Throughout her life, Édith Piaf has never shied away from the naked truth. Those who have never been wrapped in absorbent cotton themselves are not inclined to transfiguration. In this respect, Marie Giroux approaches the diva in her new program “Madame Piaf” in the same way as she herself would probably have done: relentlessly and unpretentiously – only with considerably more charm and humor than Piaf herself knew how to radiate. And it takes little more than Giroux’s moderation to guess that here a French chanson singer dives into the life of another, even more famous chanson singer in a quite surprising way to present the other, less known side of the Piaf. “I have sagging breasts and a small, flat bottom,” the Giroux quotes the Piaf right at the beginning, “but I get the men anyway.

In a conservative black costume she leans casually against the piano. She blinks with her left eye during the sentence. Her whole face smiles amidst the long wild blonde curls. She is significantly taller than Édith Piaf with her 1.47 meters it once was. And also the fact that Giroux, actually a mezzo-soprano, does not describe herself with the phrase, can be seen at first glance. The evenings that promise to pay homage to the great Édith Piaf usually take place in the predictable realm – a roundel of often sad songs, somewhere between life in pink and nothing regret. The evenings approach the famous original sometimes more, sometimes less. If it runs optimally, the audience almost only misses that typical crackling of old shellac treasures, which distinguishes the original from the plagiarism. Almost.

Many female artists try their hand at the rich repertoire of the great Piaf, who had sung over 3000 songs in her lifetime when she died in October 1963. Especially this year, in which the probably greatest chanson singer of all times would have celebrated her 100th birthday, Piaf programs enjoy great popularity. But while most of them routinely string together only La vie en rose, Milord and Non, je ne regrette rien, Marie Giroux with pianist Jenny Schäuffelen and cellist Frédérique Labbow offers her audience an extraordinary excursion through the life of the famous and notorious, celebrated and feared Piaf.

It is not about how Piaf was abandoned by her biological mother shortly after birth, neglected by one of her grandmothers and raised in a brothel by the other. It is not about her father, who was prone to violent excesses and addicted to alcoholism, the early death of her only daughter or the murder of her mentor. With the support of Labbow, Giroux and Schäuffelen discuss with wit and witty repartee no less authentic views of Piaf’s life, which is steeped in tragedy: they devote themselves to the numerous loves and their benefits for big little Piaf. It’s about getting anyway.

That sounds like a dangerous tightrope walk. After all, rousing stage entertainment can justifiably be considered a great art. It is all about successfully reconciling contradictions: An artist has to meet the expectations of the audience in terms of content, at best he may exceed them, but at the same time he has to surprise them. The trio Giroux, Schäuffelen and Labbow, who are also touring alongside Tim Bendzko and Andreas Bourani, succeed in this inimitably. In “Madame Piaf”, the three music college graduates prove their impressive versatility, both through sensitive and refreshing original arrangements of the chansons with surprising instrumental changes and in the originality with which they take on the men and women who lined the path of Piaf’s life.

Sometimes they themselves were already famous, boxers or cyclists or Marlene Dietrich, sometimes they became it in the wake of the little charismatic singer. And so Giroux surprises her audience in the “unmasking of a diva” with the great men of the chanson, from Charles Aznavour, Piaf’s former private secretary, to Gilbert Bécaud, Yves Montand, Georges Moustaki, who wrote for Piaf Milord, to Jacques Pills and Johnny Hallyday, the French soft rocker, who was not even helped by the fact that he actually still fell under puppy protection when he met Piaf. The new Piaf program shows how Giroux has studied the Piaf intensively for over half a year in order to put together an amusing evening entertainment without unnecessary prudery but with expertise, which is not only musically rousing. Swept away my love affairs and all their whining, swept away forever”, sang the Piaf in her most famous chanson, “I start from zero, because my life, my happiness begin today with you”.

An unforgettable evening in the style of New York Broadway full of glamour and glamour

It’s showtime! We lay the most beautiful hits of the musical at your feet, with a pinch of humor, expert anecdotes and surprising backgrounds… Follow the invitation of a mezzo-soprano, a tenor and a pianist, who will solemnly serve you the best of everything on a silver platter – a veritable five-star gourmet gourmet program consisting of Cats, Phantom of the Opera, Elisabeth, Les Misérables, West Side Story and many other world-famous shows… You can become weak and this
give in to musical temptation without any regrets!

