
The Man Behind the Music of "Yentl"
Michel Legrand and Barbra Streisand have been collaborators for
many years, and it was Michel who helped launch Barbra into
international stardom. He was with her in 1966 as the arranger
and conductor for Barbra's French album, "Je m'appelle Barbra."
When Barbra needed the best, she once again called upon Legrand
to coauthor the music she would sing in the film, "Yentl."
Legrand's
involvement in "Je m'appelle" was extraordinary. He was
instrumental in getting Barbra to spread her vocal wings by
performing in French, and reaching out to a whole new
demographic in the process. Barbra recorded three Legrand
compositions for this collection.
In 1983, Legrand and Barbra worked together again, perhaps more
intensely, on the landmark film, "Yentl." Together with Alan and
Marilyn Bergman, Legrand wrote the music of the film, which
played such an integral part in the telling of Yentl's story.
And it was the music that The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences chose to honor. The only Oscar "Yentl" received went to
Legrand and the Bergmans.
Legrand
is a legendary composer. Besides Streisand, his music has been
recorded by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Lena Horne, Ray Charles,
Tony Bennett, Edith Piaf, Johnny Mathis... The list goes on. He
has written for the screen, has been involved in over
two-hundred films, and has won multiple Oscars (his first came
in 1968 for "The Windmills of Your Mind" from the film "The
Thomas Crown Affair"). His roster of Grammys is equally as
impressive.
Today, Legrand
is still very active as a composer. He recently finished scoring
the music for the upcoming 2006 film release of "The Legend of
Simon Conjurer."