AN evening for the senses

MANILA, Philippines - A dimly-lit restaurant. An open bottle of pinot noir, its tall neck gazing down the rim of a lipstick-stained wine glass. A chanteuse sensually pours her emotions into a love song. An amuse bouche before you, with a winking “come hither” look. You take a bite. The flavors dance in your mouth. You wonder how this tiny morsel can so grab you. You sigh.

It’s another romantic night – is it in France? It doesn’t have to be. It’s quite easy for the Filipino to conjure such a scenario. The local dining scene is rife with candlelit restaurants that implicitly promise forever to lovers over a four-course meal. There is no shortage of wavy-haired lounge singers decked in sparkly gowns that croon the standards. 

And then there is Mouron. The French singer visits Manila on April 1 and 2 at Mandarin Oriental, Manila, accompanied by an art display, as well a tempting dinner menu on April 2.

At first glance, the petite and gamine Mouron is not your typical torch singer. Her hair is cut in a pixie. She wears a pinstriped suit. But her voice – oh that voice! It is raw and powerful, emotional and sensual. All at once, she evokes sadness and joy and hope and despair. Edith Piaf, Jacques Brel, Juliette Greco and Serge Gainsbourg come to mind.

You read her biography: “The Diva of Chanson,” it says.

It’s no surprise: Mouron was born into a musical family, and began writing her own songs at the age of 12. She performed at the L’Olympia, France’s most famous theater, at age 17. She was awarded the Grand Prix Academie Charles Cros in 1988 for her first album. She has serenaded thousands of fans throughout the world, including Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Slovenia, Ukraine, Belgium, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam – an unofficial ambassador of French song.

Her two-night concert, appropriately titled “Hymnes À L’amour” (Songs of Love), is combined with French cuisine and artistry, and altruism. Mouron’s Manila performances will be for the benefit of the d’Aboville Foundation and Demo Farm Inc.’s reforestation and rural electrification project for the Iraya Mangyan community in Barangay Baclayan, the only barangay without electricity in the municipality of Puerto Galera.

The sensory experience continues as young French-Filipina artist Olivia d’Aboville’s works will also be on display on both evenings at the MO Lounge and at The Tivoli. She works with mass-produced objects such as plastic spoons and forks, disposable water bottles and other utilitarian items and, together with an interplay of light, transforms them into captivating works of organic sea creatures. A silent auction for one of Olivia d’Aboville’s works will also be held: Physophora sp., a long sculpture reminiscent of a deep-sea creature.

“It’s my favorite,” notes the artist. “This is one of my first pieces, and I consider this to be my signature.” Proceeds from the auction will likewise go to the d’Aboville Foundation and Demo Farm Inc.’s projects.

One’s taste buds will also be enthralled. The concert on April 1 at the MO Lounge will have hors d’oeuvres and wines, while April 2 will have Mouron at The Tivoli, with a special four-course dinner by The Tivoli’s French Chef Remi Vercelli. The menu is paired with French wines from the cellar of Sommelier Selection.

For details, call the Mandarin Oriental at 750 8888.