60 years of love | Mireille Mathieu’s big dose of love

Mireille Mathieu, who had not set foot in Montreal for 35 years, was welcomed this weekend with as much love as she had to give, which was to say a lot. And to all the people who are wondering: at 77 years old, she still amazes with the power of her voice, her breath and her accuracy.

The French singer gave the first of two shows on Saturday at the Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier at Place des Arts — she will perform later this week in Quebec and Sherbrooke. A packed room for the rare visitor, who did not hesitate to show her admiration and attachment: Mireille Mathieu received an incalculable number of bouquets of flowers during the evening, and just as many spontaneous ovations. Surrounded by three choristers and eleven musicians, she responded with the generosity of the greats, in an elegant show with no downtime.

The great lady of French song arrived slowly on stage in a golden dress, first singing When night comes to the cityThen Made in France. In this song, the performer from Avignon talks about his preference for his country and “the song made in France”: this is precisely what we find in this show, a certain idea of ​​France, classic and a a little outdated, but charming.

This new tour by Mireille Mathieu is entitled 60 years of love, and that’s certainly the main theme of just about every song — shared love, fleeting love, heartbreak, love of others, and even love of god. A body of work like no other, from which a certain naivety emerges — Why is the world without love, sang Mireille Mathieu in 1971, a cry from the heart which, heard today, sounds very candid. And we admit that it arouses a certain nostalgia for this era of which she was a muse.

“I am delighted and emotional to be in Montreal. You haven’t changed! You gave me your heart, and I give you mine,” said the singer at the start of the evening. She will then barely speak during this show where she performs no less than 27 pieces from her repertoire, drawn from decades of success.

Clearly in good shape even if the approach is slow, Mireille Mathieu barely stops to take a sip of water. She rarely stays still while singing, sketching small side steps, the theatrical gesture, still completely assuming her role as a variety artist who impresses, with a large orchestra and rich lighting. She even changes her dress twice — she’ll go from gold to silver to black.

And of course it also fills the ears. From the fourth song, All the children sing with mefollowed by The first startwo of his absolute hits, we understood that the evening would be exceptional: the repertoire, eternal, and the voice, exceptional, were there.

We must admit, we had fears about the voice of Mireille Mathieu. Age, sometimes, plays bad tricks on performers. In her case, her years of work, coupled with an extraordinary vocal organ, put her in a class of her own. Her particular timbre is intact, and she can still push the note very high (and hold it) in a spectacular way, without sounding like she’s trying.

His interpretation of The Hymn to Love by Piaf, in the first part, is astonishing. From the beginning of her career, Mathieu established herself as its worthy heir, so this is probably the closest we will ever hear in our lives to the way Piaf sang. So much so that it’s moving, and when she keeps her final note for long seconds, we can only salute the exceptional breath, the sense of spectacle, and the gift of self that we feel permeating throughout the room .

Mastery

Mireille Mathieu ends the first part on Give your heart, give your lifewhich we hum throughout the intermission — “ Give your heart, give your life, and you will know the joy of loving » — and returns in the second part with My credohis first success dating from 1966, which sums up the theme of the evening well: “ Yes I believe, that a life begins with a word of love. »

Then the big hits arrive to the great pleasure of the public, Santa Maria of the sea, Why the world is without love, Acropolis farewell — of which she makes the finale sing —, Forgive me for this childish whim… It’s quite a journey through time offered by the lady who has always sported the same haircut, and who rolls her r’s in such a delicious way — we would have been disappointed otherwise!

The evening goes by like this, and the performer is always in total control of her voice: when she sings One last word of loveaccompanied only by piano and cello, we can see how she is not only powerful, but also subtle and capable of lots of nuances.

His second cover of Piaf, No, I do not regret anything, is another strong moment that lifts the audience. Just like when a spectator came to give him a Canadian flag and a French flag… “Long live Canada, long live France… and long live Quebec!” ”, she said in her youthful voice, brandishing them, creating a real explosion of joy.

After moving us with Most beautiful mom in the worldwhich she sings with photos of her mother scrolling on a screen, Mireille Mathieu ends the evening with her cover of Abba, well done you won (The Winner Takes it All), another vocal feat that deserves respect.

When the curtain came down, it was clear to the majority of the audience that we had just experienced a unique and precious moment. An exceptional encounter which brought together the present and the past, with a warm and generous artist who ends each song with arms wide open, in a gesture of sharing, generosity and welcome. It was good to curl up there and forget this loveless world, for a moment of an evening.

Read “The happy return of Mireille Mathieu”