These include the musicals:
* La Révolution Française (1973)
* Les Misérables (1980 french version- 1985 english version)
* Miss Saigon (1989)
* Martin Guerre (1996)
* Wuthering Heights (ballet 2001)
* The Pirate Queen (2006)
* Marguerite (2009)
Schönberg began his career as a record producer and a singer. By the early 1970s he had become successful.
He wrote most of the music for the French musical and rock opera, La Révolution Française, France's first rock opera, in 1973, and also played the role of King Louis XVI in the show's production that year.
In 1974 he wrote the music and the lyrics of the song "Le Premier Pas", which became the number 1 popular song in France that year and sold over 1 million copies. Le Premier Pas was produced by Franck Pourcel. He recorded albums as a singer until 1985.
Schönberg then made an album in which he sang his own songs. In 1978, he dedicated his full attention to musicals when he and Alain Boublil conceived the idea for a stage musical version of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables, which opened at the Palias de Sports in Paris in 1980. The musical opened to acclaim in London in 1985 and on Broadway in 1987. The Broadway production was nominated for twelve Tony Awards and won eight, including Best Musical and Best Original Score . In 1989, Schönberg and Boublil took London by storm with the musical Miss Saigon, which starred Lea Salonga and Jonathan Pryce. In its transition to Broadway, the show broke advance-ticket sales, earning $24 million before its premiere on April 11, 1991 [1]. The show was nominated for ten Tony awards, including Best Musical and Best Original Score.
In 1997, Schönberg and Boublil premiered a new musical, Martin Guerre at the Prince Edward Theatre in London. The musical won the 1997 Olivier Award and went on to tour the UK and the United States.
Schönberg's latest project with Boublil is The Pirate Queen, a musical about the 16th century Irish pirate, chieftain and adventuress Grace O'Malley. The Pirate Queen completed its 8-week pre-Broadway tryout at Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre on November 26, 2006. The show is undergoing further development in preparation for its Broadway previews at the Hilton Theater in March 2007. The Broadway opening date is April 5, 2007. Miss Saigon co-lyricist Richard Maltby, Jr. has come on-board to work with Boublil on revisions to the book and lyrics. Additionally, Graciela Daniele will work on the musical staging.
Les Miserables celebrated its twentieth anniversary in London on October 8, 2005. The Broadway production closed on May 18, 2003, making it the third-longest-running Broadway musical following Cats and The Phantom of the Opera. Schönberg will oversee the production of Les Miserables that is returning to Broadway for a six-month engagement at the Broadhurst Theatre on November 9, 2006.
Claude-Michel Schönberg is also an ex-husband of France 2 evening news anchor Béatrice Schönberg.
He lives in London, and has 3 children.
He is actually writing the music and for the first time the arrangements, for a new ballet to be created in UK in 2011: Cléopâtra.
Rue Plumet: In My Life
Claude-Michel Schönberg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
COSETTE
How strange
This feeling that my life's begun at last
This change,
Can people really fall in love so fast?
What's the matter with you, Cosette?
So many things unclear
So many things unknown.
In my life
There are so many questions and answers
That somehow seem wrong
In my life
There are times when I catch in the silence
The sigh of a faraway song
And it sings
Of a world that I long to see
Out of reach
Just a whisper away
Waiting for me.
Does he know I'm alive?
Do I know if he's real?
Does he see what I saw?
Does he feel what I feel?
In my life
I'm no longer alone
Now the love in my life
Is so near
Find me now, find me here!
VALJEAN
Dear Cosette,
You're such a lonely child
How pensive, how sad you seem to me
Believe me, were it within my power
I'd fill each passing hour
How quiet it must be, I can see
With only me for company.
COSETTE
There's so little I know
That I'm longing to know
Of the child that I was
In a time long ago...
There's so little you say
Of the life you have known
Why you keep to yourself
Why we're always alone
So dark! So dark and deep...
The secrets that you keep!
In my life
I have all that I want
You are loving and gentle and good
But Papa, dear Papa,
In your eyes I am just like a child
Who is lost in a wood
VALJEAN
No more words
No more words. It's a time that is dead
There are words
That are better unheard,
Better unsaid.
COSETTE
In my life
I'm no longer a child and I yearn
For the truth that you know
Of the years... years ago!
VALJEAN
You will learn
Truth is given by God
To us all in our time
In our turn
(Valjean leaves the garden. Marius and Eponine arrive outside)
MARIUS
In my life
She has burst like the music of angels
The light of the sun
And my life seems to stop
As if something is over
And something has scarcely begun.
Eponine
You're the friend who has brought me here
Thanks to you I am one with the gods
And Heaven is near!
And I soar through a world that is new that is free
EPONINE (to herself)
Every word that he says is a dagger in me!
