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Mich en Scene.
 In
my humble opinion, Belgium has two great exports - Stella Artois
and the music of Jacques Brel. For those who identify with the
often-dark worlds of Leonard Cohen, Kurt Weill and even Nick
Cave, the songs of Brel hold many wonders. Perhaps best known
for songs like Ne Me Quitte Pas (If You Go Away)
and Le Moribond (Seasons In The Sun), Brel has
had many fine interpreters - from Sinatra, Nina Simone and Bassey
to David Bowie, Scott Walker and Dusty Springfield.
Brel has been dead for 26 years and yet still the beacon burns brightly, no doubt due, in part to the rave performances overseas by the Belgian quartet Mich en Scene. I spoke with vocalist Micheline Van Houten from New York about this phenomenon.
"I am amazed at how many people know of Brel - and outside of the French speaking countries," she admits. "Wherever I am performing - New York, Edinburgh and Australia - his songs really make a big impression. Some of his songs have been very well translated into English too and some know them from the Broadway show 'Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well And Living In Paris'.
"A lot of people in Edinburgh, Scotland just adore his songs. We're going back in August," she enthuses. Mich en Scene garnered great reviews at last year's Edinburgh Festival, and Micheline is often amazed at how well known and received Brel's songs are.
"People know The Impossible Dream from 'The Man Of La
Mancha' [which Brel translated into French and starred in]...
then you have the translation of Le Moribond.. Even songs
that are not too well known, people sing along to. And in Holland
where we perform a lot - a lot of translations have been done.
I draw a pretty good crowd and we've sold 10,000 CDs in Belgium
alone."
Like Cohen and Cave, Brel does have a rather specialised audience: his songs are often brutally honest, "like a corkscrew" to the heart. Passionate. Desperate. Laconic. Sarcastic. But Edinburgh loved them.
"In Edinburgh we had wonderful reviews from those who absolutely love Brel and those are the ones who will come to the show. The show is called 'Songs Of Jacques Brel', so those who don't like him won't come. But those who do, absolutely go for it. So I guess the forewarning works to our advantage," she laughs.
"The show has grown very much over the years and bit by bit the songs have become part of myself. My maternal language is Flemish. I've studied them and Brel has actually taught me a lot of French. I mean I speak French but he is a poet... When we decide to do a new song, it's only after time that I discover all the layers. You know the French language is so suited to intrigues, and the plays on words. I tell the audiences that they need to understand French to fully appreciate the depth to Brel's songs."
Brett Allen-Bayes
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Mich en Scene perform as part of the Cabaret Festival, from 11 to 17 June in the Space Theatre.
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