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"Like Jacques Brel, the artist known simply as Barbara was a connoisseur of melancholy. Yet this celebration marking the 20th anniversary of her death is anything but dirge-like. The classical pianist Alexandre Tharaud assembles a superb cast, from Vanessa Paradis to Rokia Traoré and Juliette Binoche, while the chamber settings - including a disc of instrumentals - are rich in subtle autumnal shades. A triumph." - The Sunday Times For this double album, pianist Alexandre Tharaud invited a spectacular array of guest performers to join him in paying tribute to the singer-songwriter Barbara, who died 20 years ago, in November 1997. She shares a place of honour in French song with two other ‘B’s’, Jacques Brel and Georges Brassens. Among the featured artists are three world-famous actress-singers Juliette Binoche, Vanessa Paradis and Jane Birkin. It is 20 years since Barbara died, aged 67, on November 24th 1997. Alexandre Tharaud’s idea for this album dates back to the day of her funeral. He, like many other fans, went to the cemetery in Bagneux on the outskirts of Paris. After the crowds and TV cameras had departed, a group of devotees remained at her grave and joined in an impromptu rendition of her songs. “I realised then that Barbara would live on through our voices,” says Tharaud. “I was young, but the recording studio was already central to my life. That morning, at Bagneux Cemetery, I vowed to make an album dedicated entirely to the music of Barbara. I needed time, and singers … The guests on this album are not those anonymous mourners, but dear friends I have invited to lend their own unique voices to this tribute.”