LORIOT, Catherine:Russian Monmartre

Her discs should have been released like if they are very old, cracked and rough, with a light sound of crepitation that an old gramophone produces. Catherine’s vocal belongs to “eternal” category, it is bright, picturesque, artistic. It may be that young Piaf sang like that. That’s a beautiful young woman from St. Petersburg singing.

In Russia there are many factors against the amazing singer: time, place, and people. The fact is that Katya works in an absolutely unpopular genre, French shanson. And it is well known, that what in our country is considered to be “chanson” is not chanson at all. One notion was substituted for another some time ago when Russian thugs, set at liberty, wanted their “Murka” to have an official status, and that was a good chance to make them fork out. And here is the result. Every year a “Chanson of the year” show is held next door to Kremlin, another “Lesopoval” is awarded there, meanwhile a true chanson is left overboard, so romantic and unprotected, chanson longing for Paris, chanson that we didn’t know.

Catherine Loriot nee Komarova came up in Saint Petersburg as if by order, so beautiful, bright, professional singer with a unique authentic vocal. Well-educated (French language, School of Arts, conductors faculty in Culture and Arts College – everything a Parisian needs). One can hardly call her chanson a cover-version as Catherine lives in every song she sings, penetrating into musical epoch of each song with care. That’s why French towns’ songs sound non-trivial and alive from her lips. Continually polishing her mastery Catherine holds successful concerts in Paris, Nancy, Luxeuil and other French cities. The French have made a film about the Russian singer already. The French press, spare of compliments, has called Catherine “a singer with Piaf emotions”.

By the year 2002 Catherine Loriot released her first disc, “Monmartre a la Nevski”. The disc consists of French chansonnier songs beginning from the 30’s to our time. Now the singer’s repertoire also includes Russian folk songs and chant (Catherine was awarded for them at the contest “Angel Nadezhdy” (An angel of hope)), as well as her own songs in ethnic style. But the most important victory awaited Catherine in 2005. For French chanson singing she was awarded with a personalized medal of French National Assembly. In Russia the award passed unnoticed, but one should understand that only few foreign singers can compete with a host in his national music singing.

Nowadays Catherine’s vocal can frequently be heard from prestige stages of Saint Petersburg, but still her basic audience are French listeners. You’ve got a chance to listen to the real French chanson (and not only chanson) on the most romantic evening of the year – St. Valentine’s day.