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.
Who Am I?
Claude-Michel Schönberg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
he knew him at a glance.
The stranger he has found,
This man could be my chance.
Why should i save his hide?
Why should i right this wrong?
When i have come so far,
And struggled for so long.
If i stay silent i am damned.
i am the master of hundreds of workers,
they all look to me
can i abandon them, how would they live
if i am not free?
if i speak, i am condemend
If i stay silent i am damned...
Who am i?
can i condemn this man to slavery
pretend i do not see his agony
this innocent who bears my face
who goes to judgement in my place
Who am i?
can i conceal myself forever more
pretend i'm not the man i was before?
and must my name until i die,
be no more than an alibi,
must i lie?
how can i ever face my fellow men
how can i ever face myself again
my soul belongs to God i know,
i made that bargain long ago
he gave me hope when hope was gone
he gave me strength to journey on
Who am i?
who am i?
i'm Jean Valjean!
And so Javert you see it's true
That man bears no more guilt than you
who am i....24601!
The lyrics of "Who Am I?" from the musical "Les Misérables" is a reflection of the inner struggle of Jean Valjean, the singer of the play. In this song, he is posing a series of profound questions to himself - who am I really? Can I abandon my hard-earned freedom to save this stranger? Should I reveal my true identity and risk losing everything I have built over the years? He is torn between his moral compass and his practical reasons for staying quiet. The song becomes even more complex when we read between the lines and realize that this is a metaphor for much larger social injustices. Jean is a representative of the entire working class, who have been subjected to years of oppression under the ruling class. By choosing to speak up and risking his own life, Jean is not just saving one man but standing up for the entire community.
Line by Line Meaning
He thinks that man is me,
He judges me so quickly and assumes that I am someone I am not.
he knew him at a glance.
He formed an immediate opinion of me without knowing anything about me.
The stranger he has found,
He has come across a person he considers a stranger and assumes that person is me.
This man could be my chance.
If I help this person, it may be the opportunity I need to redeem myself.
Why should i save his hide?
Why should I risk my own safety to protect his?
Why should i right this wrong?
Why should I go out of my way to correct a wrongdoing that is not my responsibility?
When i have come so far,
After all the progress and changes I have made in my life,
And struggled for so long.
After all the difficulties and hardships I have experienced,
If I speak, i am condemned,
If I speak out, I will be punished and perceived as guilty.
If i stay silent i am damned.
If I keep quiet, I will be causing harm or contributing to injustice even though I am innocent.
i am the master of hundreds of workers,
I am responsible for guiding and directing the lives of many people.
they all look to me
They depend on me for leadership and support.
can i abandon them, how would they live
If I abandon them or am unable to continue leading them, how will they survive?
if i am not free?
If I am imprisoned or do not have the power to lead, how will they thrive?
Who am i?
Who am I really, what is my true identity?
can i condemn this man to slavery
Can I really allow this man to be enslaved or mistreated?
pretend i do not see his agony
Act as if I do not know the pain and suffering this innocent person is experiencing.
this innocent who bears my face
An innocent person who looks similar to me and whom I can easily empathize with.
who goes to judgement in my place
A person who could easily be mistaken for me and end up being punished in my place.
can i conceal myself forever more
Is it really possible for me to continue hiding and pretending to be someone I am not indefinitely?
pretend i'm not the man i was before?
Continue to pretend that I am not the same person I was in the past.
and must my name until i die,
Will I always be known and judged by my past actions and reputation?
be no more than an alibi,
Will my current identity and actions serve only as an excuse for my past wrongdoings?
must i lie?
Do I have to continue lying and deceiving others to protect myself and my reputation?
how can i ever face my fellow men
How can I ever interact with and earn the trust of the people around me?
how can i ever face myself again
How can I ever look at myself in the mirror and feel proud or worthy?
my soul belongs to God i know,
I recognize and accept that I am accountable to a higher power.
i made that bargain long ago
I willingly made that commitment and sacrifice to better myself.
he gave me hope when hope was gone
He provided me with faith and optimism during my darkest moments.
he gave me strength to journey on
He enabled me to push forward and continue striving towards living a better life.
i'm Jean Valjean!
I am the person who has gone through this internal struggle and reflection.
And so Javert you see it's true
And to the person who doubts or judges me, Javert, my identity is true and proven.
That man bears no more guilt than you
This man is not any more guilty or deserving of condemnation than you, Javert.
who am i....24601!
Who am I really and what has been the meaning of the struggle I have been going through this whole time?
Contributed by Natalie I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.