Just before we went into the concert, my sister told me that it would be ok if I wanted to leave early. I told her that this would only happen if the artist was very, very bad. OK, let's flash back a month before. I received an SMS from my sister that she had booked tickets to Ute Lemper, yay! (paraphrasing). I kind of forgot about it because I had never heard of Ms. Lemper.
Back to last night. Ms. Lemper starts her music with a story, a story of 'Le petit Piaf" (Edith) that had to find her way in the world, in Paris, until she was finally discovered while singing on the street. I think the first song of the concert was "Ma Vie En Rose," a movie I still have to see, and the second "Padam… padam!" (see Piaf's original performance below). Which brings me to the conductor of the symphony, Mr. Robert Ziegler.
Now as much as you can say that Ms. Lemper has got style, she's got flair, Mr. Ziegler is clearly her equal in as far as conductors can have a presence on stage. From the moment he appeared in his more colourful attire than you would normally expect, you knew this guy was different. And he was! Which you noticed most of all in Piaf's Padam. If music is a wave, it was as if his entire body was a ship floating through it. It's hard to describe, but he had this way of keeping rhythm and tilting his heels ever so much when a musical climax was to occur. Oh, and if you didn't know who Robert Ziegler is, he conducted the music for "There Will be Blood" and collaborated with Radiohead.
"Padam… Padam" was easily a master-piece, but it didn't stop here. Ute Lemper took us on a journey through the 30s, 40s, and 50s, interpreting German and French artists that sometimes sang as if it would be the last sound to pass their lips. She told us about the hidden cabaret that formed a not so silent (but hidden) outlet for people when WWII was the worst. And even that was not to last. All this emotion could be felt clearly in her words and in the music.
Something about Ms. Lemper herself. Apart from being an established singer, she's an actress and a painter. I haven't seen her latter works yet, but her acting skills manifest herself in her presence. From Marlene Ditriech's "They call me naughty Lola" to the sad 'hidden cabaret' ballads like "Die Ballade vom Wasserad," she impersonates that artist in all its might and plight and it's powerful, like you're really there. Next to that, Ute Lemper is a beautiful woman and knows how to dress in style.
Why I knew I would enjoy the concert most of all was because she would be singing a number of Jacques Brel's songs, such as "Amsterdam" and "Ne me ne quite… (pas)." You don't know this about me, but I grew up with hearing Brel on my dad's record-player every weekend and he is to me what to some people is The Beatles. So I loved it!
The concert finished with Van Morrison's Moondance. She received a standing ovation, after which she came back for one more untitled song, after which she received another standing ovation.
One of the greats!
I warmly recommend buying her music (e.g. here) and even more seeing her live. It's likely to be an experience you'll never want to forget.
