Charles Aznavour – La Bohème

A love song about Paris by the great Charles Aznavour from the year I was born - so it's already very old.

I first became interested in French chansons during our vacations in France, but it deepened during my time in Paris. Charles Aznavour is of course one of the great chansonniers and La Bohème is one of his iconic songs. He sings about the Montmartre of the 20s and 30s which was full of energy, freedom and poverty. It does not deliver an exceptional sonic experience on the soundboard, if only because of the age of the recording, but a highly emotional experience. And of course you get an impression of his extraordinary voice. He was on stage until the end of his life. His last concert took place in Osaka on September 19, 2018, less than two weeks before his death. He was an Armenian born in France and for a time Armenian ambassador to Switzerland. He was also an actor and played in The Tin Drum, among others. The following interview was conducted on the occasion of his 91st birthday in 2015. You have to understand a bit of French, mais, c’est la vie.