Beau gosse

Today's backblip, at the final choir concert in Paziols, a village lost in the heart of the Corbières. The few photos I took were awful -- this was the best of the lot, so it will have to do. After the final concert there's always a general present-giving for director, pianist, and soloists. B (pictured) and M-F had performed a very silly duet from L'Enfant et les Sortilèges, B playing the role of a Wedgwood teapot and M-F a Chinese teacup. B was given a little teacup with a picture of a bulldog and the words Pour les beaux gosses. Very appropriate! Highly literary original lyrics by Colette:

LA THÉIÈRE (Wedgwood noire) How's your mug?
LA TASSE (chinoise) Rotten!
LA THÉIÈRE
...better had...
LA TASSE
Come on!
LA THÉIÈRE (to the Child; menacingly, with boxing actions) Black and costaud, Black and chic, jolly fellow, I punch, Sir, I punch your nose. I knock out you, stupid chose!
Black and thick, and vrai beau gosse, I box you, I marmelade you...
LA TASSE (to the Child, menacing him with pointy golden fingertips) Keng-ça-fou, Mah-jong, Keng-ça-fou, puis' -kong-kong-pran-pa, Ça-oh-râ, Ça-oh-râ...
Ça-oh-râ, Cas-ka-ra, harakiri, Sessue Hayakawa Hâ! Hâ! Ça-oh-râ toujours l'air chinoâ.
(Pause for a waltz here)
LA TASSE, LA THÉIÈRE
Hâ! Ça-oh-râ toujours l'air chinoâ. Ping, pong, ping...
LA THÉIÈRE
I boxe you.
LA TASSE, LA THÉIÈRE
Ping, pong, ping, pong, ping. Ah! Kek-ta fouhtuh d'mon Kaoua?

They cracked us up every time they did this, and the audience loved it too. The concert was excellent apart from a silly mistake by the soloist that I won't discuss further. I enjoyed this untypical repertoire much more than I thought I would, especially the Gershwin, but I'll be happy to return to something more classical next year.