Dominique Horwitz sings Jacques Brel
Jacques Brel (1929 – 1978) became a global star with his French chansons. His moving music and theatrical talent make the Belgian unforgettable. In his short life, he wrote over 600 songs. To this day, ‘Ne me quitte pas’ is considered one of the most beautiful ‘chansons d’amour’ in France. Titles like ‘Quand on n’a que l’amour’, ‘La valse à mille temps’, ‘Marieke’ or ‘Amsterdam’ are among the unforgettable classics of the genre.
Born in Paris, Dominique Horwitz, a celebrated stage, film, and television star, masterfully slips into Brel's skin. He loves and lives the chansons – in all their intensity and unpredictability. Thus, Brel's songs seem as if they were written just for Horwitz. In 2002, he received the prestigious Mephisto Prize for his Brel chanson program.
Whether they deal with love or abandonment, Brel's chansons are small narratives. Each song is a moving play, where the characters scream their sorrows and joys, letting them dance around their reason. Brel dreamed the "impossible dream" of unconditional love and passion, of the unattainably beautiful, in which he wanted to lose himself entirely. His songs are often stories about ordinary people – unflinching and dramatic, philosophical, melancholic, or simply entertaining.
Dominique Horwitz dispenses with grand pathos, does not imitate, and thus touches even more. "Every time I sing it, I experience something new," he says about Jacques Brel's songs. As his own master of ceremonies, Horwitz complements the evening with small introductions that together with the music decipher the man and myth of Brel to some extent. Thanks to his sensitivity to music, Horwitz is among the most sought-after artists in the musical-literary field. He is accompanied by a top-notch live band. An undoubtedly unforgettable evening!
"It often becomes awkward when actors try their hand at singing or vice versa. ... And then there is Dominique Horwitz, where both seem completely natural, as if one had to do with the other. His spiritual brothers are Serge Gainsbourg and Jacques Brel."
Süddeutsche Zeitung
Chanson evening
Andreas Dopp
Guitar
Jakob Vinje
Piano
Jakob Neubauer
Accordion
Johannes Huth
Double bass
Dirk Achim Dhonau
Drums
Christoph Israel
Musical preparation
Introduction to the piece at 7:30 PM in the Small Hall
7:00 PM