Joe Dessins, American Singer in Paris, Triumphs and Tribulations
Claude Lemesle, lyricist of fifteen hundred performed songs, was present when Jo Deschamps fell to his death. Each of them...
On Georges Bressanone, the Outsider and the Troubadour
I love Georges Bressan, the French chansonnier, the non-conformist, the outsider, and I chose to perform a performance of his songs because he is real, because he is a person...
Diving into the musical world of Jane Birkin
Jane, Merci d'être née, vous êtes un fragment de nos vies, votre voix résonne dans mon salon comme un moment...
The Sun King: A (free) lecture on music from the court of Louis XIV
Presenter: Shlomi KeinanSpecial guest: Zvi Hazanov (Francophiles Anonymous). In July 2023 I had the pleasure of being a guest at Shlomi Keinan's lecture on the Baroque...
Stormy, disturbing, disturbed loves in French poems
Musician Andrey Manukyan revealed in the episode “Dangerous Liaisons,” from a television show that reveals the secrets of songs, the surprising, disturbing, outrageous stories...
The story of the song Je m'voyais déjà that launched Charles Aznavour's career
By Avi Cohen
Charles Aznavour worked very hard to become a famous chanson singer and experienced quite a few setbacks along the way. Avi Cohen tells us...
French Chansons About Love and Relationships (Not What You Thought)
Just before Operation Wall Guardian, I had the opportunity to be a guest on “Radio Sol” on Ruthie Marcus’s show, which deals with songs and the stories behind them. For the sake of the show...
Chansons from the 60,70s, 80s and XNUMXs translated into Hebrew by Nechama Krems
The French chansons from the 60s, 70s, and 80s of the last century were the romantic soundtrack of the entire age group that was in its youth...
Contemporary French poems translated into Hebrew by Nechama Krems
Love contemporary French music but don't understand the lyrics? Nechama Krems has taken up the gauntlet and translated some of the most famous French songs...
Edith Piaf: A conversation with Dr. Aviv Amit about her life and work
Aviv Amit is interviewed for the program "Hero of Culture" and talks about Edith Piaf and her songs. Below you can listen to the songs mentioned in the interview and also the versions...
Pierre Beauchamp – The Man Who Saved Louis XIV's Wedding Celebration by Yaron Margolin
The name Pierre Beauchamp may not mean anything to you, but he is the man who essentially invented classical ballet. In this article, you will learn about...
Françoise Ardi – A New Face of Loneliness
Françoise Ardi became one of the most successful singers of the sixties and managed to maintain her career despite the passing years and changing fashions.
Mike Brant – Did he commit suicide or was he murdered?
I want to talk about a friend of mine, who if he were alive would be celebrating his 73rd birthday these days, and then in today's reality...
A musical journey following the great French singers of the sixties
During the 1960s, some of France's most famous and best female singers were active. In this program, you will hear some of their most famous songs and even...
Juliette Greco – Saint-Germain's Muse
Juliette Greco is one of the most important chanson singers of the 20th century. Gaia Follet brings us her story and of course the songs...
A musical journey following French electronic music
What do you know about the French electronic music scene? You are invited to join us on a fascinating musical journey and discover electronic music from the days of Serge...
How was the song “The Lady in the Heat” born?
The song “The Lady in the Heat” is one of the most famous chansons ever written. It is known in Israel not only for its original performance by Barbara and Georges...
French music for the days of Corona
Three Francophiles, two of them from Paris and one from Israel, met via Zoom to talk about French music (and of course listen to it)....
France-Spain: A love story in times of war
Love is a wayward bird that no one can tame, and you can call it, but it will be in vain, because that is not its way of coming.
Giselle – The Exciting Ballet, a Mirror of the Romantic Era by Ronit Gruman
The ballet Giselle is considered one of the most successful ballets of the 19th century and has been part of the classical repertoire ever since. Ronit Gruman brings us...
The Rite of Spring – the ballet that became Paris' biggest scandal
This is the story of a mythological Parisian scandal, a scandal that erupted at the premiere of “The Rite of Spring,” a performance that took place at the Champs-Elysées Theater....
Charles Aznavour: The Singer with the Voice from the Bedroom – A Chapter from the Book “Things I Never Told”
The coronavirus pandemic is certainly not a pleasant and even depressing thing, but, as always, there is no bad without good. Take for example my friend...
Farewell to the singer Charles Aznavour (1924-2018) by Nachum Schwarzenberg
Charles Aznavour has passed away. News like this gives me a punch in the stomach, the kind that comes as a surprise. For me, he is the greatest of French singers. His music was played...
Serge Ginzburg – Hebrew translations of the most beautiful poems
Serge Gainsbourg was undoubtedly the most original and ingenious musical composer that France knew during the 20th century. His lyrics are important not only...
Interview with Jacques Berle
Jacques Berle came to Israel 3 times during his life to perform in front of the Israeli audience. Gil Kessary was privileged to interview him and bring...
Black Fate: The Story of Rock Singer Bertrand Cante
On July 27, 2003, in a hotel room in Vilnius, rock singer Bertrand Cante stabbed his partner, actress Marie Trintignant, to death. Seven years...
Tormented Love, Healing, and Redemption in French Poems
Unrequited love is a never-failing source of poetry. Painful breakups, which cause great suffering, can lead to extreme thoughts. In most of the poems, which the author...
