Ne Me Quitte Pas: Brel and Piaf - The Impossible Concert!

Two chairs, a music stand and two old timey microphones, Ne Me Quitte Pas is a simple revue of a selection of Edith Piaf and Jaques Brel greatest hits.  The two singers, Melanie Gall and Brehmer Duthie, are currently touring separate shows, and have come together in a shared passion for the French chanteur and chanteuse.

The revue is a casual affair, as the two artists share stories of their love for Piaf and Brel, life on the road and tidbits about the two French singers' lives in and around performing the songs.  Perhaps designed to give us a breather between the onslaught of French emotion, this pitter patter is the less successful part of the evening.  To be fair, it is very difficult to make comparisons between one’s life and the adventurous and scandalous lives of brothel raised Piaf and notorious womaniser Brel.  There is some really juicy stuff here that I would have loved to hear more about.  However these are skilled, talented and charming performers and this is only a minor quibble.

With show with Piaf and Brel in the title we are really here for the music.  And what music. Sung mostly in French, with a few of the lyrics translated into English, Melanie Gall and Bremner Duthie do fantastic jobs.  They tackle solos of Plus bleu que tes yeux, Amsterdam (one of my favorite tunes of all time), Les Toros, Sous le ciel de Paris, then join for duets of Ne Me Quitte Pas and Hymne a l’amour.

I am neither qualified nor competent enough to discuss the nuances of singing this music.  What I can tell you is this - I started crying at La Vie en Rose around the halfway mark and didn’t stop until the end. If you want to hear beautiful music sung beautifully, simply and passionately check this out.