Lorena Stipani transports us to another time and place with her beautiful performance of Edith Piaf's classics.
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles episode 82
Guest: Lorena Stipani
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Lorena Stipani is a soprano I saw perform at the wonderful Entrecôte restaurant in Prahran, Melbourne in her Edith Piaf show this year. I was blown away by her amazing talent.
Lorena has studied her craft in Europe and was living overseas for many years. She has now returned to Australia and found that during the pandemic she was able to dive head-first into her work, writing her new show filled with the music of Edith Piaf and telling the story of her life.
I loved the intimate setting of Entrecôte as a venue for opera, with Lorena’s show being the first soirée in the new premises. What with the food, the wine, the atmosphere, the cabaret, the décor… I could have been in Paris in a cafe decorated from the belle epoch!
Lorena conveys such intense feeling and emotion when singing about Piaf. She says she feels such a connection to Edith. She loves Edith’s passion… she loves her vulnerability… and has to take care not to let that emotion overcome her when she’s singing. In her show she tells the story of Edith’s life and us as the audience are taken on such a wonderful, powerful journey. By the end of the performance I saw, there was almost no dry eye in the house!
More generally with chanson française from “the Golden Age”, from the 1920s through to post-WW2, Lorena says the lyrics are so poetic, that even reciting without the music accompanying, something is stirred within.
Lorena has a connection to all things French, especially being married to a Frenchman! They have the French culture being a part of their daily lives. I loved Lorena’s story of the grand celebration for the fête nationale at their place! Loads of French food, wine and costumes!
Recette
Lorena enjoys French cooking and makes a Boeuf Bourguignon from the recipe by renowned French chef Philippe Mouchel, owner of the prestigious Philippe restaurant in Melbourne.
Philippe Mouchel’s Boeuf Bourguignon
This recipe is also in cookbook: More than French – Recipes and Stories by Philippe Mouchel
Musique
Lorena has on her YouTube channel a clip of her performance at Entrecôte in August 2022.
Edith Piaf’s – Je ne regrette rien
Lorena also recommends Josephine Baker – J’ai deux amours
Upcoming show
Le Bar Supper Club – Beaumaris, Melbourne
Date: Thursday 24th November 2022
Édith Piaf – Songs of Love, Loss and Resilience:
This cabaret show is a celebration of the music of the legendary Édith Piaf from the Golden Age of La Chanson Française. Chanteuse Lorena Stipani and her pianist’s interpretation of the songs of La Môme Piaf will transport you to the streets of Paris and take you on a memorable journey of song and storytelling. Vocally powerful and abundant in emotional depth, a hallmark of the genre, this show will tug at the heart and have you singing along to each ‘Padam Padam’!