A youth potion in a French cup, served by Charles Ternay, Herbert Pagani, Julien Keller, Etienne Daou and more
The purity of childhood, the happiness of adolescence, first loves and innocence, the lack of worry without thinking about tomorrow – the years of childhood and adolescence are a source...
Is this song French? It doesn't seem so... by Nofar Israel
This is the story of two French hits that most people don't even know are French... There are many French songs that are known all over the world,...
Making Peace with Enemies – The Story of Barbara’s Poem “Göttingen” by Gaia Follet
The French 'Peace Song' was sung in the 60s by a Jewish woman named Barbara, who called for forgiveness and empathy between two of the greatest and bitterest enemies of...
The Disappearance of the “Black Mozart” or the Story of the Knight of Saint-Georges by Avital Inbar
The knight Joseph de Saint-Georges was no less famous than his contemporary Mozart. So why did he disappear from the pages of history? Is it...
In Fire, Water and Beyond – Chansons for a Friend
Some of the most famous chansons are about courageous friendship. Dr. Orna Lieberman takes us on a musical journey through songs about friendship, companionship, and what...
Johnny Alliday: A Brief History of the French Rock Idol 1943-2017
Johnny Alliday, the revered rock star, “the French Elvis Presley,” died of lung cancer on December 6, the night between Tuesday and Wednesday, a year...
Edith Piaf and the men in her life (the most moving stories)
On January 23, 2018, the “Chanson Paris” show will be held in Tel Aviv. The following section deals with only one of the chansonniers whose songs will be sung in the show. Tickets for the show...
The love story of Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot
I want to tell you about a romantic, illusory relationship that was forged in Paris these days, exactly 50 years ago. How the most desirable woman, a sex symbol...
Michel Berger – Everything for the sake of music
Twenty-five years have passed since the untimely death of musician and songwriter Michel Berger, who revolutionized French singing. His melodies and lyrics...
On Chansons and Jacques Berle by Shmuel Shai
The French chanson is something from another world. It is an entire biographical world, pouring into song the full range of love and hate, loneliness and lust, anticipation...
Leo Marjean: French singer, music hall legend 2016 – 1912
Léo Marjane, the legendary singer in the heart of occupied Paris, sang "Bye Mir Bisto Shine", the beautiful Marjane, with the warm voice...
A musical journey following the French anthem – to the Marseilles and back
We all know the French anthem, La Marseillaise. However, over the past 400 years, France has changed quite a few anthems, most of which you may not be familiar with....
French Baroque Music That Will Make You Think Its Creators Have Gotten Mad
Although in recent years I have been drawn more and more into the magical world of chansons, surprisingly, it was French music that I first loved...
Delilah Forever – The Dramatic Life of the Singer Who Became a Legend
“It was enough to hear her once to desire her as a companion, hidden and present, for the hours of the day and the hours of the evening,” he wrote about...
Michel Delfèche, the troubadour who sang from the heart to the heart
The passing of singer Michel Delfèche (1946-2016) in January of this year saddened many French people, Francophones and Francophiles, and this post is dedicated to him. Michel Delfèche...
Between Paris and Tel Aviv – Alterman's Chansons by Sivan Kirchner
Hello everyone, my name is Sivan Kirchner, an actress and singer who has been acting for nine years, mainly in theater. Today I want to tell you about...
The Francophile is interviewed on the Nativ Walami program of Nativ Robinson on the B network.
A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Reshet B and offered to be the main guest on Nativ Robinson's program "Nativ Olami". I immediately agreed...
From Terror to Cabaret – Anarchism in Paris from the 19th Century to the Present
As I have written before, terrorism was invented in Paris and began as state terror during the French Revolution. However, from the philosophy that led to the French Revolution also emerged...
In His Own Way – On the Life and Death of Claude Francois by Noam Akutons
A few years ago, a survey was conducted in the US and Frank Sinatra's song My Way was chosen as the most popular song people requested to be played...
Interview on the “Muzes” program on “Kol Hashalom” radio
Sigal Galili chats with me for an hour about “Francophiles Anonymous,” Paris, French history, flavors and smells, places in Israel that remind us of Paris and Francophiles...
Chanson performance as a 90th birthday gift from Noam Okutons
So many months ago, someone tagged me on Facebook in a post looking for an artist to sing chansons in French for a private event. As I learned firsthand...
Patrick Mi? On the Nobel Prize and French Chanson
Many listened – especially here in Israel – when the name of the latest Nobel Prize winner for literature was announced. Patrick who? ? Who...
Barbara – The Lady with a Sorrowful Face by Avital Inbar
The Jewish girl Monique Cerf, Barbara, is perhaps France's greatest singer of all time, thanks to being a poet at the same time...
Mireille: The life story of the woman who influenced quite a few chanson singers
Mireille is one of the singers who had the greatest influence on chanson in the 20th century. And yet few people know her. Aria Yas...
Jean Perret – Between Sympathy and Warfare
Jean Perret is one of the least known French singers to the Israeli audience, which is a shame. When you listen to his chansons, you discover a warm voice and delightful melodies, which...
Marshall Marin, French Chanson Singer – in Israel
Veteran and lucky Francophiles were able to hear Aznavour, Berle, Bressanone and the other great chansonniers perform live at the Olympia, the Bobino and other venues...