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.
The Attack
Claude-Michel Schönberg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You at the barricade listen to this
No one is coming to help you to fight
You're on your own
You have no friends
Give up your guns - or die!
Enjolras
They will see the people rise!
Students
Damn their warnings, damn their lies
They will see the people rise!
These lyrics are taken from Claude-Michel Schönberg's song The Attack, which is part of the hit musical Les Misérables. In this particular moment of the show, the army officer is warning the students who are barricaded in the streets of Paris that nobody is coming to help them. He urges them to surrender their guns, as the alternative is to die in the upcoming battle. Enjolras, the leader of the student group, fiercely rejects the officer's warning and asserts that the people will rise up against their oppressors. The students then unite in their defiance and echo Enjolras' words, proclaiming that they will not back down in their fight for justice and freedom.
The lyrics in this moment of the show speak to the theme of rebellion and the power of collective action. The students, who are vastly outnumbered and outgunned, are not deterred by the army's warning, and instead choose to band together and fight for their cause. Enjolras' leadership and unwavering determination inspire his peers to stand with him, and their unified front represents the strength that can be found in community and shared purpose.
Line by Line Meaning
You at the barricade listen to this
Pay attention to what I'm saying
No one is coming to help you to fight
You can't count on anyone else to support you in this battle
You're on your own
You are alone in this fight
You have no friends
You cannot rely on friends or allies to aid you in this struggle
Give up your guns - or die!
Surrender your weapons or face death
Damn their warnings, damn their lies
Condemn the false promises and deceitful statements of those in power
They will see the people rise!
The people will not be defeated and will instead rise up to fight for their cause
Contributed by Isabelle V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.