EDITH PIAF-a Tribute Concert

Actress singer Maria Elena Infantino stars in this tribute honoring the extraordinary life and music of the legendary French singer Edith Piaf. She will take us on an emotional journey through the highlights of her unconventional life filled with poverty, tragedy, success and love. It is a celebration of her truly artistic legacy in recognition of the 50th anniversary of her death. Expect to hear Piaf's most popular songs:  (La Vie En Rose, Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien, Padam) performed with passion. Accompanied by the brilliant pianist Georgi Slavchev (www.georgislavchev.com)

Why Édith Piaf , the show in America?
 
Édith Piaf’s life was rough like a stormy sea and unbelievable like a fairy tale, so amazing that it could not have been even a result of the most ornate fiction. From the extreme destitution of the street to the splendid concert halls, from steep downfall to soaring flight, from utmost despair to festive jubilation, destiny did not spare a thing from the petite daughter of Paris. Édith passed through the darkest labyrinths of life to reach the brightest light, managing to preserve the pureness of her soul, remaining a fierce fighter to the very end. Over the course of her brilliant career she recorded hundreds of songs and performed live before countless people. A recent search on Amazon listed more than 1,000 Édith Piaf related items. Why is she still so popular, so relevant almost hundred years after her birth?  Her songs were ballads of love and separation, yearning for happiness, sometimes optimistic, often reflecting her own life. She sang them quite convincingly, in a theatrical, dramatic fashion. Every word was uniquely phrased and emotionally charged. She could talk, simply but truthfully, hitting the audience right in the heart. That is why Piaf was so liked in the United States as well. Despite the language barrier, despite her simple shows and modest outfits she toured this country ten times, for up to eleven months at a time. Her songs, although melodically different, have been called the French equivalent of the blues - lyrics about hardship, loss, heartbreak, regret, melancholy followed by hope. The Americans could sense her nature of a strong, brave woman who never gives up. After all, this country was, and still is made of people who never give up.
 
Many of Piaf’s hits became timeless evergreens, such as Life In Rosy Hues (La vie en rose), Milord, A Hymn to Love (Hymne à l'amour) and No Regrets (Non, je ne regrette de rien),considered by the singer to be her artistic will and embraced by the French Foreign Legion. Those songs have been covered hundreds of times by other singers and instrumentalists or used in film, theatre and TV. An unforgettable version of Les Feuilles Mortes (Autumn Leaves), both in English and in French was presented by Piaf on Christmas Eve 1950 on the Big Show hosted by Tallulah Bankhead.
 
Maria Elena Infantino grew up under strong French influence while attending the school  Lycée Chateaubriand de Rome, where she took French as a second language beginning at age 8. During his long career, her father Luigi Infantino crossed paths with Piaf on a number of occasions in post-war Europe, performing at the same venues as her. Motivated by her love of Piaf’s enduring artistic legacy, Maria Elena appeared in Édith Piaf  in Rome last year where the show had a successful run. Now, she is bringing it to America, debuting in Los Angeles.
 
Édith Piaf , the show has a  place in the honorary lineup of events taking place around the globe leading to the 50^th anniversary of Édith Piaf’s death on October 11^th , 2013. Last year the US Postal Service  along  with the French La Poste released  stamps commemorating Édith Piaf and Miles Davis, two musicians popular and beloved in both countries. On June 12th Maria Elena was chosen to perform some of the most popular Piaf songs at the First Day of Issue Ceremony at the Rubin Museum o in New York City.