Count me in as a fan of this performance artist whose vocal range equals her range in acting.
Saw a video years ago when she performed onstage the songs she did in her CITY OF STRANGERS albu,m. She was, what, 9-months pregnant and her dynamism and dedication to performance easily eclipsed those with more "able" bodies. I have almost all of her albums ever since I bought CITY OF STRANGERS in 1996. She can inhabit Piaf, Dietrich and a range of woman roles known to the world. There is nothing this woman cannot do. She is up there in my books. And her singing style is also a category in itself. She usually starts slow to give you a glimpse of the songs' innate beauty then spiral into a crescendo that is part theatre, part Diamanda Galas and then bring you to the song's meanings subtly without you nowing why you understand the song even if its sung in a dead language. That's why I am excited to listen to her Joni songs. I always pictured her singing BLue Motel Room, but I can imagine how she can inhabit the other songs. Joseph in Manila (getting scared of the public announcements in the radio about SARS but quite amused when a CDC doctor said: "forget the scud missiles and smart bombs in Iraq, when a SARS victim coughs, we are all dead!") > > I totally agree, Rob.Ute Lemper is absoutley amazing. I've seen her > twice already, once in Madrid, and once, just recently in Barcelona, > where she played with a chamber orquestra backing her with the most > amazing arrangements on Piaf, Weill, Nick Cage, and Jaques Brel songs. > Her "Ne me quittes pas" with the orquestra brought tears to eyes. And > the venue (The Palau de la Musica) was outstanding, ... the acoustics. > > Lemper is a star. I would have loved to have seen her in the West End > "Chicago" musical, where she played Velma Kelly (I think it was Velma > she played) for 2 years. I caught that London stage musical, but she had > left the cast by then. Not just to see and hear her perform, but to > catch those legs without an evening gown on. They go all the way up to > her neck...! > > Peace > > gill (in Madrid)
