La passion cathare

The cooler weather has settled in ... a rather chilly swim this morning in the company of a couple of other hardy souls. It was still quite windy, so I was mildly surprised, but pleased, that the musicians set up in the chateau anyway rather than falling back on the soulless village hall.

I understood their logic, because the show was La Passion Cathare, the story told in song of the repression of the Cathars in Occitanie by Simon de Montfort -- renowned for telling his soldiers surrounding the cathedral in Béziers where the population had taken refuge: "Kill them all, God will know his own!" 

The singer is Antoine Garrido, who used to be a regular here 15 or 20 years ago, singing chanson française.  He was very good at that, particularly the more showy repertoire such as Jacques Brel. I have to say this show left me ... well, not even lukewarm, because after dark the wind got up and it was really quite chilly. A hardy 50 people had turned out, well wrapped up. The songs were a bit dirge-like when they weren't being melodramatic or sentimental. I dare say if it hadn't been so cold I'd have stayed longer, but I took the obligatory photos for the first half hour and then sloped off home. Thee were two other photographers there anyway, who were more dedicated than I was.

Decide for yourself: here's a video sample.