RIP Michel Legrand

[vandermolen]

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jan/26/michel-legrand-oscar-winning-composer-dies-aged-86

For me I will recall him as the composer of a wonderful score for 'Wuthering Heights' (Tim Dalton, Anna Calder Marshall) and as the conductor of my favourite version of Durufle's Requiem.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kFGE032vS5w

[André]

And to moviegoers, the composer of Jacques Demy's Les Parapluies de Cherbourg, Les Demoiselles de Rochefort, Peau d'âne, all with a young Catherine Deneuve. And of course Windmills of my Heart, from The Thomas Crown Affair.


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Rq0yhizu0y8

[vandermolen]

And to moviegoers, the composer of Jacques Demy's Les Parapluies de Cherbourg, Les Demoiselles de Rochefort, Peau d'âne, all with a young Catherine Deneuve. And of course Windmills of my Heart, from The Thomas Crown Affair.


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Rq0yhizu0y8

Oh most definitely Andre! I always enjoyed Les Paraluies de Cherbourg and the music for 'The Go-Between'.

[king ubu]

Indeed, Legrand/Demy were an amazing combination. Got to play some of the film music ... love "The Go-Between" as well, but haven't seen it for years, can't say I remember anything about the music.

"Le Grand Jazz" (Fontana, Philips, whatever/wherever) is a classic jazz record, with Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans and other outstanding soloists.
Legrand was a fine pianist as well ... "Live at Shelly's Manne-Hole" from 1968 with Ray Brown and Manne or "After the Rain" from 1982 with a fine band including Joe Wilder, Zoot Sims, Ron Carter, Phil Woods and a few others are both easily recommended ... I also very much enjoyed his recent album up with Natalie Dessay, revisiting some of his most famous songs. It includes a few duets, one with Patricia Petibon ("Chanson des Jumelles"), one with hubby Laurent Naouri, and then a wonderful one with Legrand singing along in the French version of "Windmills of Your Mind" (before hearing the album I was unaware that this was Legrand's melody).

[André]

Just to avoid confusion:

Legrand's famous song is titled Les moulins de mon coeur in French and Windmills of Your Mind in English. The original, composed for the film The Thomas Crown Affair is the english version. Legrand sings it in a french version (on youtube), which has been widely reprised by french singers.

Windmills of Your Mind won the oscar for best song in 1969.

[pjme]

My little hommage to Legrand consisted of a miniature & sentimental amuse - gueule:

https://www.youtube.com/v/XKVoNgcavWQ

4 minutes is even for a "concertino" all too short, but Laval, Verrot and the Monte Carlo Phil. give it glitter & glam.

I loved Richard Lester's "The three musketeers" when it came out in 1974, and I still do. Legrand mixes recorders, a bagpipe and other period instruments with a large orchestra, steels some Verdi (Aida / act2), tosses in some very busy music for the action scenes (Milhaud/Honegger), a sweet love theme or two  and plenty of pounding brass and percussion to top it all off.

https://www.youtube.com/v/oGaLoyaMlc8
https://www.youtube.com/v/IEix8HMWRc0

[vandermolen]

My little hommage to Legrand consisted of a miniature & sentimental amuse - gueule:

https://www.youtube.com/v/XKVoNgcavWQ

4 minutes is even for a "concertino" all too short, but Laval, Verrot and the Monte Carlo Phil. give it glitter & glam.

I loved Richard Lester's "The three musketeers" when it came out in 1974, and I still do. Legrand mixes recorders, a bagpipe and other period instruments with a large orchestra, steels some Verdi (Aida / act2), tosses in some very busy music for the action scenes (Milhaud/Honegger), a sweet love theme or two  and plenty of pounding brass and percussion to top it all off.

https://www.youtube.com/v/oGaLoyaMlc8
https://www.youtube.com/v/IEix8HMWRc0

Wonderful! Thank you for posting these lovely tributes to ML.