In my life
There's been no one like him anywhere
Anywhere, where he is...
If he asked... I'd be his
MARIUS & EPONINE
In my life
There is someone who touches my life
MARIUS
Waiting near
EPONINE
Waiting here
The song "In My Life" from the musical Les Miserables portrays the sentiments of the characters through their individual solos. The song contains three different solos sung by Cosette, Valjean, and then Marius and Eponine. Cosette starts the song wondering if people can fall in love so fast and expresses her desire to know more about her past. Valjean comforts her but refrains from sharing his secrets. Marius and Eponine appear at the end, and Marius confesses his love for Cosette while Eponine painfully keeps her love for him a secret.
The song is emotionally intense and delves into the complexity of relationships. It showcases the intense desire the characters have to find out more about one another while also conveying the pain they feel by holding onto their secrets. The song touches on unrequited love, aching desires, and the passing of time.
Cosette's verses are characterized by a sense of innocence and hopefulness. She has found love and is enjoying it, but she can't shake off the feeling that there's much she doesn't know about herself and her past. Valjean's verses fill the gap with his fatherly love and reassurance. However, he quickly dismisses the conversation that takes a turn towards his past.
Marius and Eponine's conversation highlights unrequited love. Marius confesses his love for Cosette without realizing that Eponine is in love with him. Eponine overhears their conversation and is left heartbroken as Marius doesn't even acknowledge her presence. The song concludes with Marius and Eponine singing together, both wishing for someone they can't have.
Overall, "In My Life" is an emotional song that connects with the audience as it deals with universal themes. It brilliantly showcases the complexity and depth of each character in few words and melodies.
Line by Line Meaning
How strange
This feeling that my life's begun at last
This change,
Can people really fall in love so fast?
Cosette is amazed by how her life has changed since she fell in love and wonders if it's too fast and too good to be true.
What's the matter with you, Cosette?
Have you been too much on your own?
So many things unclear
So many things unknown.
Cosette is talking to herself, reflecting on her solitary past and her confusion about love.
In my life
There are so many questions and answers
That somehow seem wrong
In my life
There are times when I catch in the silence
The sigh of a faraway song
And it sings
Of a world that I long to see
Out of reach
Just a whisper away
Waiting for me.
Cosette ponders life's big questions and wonders if the answers she seeks are beyond her grasp. She hears a song that reminds her of a world she yearns to visit, just out of reach.
Does he know I'm alive?
Do I know if he's real?
Does he see what I saw?
Does he feel what I feel?
Cosette wonders if her love is reciprocated and if the person she loves is even real.
In my life
I'm no longer alone
Now the love in my life
Is so near
Find me now, find me here!
Cosette revels in the fact that she is no longer alone and that love is within her grasp. She urges her love to find her.
Dear Cosette,
You're such a lonely child
How pensive, how sad you seem to me
Believe me, were it within my power
I'd fill each passing hour
How quiet it must be, I can see
With only me for company.
Valjean tells Cosette that he understands her loneliness and would like to help fill her days. He is aware that it is just the two of them most of the time, which can be quiet and lonely.
There's so little I know
That I'm longing to know
Of the child that I was
In a time long ago...
There's so little you say
Of the life you have known
Why you keep to yourself
Why we're always alone
So dark! So dark and deep...
The secrets that you keep!
Cosette expresses her curiosity about her past and her father's secrets. She wonders why her father keeps to himself and why they are always alone. She feels that his secrets are deep and dark.
No more words
No more words. It's a time that is dead
There are words
That are better unheard,
Better unsaid.
Valjean decides that they should stop talking about the past and leave it behind. He thinks it's better to keep certain things unsaid.
In my life
I'm no longer a child and I yearn
For the truth that you know
Of the years... years ago!
Cosette no longer wants to be treated like a child and wants to know the truth about her past. She longs to know about the mysteries of the past.
You will learn
Truth is given by God
To us all in our time
In our turn
Valjean tells Cosette that she will learn the truth when it is time, as truth is revealed to us all eventually.
In my life
She has burst like the music of angels
The light of the sun
And my life seems to stop
As if something is over
And something has scarcely begun.
Marius is overwhelmed by his love for Cosette, comparing her to musical and heavenly imagery. He feels like his life is beginning anew, but also like it is ending.
Every word that he says is a dagger in me!
In my life
There's been no one like him anywhere
Anywhere, where he is...
If he asked... I'd be his
Eponine is in love with Marius and is hurt by his attention to Cosette. She believes there is no one like Marius and would do anything for him.
In my life
There is someone who touches my life
Waiting near
Both Marius and Eponine have someone who has impacted their life, with Marius referring to Cosette and Eponine likely referring to Marius himself.
Waiting here
Eponine is waiting in the background, still hoping that Marius will notice her love for him.
Contributed by Emma H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.