The BelLISSAma format cannot be pigeonholed into one category, but encompasses a wide range of music and bridges different styles, temperaments and generations. The concerts focused on 'musical' have been and continue to be very successful. For this edition, all tickets sold out in one, two, three. A second edition was added. The same scenario happened a third and fourth time…
Three classically trained musicians immersed the audience for well over two hours in the most beautiful musical numbers. Baritone Hans Peter Janssens, an internationally renowned musical star, made a beautiful and varied selection from the extensive musical repertoire. It became a skillful whole with a convincing build-up. From various musicals, two or three songs were selected with different dramatic weight. Lissa Meyvis is a jack-of-all-trades: opera, chanson, art songs and in musical she can also express her versatile talent. She is an allumeuze, not in the pejorative sense of the word. In every song she manages to make the audience a participant in her message: from euphoric to naive, playful, yearning and sad. Many opera singers sing technically perfectly, but in terms of depth and communication they perform poorly or not at all. Lissa can do both and that makes her so unique and beloved. They are accompanied by pianist Alex Roosemeyers. Three distinct personalities testifying to exceptional musical craftsmanship.
With the opening song 'Another Op'nin, Another Show' from Kiss me Kate they immediately draw the audience into the magical world of the musical. This musical tells about a conflict between man and woman both on and off stage. That Hans Peter Janssens made it so far and stood on the West End for months at a time, something few singers can boast of, is thanks to his beautiful baritone with a warm glow.
Next, three songs were selected from Camelot (1960). A classic Broadway musical based on the Arthurian legend. A timeless story about the struggle between passion and duty. Everything revolves around a love triangle, the tragic love between King Arthur, Guinevere and the French knight Lancelot. Hans Peter Janssens first sings the advantages of life at Camelot castle to Guinevere. A seduction trick like any other. In the duet 'What Do the Simple Folk Do?' the question of how ordinary people live and spend their day is experienced by Lissa in the moment. She improvises on the spot with wonderful naturalness and charm and thus gives her partner extra nourishment. Number three 'If Ever I Would Leave you' one of the highlights from this musical, a real earworm, Hans Peter plays the emotion.
Lissa takes her turn with 'Don't Rain on My Parade' from the musical Funny Girl from 1964, which tells the true story of Jewish comedian, singer and actress Fanny. Performed in an iconic way by Barbra Streisand. Lissa does it in her own way, more restrained than exuberant, which makes it attractive and gives it extra depth.
Then follow two songs from Show Boat, a musical from 1927. In the song 'Ol'Man River' Hans Peter can shine again. The number is sung by the character Joe, a dock worker on a showboat on the Mississippi. Sung with feeling and with a versatile voice from deep to high notes, he sings this intimate song with a pure and narrative character. Lissa follows with the beautiful 'Can't Help Lovin 'Dat Man', in a refined way she sings of love. Especially in difficult circumstances, love is the buoy to cling to.
Three songs were selected from The Sound of Music. Lissa once auditioned for the role of Maria in The Sound of Music, but saw her dream go up in smoke due to severe laryngitis. In her own sassy and impish way, she sings and yodels merrily in the number 'The Lonely Goatherd'. Then comes a duet 'Something Good' in which two people feel attracted to each other and Hans Peter ends with the unique 'Edelweiss', an ode to nature and Austria.
The musical 'My fair Lady' was successful both on stage and as a film starring the charming and beautiful Audrey Hepburn. Lissa outdoes her with the dreamy 'I Could Have Danced All Night'. Her whole body resonates along. From 'Gay Divorce', music by Cole Porter, from 1932, Hans Peter brings 'Night and Day', a number that became an international hit and grew into an evergreen.
The musical Cabaret initially brings to mind entertainment and dance. Behind the façade of exuberance and fun hide people who, like everyone else, face sadness, dilemmas and hope. Lissa performs 'Maybe This Time' in a sublime and transparent manner. An interpretation that does not insist, but leaves room to listen and interpret. In the last number of part one, Lissa and Hans Peter glorify each other in the superlative 'You're the Top' from Anything Goes.
After the intermission, the duet 'Love Changes Everything' from Aspects of Love sings of love in all its variations with two voices that blend beautifully. Then two songs from the fairy tale musical Beauty & the Beast. Hans Peter leads the way with 'Evermore' in which magic and being different from the average person is highlighted. Despite everything, still with an inner attitude of trust in people and life, and Lissa follows with 'Home'. Man and woman illuminate the situation. Looking beyond ugliness and disability. Still an issue. Lissa is a chameleon in all these different songs with the most beautiful and intense color dynamics.
From the captivating musical Les Misérables based on a work by Victor Hugo, three numbers. Jean Valjean was the defining success role of Hans Peter Janssens and his international breakthrough. He first sings 'Master of the House' Followed by Lissa with 'I Dreamed a Dream'. Not the quote by Martin Luther King but by the character Fantine. It is a moving lament in which she reflects on her sad life and Hans Peter concludes with 'Empty Chairs at Empty Tables'. Marius sings this emotional solo number after the revolution has been crushed. He is the only survivor of his friend group. A number that continues to resonate given the geopolitical unrest and the many innocent victims.
'A Whole New World' from Alladin is a duet in which Alladin and Jasmine affirm their love for each other while flying on a magic carpet. In this setting you have to imagine the carpet there. The two voices swirl around each other like a courtship dance. In the song 'Memory' from the musical Cats (1981), composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Trevor Nunn and based on poems by T.S. Eliot, Lissa really throws herself into it. It is sung by the character Grizabella. It is a melancholic recollection of her glamorous past and an appeal for acceptance. In the chosen numbers there is often a social message hidden.
The musical Jekyll & Hyde revolves around someone with two faces, partly friendly but also with a very dark side. Another role that Hans Peter Janssens performed with aplomb. The challenge lies in also arousing some sympathy for such a character. In the duet Jekyll pleads 'Take me As I am'. Hans Peter chose the number 'Hell to your Doorstep' from the musical The Count of Monte Christo. Prison is atonement, but that doesn't always make the individual better.
From the musical Notre Dame de Paris the duet 'Les oiseaux qu'on met en cage' is performed. The tragedy of Quasimodo, the bellringer of Notre Dame, who falls in love with the beautiful gypsy Esmeralda. From the acclaimed musical City of Angels (1989) Lissa sings 'Lost and Found'. It is a seductive jazzy number that breathes the typical film-noir atmosphere and perfectly captures the atmosphere of the 1940s. As a point finale the musical Spamalot was chosen. The title is a combination of Spam and Camelot. A well-known highly comedic musical, a loving parody of the Arthur legend and the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail from 1975. Seriousness is turned on its head. Hans Peter made a spicy, ironic Dutch translation of the English text. 'The song that sounds thus'. Delightfully no-nonsense.
This trio section provided contrast and surprise. They were once again two musical hours full of intensity and lyrical intoxication from which you had to recover. Songs that often drew a smile, even a laugh, impressed you, and made you wipe away a tear.