Alexandre Tharaud - Hommage A Barbara

Two CD set. For this double album, pianist Alexandre Tharaud invited a spectacular array of guest performers to join him in paying tribute to the singer/songwriter Barbara, who died 20 years ago, in November 1997. She shares a place of honor in French song with two other 'B's', Jacques Brel and Georges Brassens. Among the featured artists are three world-famous actress-singers Juliette Binoche, Vanessa Paradis and Jane Birkin. Alexandre Tharaud's idea for this album dates back to the day of her funeral. He, like many other fans, went to the cemetery in Bagneux on the outskirts of Paris. After the crowds and TV cameras had departed, a group of devotees remained at her grave and joined in an impromptu rendition of her songs. "I realized then that Barbara would live on through our voices," says Tharaud. "I was young, but the recording studio was already central to my life. That morning, at Bagneux Cemetery, I vowed to make an album dedicated entirely to the music of Barbara. The guests on this album are not those anonymous mourners, but dear friends I have invited to lend their own unique voices to this tribute."