From the origins of the musical to the most modern works, the trio paints an irresistibly colorful musical arc, sometimes quietly and lovingly, sometimes lively and swinging. You will learn en passant about the risks of the composer Leonard Bernstein’s audience with Pope Paul IV and about the pets and the housekeeper of his colleague Andrew Lloyd Webber, who must be allowed to have a decisive influence on the work. And about the indestructibility of Cole Porter’s mother wit. One could justifiably speak of a handkerchief-laden spectacle, since it cannot be completely ruled out that you will be overwhelmed by your emotions. We are looking forward to an unforgettable evening in the style of New York Broadway and London’s West End, not to mention Paris and Vienna, an evening full of glamour and glamour! We look forward to seeing you!

– Heroines of freedom –

Marie Giroux, singing
Sylke Hannasky, acting
Jenny Schäuffelen, piano

Come in, noble ladies and gentlemen, dare to enter our Salon der Femmes extraordinaires.
What makes us special, you ask yourself? Take a look before you hear us. Ah, beautiful and dangerous at the same time, you say, is that what makes a femme fatale, in your opinion? Well, yes, you are right. On the one hand. And yet on the other hand, it is far too little to describe us…. seductive – seditious, political – provocative, passionate – passionate, convincing – underestimated, committed – refined, attractive? …No adjective is good enough to do justice to the truth.
From the first moment when Eve gave you men the apple, we knew that we had to be to blame for everything… But you shouldn’t confuse apple with pear – whose eroticism you, too, will appreciate no less in our program…
God knows how many battles we have fought, even won battles that were actually doomed to failure. But no price was too high for us to impose our ideals and convictions, sometimes loudly, sometimes subtly, as we women are. Voting rights, self-determination, financial and sexual independence – nothing was simply given to us.
From Eva and Cleopatra to Beate Uhse and Emmeline Pankhurst, Josephine Baker and Marie Curie, we will lovingly reveal some of the secrets of these femmes fatales without exposing them.
Among other things, you will learn why the English Sufragettes were true fashion experts apart from their political commitment, and what Cleopatra had to do with vibrators.
We – a charming Conferenciere, a cleaning-crazy sensitive pianist and a “moussing” chanteuse – present musical and literary portraits of some of our sisters who gave women a great deal of freedom and equality.
After all, isn’t the woman the better half of humanity? Don’t be sad, dear men, because even among you there will at least be consensus: We women are always more fascinating …

“Music is the voice that tells us that man is better than he thinks.” Napoleon Bonaparte

Where politics is not always successful, we as an international ensemble want to be peacemakers with our music, using bows, keys and voices. We want to build bridges not only between classical and classical music, but also between people and cultures, to be ambassadors for more togetherness and for more solidarity and respect.

From classical to jazz and klezmer to swing, operetta, chanson and musicals, with “Die Gala” you will experience a special event with many different facets, from light to profound, which will perhaps move you to tears, but will also sometimes encourage you to dance.

The Ensemble Spreegold consists of international classically trained musicians from Berlin, who are on the road in various genres and who would like to make a difference with their music.

A musical journey around the world from Paris to Vienna via Budapest or Buenos Aires and New York, stimulatingly presented by the Duo Pariser Flair.

Look forward to an eclectic musical gala evening!

This is the slogan that Marie Giroux has chosen to take her audience to Paris – into the streets and alleys, into the houses, hotels and centre of this unique european metropolis.

Paris – a complete world for itself. Marie Giroux tries to show that Paris has more tourist attractions than the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre Museum and her audience begins to realize how many other possibilities of enjoying the town there really exist.

With their music just as much as with their lyrics the two artists take their audience on an unusual sightseeing tour through the different areas of this wonderful  town.

The Flair of the town becomes more and more vivid  with each new chanson – and always in a different kind of way:  Either there is a touch of irony or flirtation, or it is yearningly or perhaps filled with sadness, but of course sometimes also full of  hope. You can hear songs about (mostly beautiful) girls or (handsome) men, their relationship to each other, their thoughts, their happiness or sufferings.

On this walk through the several parts of Paris you will not only listen to music about the town, but will also receive valuable tips about restaurants, ice cream-bars and many other things as for example  the famous cabarets  “Le chat noir” or “L’ ecluse” in the Quartier Latin. The diverse localities offer an opportunity for partly humorous, partly tragic anecdotes about well- known French singers of chansons.

