.<br /><br /> No recording details available.