Le Terrible Orchestre de Belleville avec Benoit Charest

Maestro, I am ready for my woodblock solo

To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the unclassifiable, outrageous, and universally acclaimed animated film The Triplets of Belleville, composer Benoît Charest leads the nine-piece Le Terrible Orchestre de Belleville, of which Michael Emenau is the percussionist, in a live performance of his original score in tandem with a screening of the film. The film features a cascade of memorable characters: square-shouldered noir-era henchmen, an impossibly wiry Tour de France cyclist, and of course the three eponymous jazz-era divas. The New York Times calls it “a tour de force of ink-washed, crosshatched mischief, and unlikely sublimity.”

Charest’s score is a modern spin on 1930s Parisian jazz, ranging from rollicking dance numbers to dusky chansons, including the Oscar-nominated tune “Belleville Rendez-vous.” This performance, developed as a special presentation for the 2015 Montreal Jazz Festival, comes complete with live jazz-age music, singing, dancing, and live Foley artist accompaniment. A deluxe film and music presentation fit for big and little kids alike.

This gig has been going for five years now, with no signs of stopping.

•   Montreal, Halifax, Ottawa, Rimouski International Jazz Festivals
•    Taipei National Theater
•    Roy Thompson Hall
•    Macau Arts Center
•    San Francisco Opera House
•    Melbourne, Aukland and Adelaide Festivals
•    Prospect Park Arts Festival, NYC
•    Philharmonie de Paris
•    Opéra de Monte-Carlo
•    Orchestre National de Lyon

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