France’s ‘sad clown’ commissioned his own concerto
RIPThe death of the iconic French actor Michel Blanc, aged 72, is being mourned in the highest corridors of power. President Macron said: ‘He made us cry with laughter, and moved us to tears.’ Prime minister Barnier said Blanc’s death had made him ‘very emotional and very sad’.
Twenty years ago, Blanc asked his friend, composer Eric Tanguy, to write a work for him, as narrator, with orchestra.
Music, says Tanguy, was his ‘absolute passion… He played the piano well, especially Brahms and Chopin.’
Great actor. A kind of French Jack Lemmon.
Never thought of the analogy but , come to think, it’s not that far off.
And just like Lemmon, he was equally effective in more dramatic parts when given the chance.
RIP.
Conductor François Xavier Roth on the vidéo.