French chanteuse Myriam Phiro comes to New York’s Feinstein’s/54 Below on November 5 to honor the ultimate French chanteuse, Edith Piaf, and her upcoming centennial birthday celebration. In anticipation of the concert event, Phiro shares with BroadwayBox her five favorite YouTube videos of La Môme Piaf (The Little Sparrow).
1. Olympia
I like this video for the various snippets it has to offer:
—Intro "Padam Padam" air,
—Live performance of "La foule"; which has a very dramatic flair to it, with the end in the curtains, which was at the time, a signature of very theatrical interprets such as Jacques Brel.
—The interview; I really like to watch her being interviewed. She always looks like an amazed little girl; and the way she talks about love is so pure.
—Live performance of "La vie en rose"; the definition of savoir-faire
—Interview; I can truly understand how she was an irresistible partner; she has what we unfortunately can't find anymore in a lot of newer stars: "charisma".
—Live performance of "Mon dieu": one of my favorite Piaf songs.
2. Plus bleu que tes yeux:
It's a fantasy video and I love it. Charles Aznavour and Edith Piaf actually recorded that song together but I've never come across a video of them interpreting it together in real time. To have the opportunity to see the two of them perform together would be a dream for me, but this video makes me happy. They are two big influences of mine and knowing that she helped him so much in his career just makes it so heart-warming! The song is also very beautiful.
3. Non je ne regretterien:
This song truly captures the essence of the Great Piaf for me and watching her sing it feels just so right. Like many of her greatest hits, she participated in the composition of the song, which happened toward the end of her career. Lyrics don't get much closer to truth than that! I also like that she accidentally tells the band to not go too slow in the microphone; her commandship and mastery of the art become so obvious at that point!
4. Mon manège à moi:
In this video, we can hear Piaf sing at two very different stages of her career; at the beginning when she was at her prime, and from 1:17min on, we actually get to see her perform in 1959, when she was going through rather tough times. Although she appears very ill and frail in the second half, you can tell that music was all her life; there is something very visceral about it. Singing seems to be bringing her so much joy; she is so genuinely giving her all, once again. Her gestures are also still very present, event despite the circumstances. I find that very powerful.
5. Padam:
Edith was in her prime in this video and you can tell by her precise gestures, the quality of her tone, her interpretation and presence. It's wonderful to watch her being so powerful.
Celebrate Edith Piaf with Myriam Phiro at Feinstein’s/54 Below on November 5.
