Michel Legrand's abundantly lyrical soundtrack to Jacques Demy's 1964 movie musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg faithfully evokes the film's predominant theme of young love foiled by adult reality.
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg's overriding melancholia finds a voice in two main melodic motifs Legrand uses throughout the soundtrack, the first from the Legrand jazz standard "Watch What Happens" and the second from his song "I Will Wait for You."

Legrand's considerable arranging abilities are on display here as he works the recurring themes through a variety of settings: tragic duets cloaked in dramatic string passages, broken-down cabaret soliloquies, and even a tango piece à la Astor Piazzolla.
A prevalent jazz waltz theme also seesaws its way through the score, providing a break from the gloom.
As with his later Demy soundtrack, The Young Girls of Rochefort, Legrand does integrate jazz into the mix, but not in such pervasive fashion; occasional big-band outbursts and light jazz backgrounds ultimately take a back seat to Legrand's preferred chanson mode.
Combining Debussy's opaque melodies and Richard Rodgers song economy, he transforms the whimsical French song of Piaf and Trenet into petite arias.
For Legrand it comes down to the song, and there are plenty of good ones on The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.
If that were not enough, the double-CD reissue also includes bonus tracks: a not so whimsical yet affecting Tony Bennett reading of "Watch What Happens" and a demonstration of Legrand's well-known jazz skills on trio, "I Will Wait for You," with big-band arrangements.
With over two hours of music, extra material, and some of the most charming melodies written for the screen, this Sony Classical reissue is a must-have for Legrand fans and certainly one of his essential works.

Qui sait aussi bien que le violoniste Stéphane Grappelli parer les plus simples des mélodies des plus merveilleux atours ? Qui sait comme lui mettre son lyrisme et son swing d'une infinie tendresse au service des standards ? Réponse : Michel Legrand, grand manitou des nappes de violons (justement) qui firent merveille sur les bandes originales de films, comme L'Eté 42 et L'Affaire Thomas Crown. Rencontre au sommet donc, rencontre idéale aussi, entre deux musiciens dont l'élégance le dispute au romantisme. L'un en pince pour l'autre, c'est évident, et vice versa. Que la France est douce ainsi revisitée ! Rien d'obsolète : c'est plutôt la magie, également à l'oeuvre dans les chansons au charme suranné de Charles Trénet, qui souffle ici.

Soundtrack to Jacques Demy's movie "Les Demoiselles de Paris", starring Catherine Deneuve (Delphine), Françoise Dorléac (Solange), George Chakiris (Etienne), Grover Dale (Bill), Jacques Perrin Maxence), Michel Piccoli (Simon Dame), Jacques Riberolles (Guillaume Lancien), Geneviève Thénier (Josette), Henri Crémieux (Dutrouz), Pamela Hart (Judith), Leslie North (Esther), Patrick Jeantet (Boubou), Gene Kelly (Andy Miller) and Danielle Darrieux (Yvonne).
Choreography by Norman Maen. Pictures by Ghislain Cloquet, Production Director - Philippe Dussart.
Recorded at Studio Davout
Production Parc Film - Madleine Films - Paris

Michel Jean Legrand was a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and jazz pianist. Legrand was a prolific composer, having written over 200 film and television scores, in addition to many songs.

Her biggest album as a solo act, Diana Ross forever ended any association with the Supremes after this film. She not only got an Oscar nomination and more roles, she really did capture the spirit and flavor, if not the sound and timbre, of Billie Holiday's music; her performance was the film's only saving grace.

I Love Paris

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Michel Jean Legrand was a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and jazz pianist. Legrand was a prolific composer, having written over 200 film and television scores, in addition to many songs.

Michel Jean Legrand was a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and jazz pianist. Legrand was a prolific composer, having written over 200 film and television scores, in addition to many songs.

Natalie Dessay a toute sa vie été bercée par les mélodies de Michel Legrand. Sa carrière lyrique l’a conduite aux quatre coins du globe, mais la soprano a toujours gardé une tendresse particulière pour un univers musical aussi contrasté qu’elle l’est elle-même. " Entre elle et lui" est la concrétisation d’un rêve d’enfance : chanter du Michel Legrand avec Michel Legrand. Ce beau projet prend vie aujourd’hui au disque et à la scène (avec une grande tournée de 13 dates en France, dont l’Olympia dimanche et lundi prochain).
Natalie Dessay est accompagnée par Michel Legrand au piano, Pierre Boussaguet à la contrebasse et François Laizeau à la batterie. Et si Michel Legrand chante avec elle Les Moulins de mon cœur, deux invités de marque, Patricia Petibon et Laurent Naouri, viennent flâner chacun à leur tour, le temps d’un duo avec Natalie.
" Lorsque j’accompagne cet ange descendu droit de la planète talent, qui chante mes mélodies avec tellement de joie ou de douleur, de légèreté, de désespoir, de rires ou de larmes, je suis au sommet du bonheur d’entendre toutes ces chansons réinventées, comme neuves, exister encore d’une nouvelle vie. " Michel Legrand

Netflix Music has released a soundtrack album for the drama May December. The album features the music from the film, including original score cues composed by Marcelo Zarvos (Fences, Wonder, The Equalizer 3, Emancipation, The Affair, Ray Donovan), as well as tracks from the 1971 feature The Go-Between written by Michel Legrand (The Thomas Crown Affair, Never Say Never Again, Summer of ’42, Yentl), which have been adapted by Zarvos into his score. May December is directed by Todd Haynes and stars Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore, Charles Melton, Cory Michael Smith, Elizabeth Yu and Piper Curda. The drama, premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, opened in select theaters last month and is making its streaming debut today on Netflix.