HUGO LIVE
with Alain Lecompte

   

Free and open to the public; written program in English available
Sponsored by the University of Virginia French House, Department of Music, Department of French, the Arts & Sciences Council, and the College of Arts & Sciences.

 Concert description
 Reviews of HUGO LIVE concert
 Alain Lecompte’s brief bio
 Reviews of HUGO LIVE CD
 Why HUGO LIVE?
 Victor Hugo’s very brief bio
 For more information

Through his engrossing concert HUGO LIVE, Québecois singer and songwriter Alain Lecompte presents the legendary Victor Hugo with humor and sensitivity. By thoughtfully and imaginatively setting 27 French poems to original music, Alain Lecompte introduces us to the famous poet and social critic, author of Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. Much more than a simple compilation of songs, this 90-minute musical tells the story of Hugo’s life and loves, his deep belief in liberty and peace, and the power of his convictions in the face of tyranny. Concert program notes in English summarize each poem’s meaning while explaining how it fits within Hugo’s life and thought, making this world music event accessible to non-French speakers, as well as to beginning French students. Hear a selection of HUGO LIVE songs at http://www.eclectrarecords.com.

To read a French interview with Alain Lecompte after one of his concerts in Paris, click here.

Staged for the first time in Montreal in Fall 2001, the spectacular HUGO LIVE has been offered over 70 times with great success in both Europe and America, including a Hugo bicentennial performance in Paris and another at the United Nations in New York. Chosen to open the 15th annual Coup de cœur francophone in Montreal in 2001, Alain Lecompte and HUGO LIVE receive unfailingly enthusiastic response:

• “A magical concert…a dream…a spectacle of nameless beauty. Alain Lecompte gives a totally engaged performance. Every song is a pure delight….” (Elizabeth Gagnon, Radio Canada, Montreal)



• “Alain Lecompte’s show left an undying memory…his melodies, his stage presence, his humor, and his culture charmed everyone. Thank you for this unforgettable concert.” (Dominique Caillet, President of the Alliance Française, Charlotte, NC)



• “We greatly enjoyed this high-quality show, which offers a varied panorama of Hugo’s poetry set to music with enormous talent and finesse.” (Arnaud Laster, Université de La Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris)



• “A wonderfully successful valuable evening thank to the talents of Alain Lecompte… Everything was enchanting: the choice of poems, the music, the interpretations. Alain Lecompte engaged teachers and students alike by his simplicity, his warm enthusiasm, and his generosity…. HUGO LIVE was at once an intellectual and emotional pleasure as well as a beautiful introduction to Victor Hugo’s great genius.” (Janice Zinser, Oberlin Music Conservatory, Cleveland)

Author, composer, and performer for more than 20 years, Québecois Alain Lecompte is also well known as an accompanist for such celebrities as musician Pierre Barouh (who debuted as an actor in Lelouch’s A Man and a Woman) and Canadian pop star Céline Faucher. Inspired by Hugo’s writings, he decided to sing Victor Hugo’s immense life through his poetry—HUGO LIVE is the innovative result. The CD, recorded with a symphonic orchestra, is highly praised:

• “A fascinating and audacious work…exceptionally well recorded…sure to become a classic.” (T. Bruce Wittner of Musik Etc., Montreal)



• “An excellent introduction to a rich body of poetic work that remains moving.” (Alexandre Vigneault, La Presse, Montreal)



• “HUGO LIVE is an enlightened, lyrical, sensitive homage to Hugo’s verse. Lecompte’s passion for the writer shines through in his treatment of the poems, in his interpretations as well as in his sophisticated arrangements….” (Philippe Renaud, La Presse, Montreal)

Alain Lecompte put Hugo’s verse to music simply because, as he writes, “Hugo’s poetry calls out to me. There is in this man an inspiration, a vivacity, an imagination, and an abundance found nowhere else.” With this concert, he opens a window on Hugo’s life and thought, recognizing that he was as human as he was a genius, a man “full of excesses, contradictions, paradoxes, weaknesses…. Discovering Hugo leads one to know humanity with all that that encompasses of the infinitely small and the infinitely great.” With Alain Lecompte, you'll discover a captivating artist with a warm voice, a talented pianist and a remarkable songwriter. Indulge yourself in his creative vision, deep with humanity, humor and genuine feeling.

For more information, contact Marva Barnett (marva@virginia.edu; 982-2815) or Christine Zunz (cmz9m@virginia.edu; 434-924-8873).