Il Faut Savoir

Born in France of Armenian parents and married to a Danish woman, Charles Aznavour is among the most cosmopolitan of contemporary singers. Early in his career, he was a protégé of and songwriter for Edith Piaf. As a mature artist, he is regarded by many as the greatest international singing star of the 20th century, and he has also been a prolific composer and an acclaimed film star. Many of Aznavour's most characteristic songs have an undertone of sadness, accompanied by the vocal suggestion of a Gallic shrug. Even his romantic ballads tend to be in the past tense, expressing quiet resignation rather than ardor. However, he is also capable of portraying the insouciance of a true boulevardier. In either case, Aznavour has the ability to preserve an illusion of intimacy while singing to an audience of hundreds of people. This facet of his art is well reflected in this CD, which contains a good cross section of his most popular hits, highlighted by the title song, "Il Faut Savoir." --Edward Killham