1. 11. Patricia kaas

Read the text and find out why the singer is loved by many people

Patricia Kaas has been the most popular singer of French pop chanson since the 1980s. Half German and half French, she has an unusually deep timbered voice. Her fame in Russia has been almost incredible:

Kaas was adored in this country since her very first visit and until now many say that her French is no obstacle for interpreting the true meaning of her love songs which sneak deep into the corners of your heart. Moreover, her popularity in Europe is high too, in spite of the fact that in the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s it was quite hard to hear singing in any other language but English.

She is today the most successful French artist known abroad, the proud descendant of Edith Piaf, Jacques Brel, Yves Montand and Charles Aznavour. She adopted a style of realist song that perfectly suited her warm voice. Continuous success, 15 million in album sales and over 800 concerts worldwide have guaranteed Kaas an established position on the international music scene. Her songs are all about emotions and heart strings, and surprisingly not too sweet, so that men love the songs too.

Exercise

Find the correct ending:

1. Patricia Kaas is the most popular singer of a) French pop chanson;

b) English pop chanson;

c) German pop chanson;

2. Her popularity in Europe is a) low;

b) medium;

c) high ;

3. Men a) love her songs too;

b) hate her songs;

c) don’t care.

1. 12. My favourite ballet

Read the text and find out why the performance impressed the author.

"Giselle" is my favourite ballet. It is an old ballet about a peasant girl who is in love

with a nobleman in disguise. She finds out that he is betrothed to someone else and goes mad with grief and dies. That is Act One. In Act Two her spirit rises from the grave to join the mysterious Wilis, the ghosts of girls who died before their wedding days. The Queen of the Wilis tries to take revenge on the young nobleman and makes him dance with them until he dies; but Giselle manages to save him. That is the story. The music is old-fashioned, but it was written specially for the ballet and so fits perfectly all the scenes and dances. The costumes and scenery are fairly traditional - the girls wear long beautiful dresses, and the men wear tights and tunics. It always has a very charming effect - but when two superb artists dance in it, it is very much more than charming. The modest, lovely peasant girl lives in a cottage with her mother and picks grapes with her friends and leads them in dances; the young count runs away from the oppressive life of the court dressed in simple clothes. He falls in love with an unspoilt girl although he is betrothed to a princess. When the princess and her father come to the village, they recognize the count, and tell Giselle the truth. Giselle goes mad. There is not a sound in the audience while pitifully she tries to dance and remembers with horror that Albrecht has deceived her. Every expression, every moment, every gesture of the ballerina goes straight to our hearts so that we can share with her in moment of the tragedy. The performances of the ballet dancers in "Giselle" are superb.

Exercise

Answer the questions:

1. What is the libretto of the ballet about?

2. What were the costumes and scenery like?

3. What was especially charming?

4. Why did Giselle go mad?

5. What was the audience’s reaction ?