It really was ‘la vie en rose’ at the Ballarat Botanical Gardens on Sunday evening, without the need for rose-coloured glasses.
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The gardens came alive first with the sounds of the French songstress Edith Piaf – channelled by Amie Brulee – and then the internationally-inspired Tek Tek ensemble.
Brulee swung between the ‘gypsy jazz’, which got people swinging, and the slower Piaf songs.
She also shared Piaf’s life story (too sad for this newspaper), before counteracting the songstress’ grim tale with one of the ‘Little Sparrow’ songs.
A large crowd sat in the dwindling summer sun to enjoy the sounds and food on offer for the third Summer Sundays event of the season.
Brulee told The Courier on Friday she was looking forward to playing to children, and they returned her enthusiasm with interest, dancing up the front and especially sparking up on her Django Reinhardt-inspired numbers.
Ballarat Symphony Orchestra will next week play the last Summer Sundays concert of this series, and have been given the whole booking to charm crowds with a mix of classical favourites and some sounds to expand the ever-growing Ballarat Botanical Gardens crowd’s now eclectic musical experiences.
alex.hamer@fairfaxmedia.com.au