You will have a chance of seeing the several points of this tour of Paris on a map of the town. The program starts from former singers of chansons like Satie or Poulenc to classical singers like Brel, Barbara, Aznavour or Piaf to at last  the most interesting modern singers of this type of songs. Expect surprises even if you feel acquainted with Montmartre, Les Halles and all the rest of this fabulous capital.

“I know that one day a miracle will happen, and then a thousand fairy tales will come true.

The Ufa film and music industry and its dazzling stars have shaped an epoch. A cheerful and state-sponsored art, but one that developed in a dark time, as finely as nastily orchestrated by Joseph Goebbels, the so-called Reichsminister for Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda. He was aware that the people needed rest from the daily war-mongering and leader indoctrination, and that non-political entertainment was suitable for that purpose. Music, operetta and revue films therefore experienced a pronounced boom in the thirties and forties. Lilian Harvey and Willy Fritsch, Marika Rökk and Johannes Heesters, Hans Albers, IlseWerner and Zarah Leander offered the audience glamour and glamour. They let them forget their world falling into ruins for a few hours. But how does that fit together? Can real music and art be created under censorship?

Some artists, such as Zarah Leander, knew how to balance the scales: At a party she met the Nazi propaganda boss Joseph Goebbels. He asked her dangerously ironic: “Zarah … Is that not a Jewish name?” “Oh, maybe,” said the actress, “but what about Josef?” “Hmmm… yes, yes, a good answer,” Goebbels replied. But even an abuse, no matter what kind, motivation or system, can neither rob art of its character nor spoil its innermost core in his sense. And it is clear that the film music of the UFA and its songs are real art: They have lost none of their shine and remain very popular. We offer a charming and nostalgic musical revue of the Ufa era and draw a portrait of an ambivalent epoch … Welcome to the salon of Zarah Leander…

Längst gibt es die verschiedensten Notfallapotheken für körperliche Verletzungen, und jeder von uns besitzt eine. Aber was ist mit Verletzungen der Herzen?
Da werden wir oft im Stich gelassen, im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes…
Deshalb haben wir uns vorgenommen, eine kleine Reiseapotheke des Trosts zusammenzustellen, „tout en Chanson“ und versprechen eine schnelle Wirkung und eine Linderung der Symptome.

Wir haben uns nichts Geringeres vorgenommen, als dem Geheimnis der Liebe auf den Grund zu gehen und ihre verschiedenen Facetten zu untersuchen.
Wir schöpfen dabei aus dem französischen Chansongut von Sardou, Becaud, Aznavour, Ferré und vielen mehr und suchen nach Antworten: Kann man sich in eine Gitarre oder auch in ein Kleidungsstück verlieben, und ist dann sein Verlust schmerzhaft?

Hilft Schokolade gegen Liebeskummer oder ist Schokoladeneis besser? Und wenn ja, welche Marke? Kann eine Liebe durch eine andere ersetzt werden als Placebo? So wie Süssstoff statt Zucker? Lässt sich das Herz täuschen? Muss Leidenschaft wirklich sein, und wenn ja wieviel? Kann man sich entlieben, und gibt es eine Sammelstelle für die verflossenen Geliebten? Oder muss man eine Entrümpelungsfirma beauftragen?
Egal, welche Fragen Sie in Sachen Liebe haben, bei uns werden Sie vielleicht nicht geheilt, jedoch wird Ihnen wenigstens geholfen. Und da wir keine Packungsbeilage
im Gepäck haben, brauchen Sie wegen Risiken und Nebenwirkungen nicht Ihren Arzt oder Apotheker zu fragen… Dafür bürgen wir für Charme, Witz, Stimmen,
Klavier, Gitarre, Akkordeon und viel Herzblut …

Where politics is not always successful, we as an international ensemble with our music want to be peacemakers with bows, keys and voices. We want to build bridges not only between classical and serious music, but also between people and cultures, we want to be ambassadors for more togetherness and for more solidarity and respect.

From classical music to jazz and klezmer to swing, operetta, chanson and musicals, with “Die Gala” you will experience a special event with many different facets, from light to profound, which will perhaps move you to tears, but also animate you to dance.
The Ensemble Spreegold consists of international classically trained musicians from Berlin, who are travelling in different genres and who would like to make a difference with their music.

