a) Genre
Chanson à texte / French pop. Que c'est triste Venise exists in two distinct formats: as a vinyl 7-inch super EP (the original 1964 release, four tracks, 45 RPM, Barclay catalogue 70.681) and as a subsequent 12-track vinyl LP compilation that gathered the four EP tracks alongside eight further songs recorded in 1964 (with the full album eventually released in CD form under the title Que C'est Triste Venise — Original Album 1964). The four tracks of the original EP represent a concentrated expression of Aznavour's mature chanson style at the moment of his greatest international recognition: emotionally understated, lyrically precise, harmonically elegant, and free of all sentimentality. The four songs address loss of love, lost youth, a father's feelings for his daughter, and the anticipation of a possible future withdrawal from public life — four existential meditations delivered with what the Passion Vinyls review calls 'sobriété' (sobriety) and 'une retenue calme' (a calm restraint).
b) Release
Original French release: Barclay Records (September 1964; 7-inch vinyl EP, 45 RPM, catalogue 70.681), printed by Imp. Glory, Paris; pressed in France (Made in France on label centre). Rate Your Music identifies the EP release date as September 1964; Amazon identifies the expanded 12-track LP compilation as released on 1 November 1964. A second pressing of the EP exists under catalogue SBGE 83148. The phonographic copyright for all subsequent digital and physical reissues is credited to Universal Music B.V. / Barclay. The 12-track LP compilation edition, titled Que C'est Triste Venise — Original Album 1964 and comprising all twelve songs recorded in 1964, has been available on CD and streaming from various Barclay/Universal compilations; the Amazon digital edition carries the copyright © 2024 Barclay / ℗ 1964 Universal Music B.V. The EP's four tracks are: Side A — 'Que c'est triste Venise' (2:37) and 'Hier encore' (2:24); Side B — 'À ma fille' (3:39) and 'Quand j'en aurai assez' (1:53). The twelve-track LP version additionally includes: 'Je t'aimais tant', 'Tu t'amuses', 'Le jour se lève', 'Il te suffisait que je t'aime', 'Le temps', 'Chaque fois que j'aime', 'Avec', and 'Toi et tes yeux d'enfant'.
c) Production
No individual record producer is credited on the original EP release or in available sources for the 1964 sessions. The sessions were produced within the Barclay Records infrastructure. Arranger and orchestral director: Paul Mauriat. Paul Mauriat (born 4 March 1925, Marseille, France — died 3 November 2006, Perpignan, France) was one of the most important French orchestral arrangers and bandleaders of the 1960s and 1970s, whose own recording 'Love Is Blue' (1967, an orchestral cover of the André Popp Eurovision song) spent five consecutive weeks at number 1 in the United States in 1968. His arrangements for the 1964 Aznavour sessions are described by the Passion Vinyls review as keeping 'l'orchestre à distance' (the orchestra at a distance) — 'Il souligne. Il laisse respirer.' (He underlines. He allows breathing.) The song 'Que c'est triste Venise' was co-written by Charles Aznavour (music) and Françoise Dorin (text). The remaining three EP tracks were written solely by Aznavour.
d) Recording
Recording took place in Paris, France, consistent with Barclay Records' Parisian production base, in 1964. The song 'Que c'est triste Venise' was inspired by a stay in Venice that Aznavour had made prior to the sessions: as the Passion Vinyls review notes, 'La chanson naît d'un séjour à Venise. L'image est simple: la ville vide, les souvenirs pleins.' (The song was born from a stay in Venice. The image is simple: the city empty, the memories full.) The lyricist Françoise Dorin wrote the text.
e) Reception
The title track 'Que c'est triste Venise' was an immediate and major international success. The Passion Vinyls review notes that it was 'diffusé massivement à la radio' (broadcast massively on radio) upon release, and was rapidly translated into Italian, Spanish, English, and German, becoming an international hit in multiple languages. As 'Venecia Sin Ti' it achieved particular success in the Spanish-speaking world. The song entered all of Aznavour's concert programmes from 1964 onwards and remained a staple of his live performances until the end of his career. 'Hier encore' underwent a similar trajectory: translated into multiple languages and recorded by dozens of artists worldwide, it became one of his most covered songs. The combined success of 'Que c'est triste Venise' and 'Hier encore' in 1964 marked the moment at which Aznavour achieved full international recognition, cementing a trajectory that had been building since the late 1950s. Rate Your Music ranks the EP at number 643 among the best EPs of 1964. The Amazon editorial review describes Aznavour as having 'a special talent for writing and singing from unusual points of view, creating personal and compassionate character studies that expanded the emotional range of the typical pop ballad' — a characterisation that applies with particular force to the four EP tracks.
Charles Aznavour
Shahnour Varenagh Aznavourian (born 22 May 1924, Paris, France — died 1 October 2018, Mouriès, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France), known professionally as Charles Aznavour, was a French-Armenian singer, songwriter, actor, and diplomat of Armenian descent, widely regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of French popular music and one of the most prolific songwriters of the 20th century. His parents, Misha Aznavourian and Knar Baghdassarian, had fled the threat of the Armenian Genocide and arrived in France from Istanbul via Georgia. His father was a singer; the family spoke Armenian and Georgian at home. Aznavour began performing as a child actor at the age of nine, in theatre and cinema. As an adolescent he danced in nightclubs and performed in various theatrical contexts. In the late 1940s and early 1950s he worked closely with Édith Piaf — as her chauffeur, personal assistant, and protegé — who helped him develop his vocal technique and performance confidence. She also sang his compositions. His songs were banned from French radio throughout the 1950s for their perceived frankness. He achieved sustained commercial success from 1960 onwards. 'La mama' (1963), 'Que c'est triste Venise' (1964), 'Hier encore' (1964), and 'For Me, Formidable' became anthems of the French chanson tradition. He also had a significant career as a film actor, notably in François Truffaut's Shoot the Piano Player (Tirez sur le pianiste, 1960). He represented Armenia as the country's honorary ambassador to Switzerland and as its ambassador to UNESCO. He wrote approximately 1,400 songs and recorded some 180 albums across a career spanning seven decades. He sold an estimated 180 million records. He performed his final concert at the age of 94 in Tokyo, Japan, on 14 September 2018 — seventeen days before his death.
This text was generated by Claude (Anthropic). It may contain errors or inaccuracies.
