Barbra Streisand Talks About Her New Show ’Barbra Streisand Live’ (Interview)
Sunday, 02 June 2013
Written by Jon Stickler
Barbra Streisand will bring her spectacular stage show to the UK this summer for TWO exclusive engagements at the O2 Arena. Check out what the multi-award winning singer, songwriter had to say about her new show in the short Q&A session below.
Following shows in the US, you're returning to London for the first time in over 6 years. Here’s how the LA Times described your show:'The evening’s talky rhythm (the show had more asides than a Shakespeare tragedy) put the audience immediately under the spell of her folksy grandiosity. Streisand … isn’t just a star — she’s a world view, a style of being, an entire cosmology, with the highest possible thread-count sheets. You don’t just come for the music; you come for the whole church service. The sermon, broken up into bits, is inseparable from the songs.'How would you describe it? Wow, they said all that? That’s very interesting. I don’t know how to describe it myself… that’s for you guys, from the press to do. I just try to put together a wonderful show for the audience and in this particular instance it’s a delight for me to have my family alon… my very gifted son, Jason, and my sister, Rozzie. I also love having a sixty piece orchestra and a big choir and working again with the amazing, Chris Botti.
Surrounded by a full orchestra and with special guests Chris Botti, her son Jason Gould, and sister Roslyn Kind, all of whom performed last year on Back to Brooklyn, Streisand’s highly successful North American tour, Barbra Streisand Live promises and delivers a truly enchanting evening.Your concert features a 60 piece orchestra conducted by Bill Ross. When you put a great voice with a great orchestra it provides a huge emotional connection to every seat in the house. Does this help you bring the intimacy of a small theatre to the arena? When I’m on stage it doesn’t matter to me whether I’m in a nightclub or an arena… I try to be truthful to the music and the lyrics and that has always guided me throughout my career. I always feed off the energy of a live orchestra and a live audience.
With your incredible repertoire, how do you determine which songs to perform? I’m always amazed at how many songs I’ve actually recorded from which to choose. This time around I’m choosing some songs that I’ve never sung before and some older ones that I like to reinterpret. I’ve always been blessed to sing songs by the best composers and lyricists throughout the decades. I love finding new meanings in these great songs, whether old or new. If you stick with great material, you can always find inspiration.
What is the most important thing you hope your fans take home with them after every show? What I hope they take away is a feeling of connection and emotion… and, of course, maybe a souvenir program, a t-shirt for Women’s Heart research and my son’s new CD.
In both North American and now with the upcoming European tour, you’re appearing with your son Jason Gould and your sister Roslyn Kind. How did this come about and how does having your family with you enhance the experience? Well, I must tell you it was all quite a surprise. I didn’t even know that Jason sang. He brought me a couple of songs he recorded in a studio, as he was about to put out an EP, and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing… my jaw dropped! I asked him if he would come on tour with me and happily, he said yes! I then asked Rozzie to join us and make it a family affair. I love having them on stage with me.
You have introduced a section on ‘Truth Alerts’ on your website. Are you enjoying the direct to fan connection that the internet enables you to have? Is this something you plan on continuing and possibly expanding? I hate made up stories, so I will continue. The internet has given me an opportunity to express my thoughts and feelings about the issues of the day directly with my fans. If you read it on my website, it’s something I actually said or wrote.
You’ve won Oscars for Best Actress and Best Original Song; received 8 Grammy Awards; your combined album sales of more than 72.5 million in the United States alone exceed that of all other female singers and your first book “My Passion For Design” debuted at number Two on the New York Times Best Seller List. What’s next for the woman’s who’s bold, creative achievements have already garnered so much? There aren’t enough hours in the day… I love recording… I am now working on a Duets album with some wonderful artists. I have my eye on a couple of films to direct and, of course, my devotion right now to My Women’s Heart Center at Cedars in Los Angeles and other philanthropic interests. I would like a little more time to tend to my garden, but I’m happy to have my days as full as they are.
Barbra Streisand's summer tour dates include performances starting in London, June 1st and now June 3rd at the O2 Arena, followed by concerts in Amsterdam June 6th at the Ziggo Dome, Paris on June 10th at Bercy and Cologne on June 12th at Lanxess Arena.
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