A summer's evening concert....

A couple of weeks back our dear friends Chris and Mary passed on a message to us from Anne-Marie, who with her husband Georges.lives opposite to them in Varanges. The message was would we like to buy tickets for the end of year concert of Cant'Aze. Cant'Aze is a local group of mixed voices numbering over 50 who get together to sing. Now I've heard a lot of amateur choirs on my life time so I wondered what we were in for...
The tickets were duly purchased and on Friday evening we made our way to the parish church in Aze. We parked and joined others making their way into the church. We managed to get seats at the back - but only just....the church was packed out!

Cant'Aze  - we welcome you with great pleasure for our end of year spectacular, and are happy to share with you in a enjoyable musical moment!

Everyone was pleased to come into the cool of the church which was well looked after and simply furnished. We knew we were in for something very different when we saw the bank of lighting and the console controlling them behind us. Soon all the performers entered, dressed in white with a splash of reddy orange scarves.

The audience quietened and the conductor raised her arms and the choir broke into a most exhilarating rendition of "Life is a cabaret"   - but all in French. They were full of life and vitality and I realised that even from my point of view here was a choir who sang extremely well.

The programme moved on at speed, with interjections from 2 commentators.

Sadly we could not glean much from the commentators because our French is so basic but it was an unusual way to link the concert items.

There was no interval - but we were invited to open a little envelope inside the programme where we found a sweet to give us a little refreshment half way through!

We were also invited to join in with one of the items - clearly a popular one judging by the enthusiastic audience around us! If there are any French speakers out there (and I know there are!) here are the words we joined in with.

Unfortunately I cannot turn the words around so here they are the right way round!

Que reste-t-il de nos amours

Que reste-t-il de ces beaux jours

Une photo, vielle photo

De ma jeunesse

Ques reste-t-il-des billets doux

Des mois d'avril, des rendez-vous

Un souvenir qui me poursuit

Sans cesse

Bonheurs fanes

Cheveux au vent

Basiers voles

Reves mouvants

Que rest-t-il. de tout cela

Dites le moi

Un p'tit village

Un vieux clocher

Un paysages

Si bien chache,

Et dans unnuage

Le cher visage

De mon passe

As we stepped out into the cool evening air ( it was after 10:15) we were invited to supper in the Salle des Fetes but being tired we decided to head for home - a  lovely evening, with well presented music  - thank you Cant Aze, we'll come again!!!