A musical journey around the world from Paris to Vienna via Budapest or Buenos Aires and New York, stimulatingly moderated by the duo Paris Flair.
Look forward to a versatile musical gala evening!

“The Gala” is suitable for almost every occasion: as a New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Gala, as an open air or concert event and much more.
We can discuss the focus of the moderation with you individually.

“The operetta audience is an operetta race: the race of people who are always happy, always in a good mood”. Franz Lehár

Imagine you were in Vienna at the turn of the century at the wedding of the operetta… It was the time when the Soubrettes were praised not only for their vocal qualities, but also because they were extremely freely presented. And the worried Émile Zola even said that one should strangle the operetta like a harmful animal….

But if one forgets morality, then it lives itself completely uninhibitedly! Unfortunately, in the next few hours it will not always be politically correct, but it will be amusing in any case when Ralph Benatzky bows down in front of a rainy window pane out of vanity or when Emmerich Kálmán is mistaken for Franz Lehár at the customs office… This and much more awaits you this evening. You will also learn interesting facts about the fashion of the time, the secrets of Sachertorte and the Viennese waltz. It will be musically elegant and refined, with many icing on the cake and delicacies in the form of arias, melodies and duets – from Strauss and Stolz to Lehár and Offenbach – in the most beautiful vocal colors of a mezzo-soprano and a tenor…

Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of operetta and take a look behind the scenes of that time with us!

Love … the most  wonderful minor matter of the world…

From times immemorial love has been the main topic of the opera and musical comedy. The several states of love have been sung about, have been summoned, whispered and also kept secret, so that one has to find out what can be heard between the notes.

By this program your potential of love is to rise beyond measure; and so you will be filled with love yourself, and cheery you will return to your daily routine. We will give you a musical love potion, which you will be able to enjoy without any scruple or restriction.

The mezzo-soprano Marie Giroux and the tenor Joseph Schnurr will present the most wonderful declarations of love of the opera and operetta from works by Mozart, Bizet, Offenbach, Lehar and Rossini. Whether meant for a concert or a dinner – the program will suit every formal occasion.

Marie Giroux will take you through the evening with her charming French accent and her incredible voice. As a kind of cream topping on the program you will enjoy little scenes about love written by authors like Loriot, Tucholsky or others, which will make you smile and laugh.

Markt und Straßen steh´n verlassen,
Still erleuchtet jedes Haus,
Sinnend geh´ ich durch die Gassen,
alles sieht so festlich aus. (…)
Wie so weit und still die Welt!
Sterne hoch die Kreise schlingen,
Aus des Schnees Einsamkeit
Steigt´s wie wunderbares Singen –
O du gnadenreiche Zeit!
– Joseph von Eichendorff –

Weihnachten ist eine besinnliche Zeit, alles und jeder hält inne, und es leuchten tausend Lichter im Dunkeln…die Zeit der Kerzen,Kugeln, Kränze, Geschichten und Geschenke… Auch wir haben für Sie ein ganz besonderes Präsent. Wir bescheren Ihnen die schönsten Sterne des Universums: von Zimtsternen über Seesterne, Sterneköche, Sternzeichen, Sterntaler und Schneesterne, aber auch natürlich Weihnachtssterne und vieles mehr. Und wir erzählen von dem Zauber dieser einzelnen Sterne, die – wenn es Christkind das will – Sie dann das ganze Jahr im Herzen begleiten und über Sie wachen werden – bis zum nächsten- Weihnachtsfeste.

Wir schmücken dam it einen ganz und gar völlig ungewöhnlichen Weihnachtsbaum und hoffen, dass ganz zum Schluss gar Sterne in Ihren Augen glänzen mögen. Musikalisch untermalen die Sternfeen Anne Görner (Sopran), Marie Giroux (Mezzosopran und Querflöte) und Jenny Schäuffelen (Klavier) diese Sternstunden mit lieblichen Weihnachtsklassikern aus aller Welt wie unter anderen Stille Nacht, den Sternen von Schubert aber auch Jingle Bells, Cantique de Noël oder der italienische Klassiker Tu scendi delle Stelle. Und mit diesen festlichen Klängen werden Sie – hoffentlich – dem Zauber der Sternen verfallen…