Credit: Chronicle.lu
On Thursday 20 October 2022, chanteuse Adrienne Haan performed a French Cabaret night at the Purple Lounge in Casino2000 in Mondorf-les-Bains.
The tribute to French chanson featured her being accompanied by Benjamin Schaefer - winner of several jazz awards - on grand piano: their resulting collaboration delivered on its promise to be emotional, seductive and hugely entertaining.
It was a homage to the French song with interpretations of Edith Piaf, Charles Aznavour and Jacques Brel, as well as songs by French exiles Walter Jurmann and Kurt Weill, and also more modern jazz-pop songs by Patricia Kaas and the Canadian Isabelle Boulay.
There was a full house of over 100 people in the intimate venue, with all tables having plenty of space around them, allaying any fears one may have had regarding crowds in an indoor venue post-COVID; yes, quite a few were still wearing masks.
The 80-minute show had a packed repertoire, starting off with the more classical “Welcome to the cabaret” (in French, of course) evolving to more modern favourites and concluding with a rousing "Non, je ne regrette rien" made famous by Edith Piaf.
Adrienne Haan donned a short, black dress dotted with sequins which sparkled in the stage lighting. She displayed her whole range of vocals, frequently changing tempo, and engaging with the audience. In between her songs, she recounted visiting her paternal grandparents in Luxembourg when she was young, listening attentively to their music and developing her love of music and song from them. She spoke equally in French and in Luxembourgish and engaged with the audience as if she was having a one-to-one conversation. Her performance was fiery and passionate, singing from the heart and entertaining everyone present.
Many attending the concert at 21:00 availed of the Purple Lounge's excellent bistro menu for dinner beforehand. Christian Arend from the venue explained that they regularly change some items on the menu, with their new menu scheduled to be revealed in a couple of weeks' time.
Adrienne Haan hails from Luxembourg/Germany and currently is based in New York City. She performs all over the world with a varied repertoire: music from the 1920s and 1930s, and also French chanson, jazz, blues, klezmer and even Broadway classics, as well as Hebrew and other international songs.
She is next performing in Luxembourg on 9 November (Kurt Weill Soiree @ the theatre in Esch-sur-Alzette), 12 November (Between Fire & Ice @ the Cercle Cité for the Luxembourg Zonta Club multiculturelle) and on 13 November (Swing-Jazz Matinee @ the Abbaye de Neumünster in Luxembourg-Grund) - see https://chronicle.lu/category/jazz-blues/42218-adrienne-haan-to-perform-4-shows-in-luxembourg for details.
