With orchestra! Broadway Symphonique, C’est si bon & Que du bonheur

We are often asked about the programs we’ve had the pleasure of creating for orchestras such as the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège and the Orchestre de Pau Pays de Béarn.

These programs fall somewhere between classical music, chanson and jazz, and we’ve had the pleasure of performing them in concert halls as prestigious and diverse as the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Salle Philharmonique in Liège, as well as the Zénith in Pau, the Opéra Confluences and the Domaine d’Ô, at the Festival Radio France Occitanie Montpellier, under the direction of Fayçal Karoui, Benjamin Levy or Samuel Jean.

We’ve had the great good fortune to work with arrangers such as Cyrille Lehn, Bruno Fontaine, Sebastiaan Koolhoven, Lucas Henri and Matthieu Michard, and to write and design these programs.

So, for the curious, here’s a short presentation and some technical information. Hope to see you soon!

Broadway Symphonique

A throwback to the origins of Broadway, between jazz, musical comedy and symphonic score, with some of the greatest Broadway mus tunesicals by George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein, Cole Porter, Harold Arlen… Singin’ in the Rain, Mary Poppins, Irma la douce, My Fair Lady, The Wizard of Oz, … as well as a tap tribute to Gregory Hines.

Program : 42nd Street, Lullaby of Broadway, I Could Have Danced All Night, Medley Mary Poppins, Medley Cole Porter, Le Jazz Hot, Ol’ Man River, Medley Porgy ‘n Bess, Send in the Clowns, Mambo Symphonic Dance, Medley West Side Story, My Favorite Things, Another Hundred People, Singin’ in the Rain, Medley Irma la douce, Let’s Face the Music and Dance, Rhythm is my Business, Over the Rainbow, Use What You’ve Got, I Wish I Were In Love Again, Medley On The Town, I Got Rhythm.

Technical information: Original nomenclature: 10-8-6-6-4 / 2-2-2-2 / 4-3-3-0 / 1 tmb / 1 perc / 1 hp. Reduced size: 8-6-4-4-2 / 2-2-2-2 / 2-2-2-0 / 1 tmb / 1 perc / 1 hp. Jazz quartet. Arrangements : Cyrille Lehn. Program length: 1h10 to 2h00. Commissioned by the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège.

Videos : Documentary • I Could Have Danced All Night • Ol’ Man River • Send in the Clowns

C’est si bon

Explore the heritage of French chanson and rediscover re-orchestrated masterpieces such as L’aigle noir, Et maintenant, Au suivant and Fais-moi mal Johnny, as well as more contemporary creations like Stromae’s Formidable. Highlight a song’s intimate links with classical music, as Jacques Brel and Gérard Jouannest did when they drew inspiration from the Andante part of Franz Liszt’s Rhapsodie Hongroise N° 6 to compose the standard that became Ne me quitte pas…

Repertoire: C’est si bon, Quand tu dors, Le cinéma, Mon homme, Douce France, À Paris, La complainte de la butte, Le poinçonneur des Lilas, Un jour tu verras, Et maintenant, Thème du Concerto des Demoiselles de Rochefort, Fais-moi mal Johnny, La belle vie, La complainte du progrès, Ma plus belle histoire, Au suivant, Amsterdam, La vie en rose, La javanaise, Stromae Orchestra (Formidable/Alors on danse), Quelque chose de Tennessee, Qu’est-ce qu’on attend pour être heureux, L’aigle noir.

Technical information: Piano & accordion. Original nomenclature : 12-10-8-6-4 / 2-2-2-2 / 4-2-3-0 / 1 hp / 1 tmb / 1 perc. Reduced size : 8-7-6-5-3 / 2-2-2-2 / 2-2-2-0 / 1 hp / 1 tmb / 1 perc. Special instruments (2): jazz drums, jazz double bass. Arrangements : Cyrille Lehn, Lucas Henri, Sebastiaan Koolhoven. Program length: 1:10 to 1:40. Commissioned by the Orchestre de Pau Pays de Béarn.

Video : Documentary • Le Poinçonneur des Lilas • À Paris • La vie en rose

Que du bonheur

A quest for happiness through the composers, authors and performers who have accompanied us since childhood, such as Michel Legrand, recently dubbed by Le Figaro the “melodist of happiness”, Charles Trenet, who advocated a philosophy of joy that became an art of living well in all circumstances, Charles Aznavour, who declared before setting off on his great voyage: “It’s my happiness to tour the world! And let’s not forget Barbara, who believed that brightening up a life was a way of staying in touch with the source of universal songs, or Piaf, who proclaimed: “Ten minutes of happiness a day, that’s not bad at all”.

Repertoire:Ton nom, C’est magnifique, Les amoureux des bancs publics, La mer, À bicyclette, L’homme à la moto, Padam Padam, Göttingen, Duo des parapluies de Cherbourg, L’Été 42, J’suis snob, Je bois, Paroles paroles, Comme d’habitude, La valse à mille temps, La bohème, Comme ils disent, Déshabillez-moi, Marieke, Que reste-t-il de nos amours, La foule, Le tourbillon de la vie, La vie qui va, Foule sentimentale

Technical information: Piano & Accordion. Original nomenclature: 12-10-8-6-4 / 2-2-2-2 / 4-2-3-1 / 1 tmb / 2 perc / 1 hp.Special instruments (2): jazz drums, jazz double bass. Arrangements : Bruno Fontaine, Lucas Henri, Sebastiaan Koolhoven, Cyrille Lehn, Matthieu Michard. Program length: 1:10 to 1:55. Commissioned by the Orchestre de Pau Pays de Béarn.

Video : La Complainte de la butte • Concerto des Demoiselles de Rochefort • Ma plus belle histoire d’amour