Notre Dame de Paris (musical)

“Music speaks what cannot be expressed, soothes the mind and gives it rest, heals the heart and makes it whole, flows from heaven to the soul.”~Santiz

Notre Dame de Paris (musical)
Wikipedia

Notre Dame de Paris is a French-Canadian musical which debuted on 16 September 1998 in Paris. It is based upon the novel Notre Dame de Paris by the French novelist Victor Hugo. The music was composed by Richard Cocciante and the lyrics are by Luc Plamondon.

Since its debut, it has played in many towns and cities across France, Belgium, Switzerland and Canada. It has also been translated into Italian, Russian, Catalan and an amateur production in Belarusian.

Intrigue
“Notre Dame de Paris”, according to the Guinness Book of Records, had the most successful first year of any musical ever.

The musical takes from the book mainly the love and tragedy that befalls the intriguing Esmeralda and the repression that the guards impose on the "cour des miracles."

A scene from the musical
When Quasimodo is put to the wheel for attacking Esmeralda, Frollo joins in the general condemnation, but Esmeralda gives Quasimodo a drink of water when he begs for it, and he invites her to take refuge in the cathedral whenever she wants. Having her within reach drives Frollo wild with lust, and he follows Phœbus to his rendez-vous with Esmeralda, where he stabs Phoebus with Esmeralda's knife, leaving him for dead and her to be accused of the crime. Phœbus, meanwhile, has returned to his fiancée Fleur-de-Lys without a backward glance.

The entire musical is fabulous!
It was difficult to pick a favorite song from the musical to post.
I chose Belle.

The video is a song from the musical Notre-Dame de Paris
entitled Belle or “Beauty”.
Garou, Daniel Lavoie, and Patrick Fiori singing Belle in costume.
English words are posted on the video.




Garou
Wikipedia

Pierre Garand, better known as Garou, is a Quebec singer born on June 26, 1972 in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.

Profile
Discovered by Luc Plamondon singing American blues tunes in small Sherbrooke bars, he was drafted by Plamondon to play the role of Quasimodo in his musical Notre-Dame de Paris, making him a star. After the musical, he managed to launch a successful international pop music career in Quebec, France, and many other European countries. His looks and hoarse voice, as well as the virility that he combines with a boyish niceness, brought many to see him as a major modern day sex symbol.


Daniel Lavoie
Wikipedia

Daniel Lavoie (born March 17, 1949) is a French-Canadian singer and songwriter.

Born in Dunrea, Manitoba, Canada, his mother was a musician and he learned to play piano at a young age. In 1967, Lavoie won a singer-songwriter competition for the Société Radio-Canada French language television program, Jeunesse oblige which gave him his first major publicity.

The young franco-manitoban played and sang in English and French with two different groups but his singing career began to blossom following a 1970 tour in the province of Quebec. Within a few years he was equally as popular in France as he was in Canada, headlining at Bobino and the Olympia in Paris. His album Nirvana bleu (recorded in 1979) was one of his bestsellers ever.

Daniel Lavoie starred in the highly successful musical play, Notre-Dame de Paris, in which he played the part of Frollo. He has written music for motion pictures including the Ludovic series of animated short films.


Patrick Fiori
Wikipedia

Patrick Fiori (23 September 1969-) is a French singer.

Fiori was born to an Armenian father (Jacques Chouchayan) and a Corsican mother (Marie Antoinette Fiori) in Marseille, France. When he was only 12 years old, he was offered his first role in the musical La légende des santonniers. At the age of 16, he recorded his first single, entitled Stéphanie. In 1993, Patrick came fourth place in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Mama Corsica. The following year, his first album was released, entitled Puisque c'est l'heure. However, it wasn't until 1997 that Patrick's career really began to take off. His successful audition for the incredible musical Notre Dame de Paris enabled him to take on the role of the Captain, 'Phoebus'. The following year, Patrick signed a contract with Sony and recorded his 3rd album Prends Moi (Take me). Patrick finally decided to end his role in Notre Dame de Paris in the year 2000 in order to dedicate more time to his fourth album, Chrysalide. Two years after, his fifth album was released and most recently, the album Si on chantait plus fort in 2005.

Garou, Daniel Lavoie, and Patrick Fiori singing Belle live out of costume.



"Quasimodo (Garou)"

Belle
C'est un mot qu'on dirait inventé pour elle
Quand elle danse et qu'elle met son corps à jour, tel
Un oiseau qui étend ses ailes pour s'envoler
Alors je sens l'enfer s'ouvrir sous mes pieds

J'ai posé mes yeux sous sa robe de gitane
À quoi me sert encore de prier Notre-Dame
Quel
Est celui qui lui jettera la première pierre
Celui-là ne mérite pas d'être sur terre

Ô Lucifer !
Oh ! Laisse-moi rien qu'une fois
Glisser mes doigts dans les cheveux d'Esmeralda

"Frollo (Daniel Lavoie)"

Belle
Est-ce le diable qui s'est incarné en elle
Pour détourner mes yeux du Dieu éternel
Qui a mis dans mon être ce désir charnel
Pour m'empêcher de regarder vers le Ciel

Elle porte en elle le péché originel
La désirer fait-il de moi un criminel
Celle
Qu'on prenait pour une fille de joie une fille de rien
Semble soudain porter la croix du genre humain

Ô Notre-Dame!
Oh ! Laisse-moi rien qu'une fois
Pousser la porte du jardin d'Esmeralda

"Phoebus (Patrick Fiori)"

Belle
Malgré ses grands yeux noirs qui vous ensorcellent
La demoiselle serait-elle encore pucelle ?
Quand ses mouvements me font voir monts et merveilles
Sous son jupon aux couleurs de l'arc-en-ciel

Ma dulcinée laissez-moi vous êtes infidèle
Avant de vous avoir menée jusqu'à l'autel
Quel
Est l'homme qui détournerait son regard d'elle
Sous peine d'être changé en statue de sel

Ô Fleur-de-Lys,
Je ne suis pas homme de foi
J'irai cueillir la fleur d'amour d'Esmeralda

"Quasimodo, Frollo, Phoebus"

J'ai posé mes yeux sous sa robe de gitane
À quoi me sert encore de prier Notre-Dame
Quel
Est celui qui lui jettera la première pierre
Celui-là ne mérite pas d'être sur terre

Ô Lucifer !
Oh ! Laisse-moi rien qu'une fois
Glisser mes doigts dans les cheveux d'Esmeralda

Esmeralda.