Las Vegas Weekly

March 26, 2010 · 10:24 AM

Exclusive photos: Michel Legrand rehearses; Barbra Streisand on bill?

By Robin Leach

Michel Legrand rehearses with his orchestra at MGM Grand Garden Arena on March 25, 2010.

Photo: Tom Donoghue/www.donoghuephotography.com

It will be one of the most magical moments in music. Stars -- including a possible appearance by Barbra Streisand -- are all lined up for the ultimate tribute to the 50-year career of legendary Michel Legrand. The superstar concert at MGM Grand Garden Arena tomorrow night is being taped for later airing on PBS.

Michel, who has been nominated for 13 Academy Awards, is a three-time Oscar and five-time Grammy Award winner and will be welcomed to the stage by stars Jennifer O’Neill and Jon Voight, who will host the program. Rehearsals began yesterday, and our contributing photographer Tom Donoghue won exceptional access to shoot this gallery of platinum photos as Michel rehearsed with the orchestra for the first time.

Tom told me: “Many hometown Las Vegas musicians are playing, and you could feel the pride they are showing for this very special show. It didn’t take him very long to fix a few tweets here and there before the orchestra was sounding unbelievable. As the day progressed, you could feel in the room the show starting to build. It will be overpowering on Saturday night with all the stars. In watching him on the stage and at the piano, you could feel you were watching a true master at work.”

“I did ask his wife which song was her favorite, she smiled and said, ‘All of them.’ ”

During his extraordinary 50-year career, Michel has composed more than 200 film and TV scores, as well as several musicals. He was only 22 when his first album, I Love Paris, became one of the best-selling instrumental albums ever released. He is a virtuoso jazz and classical pianist, as well as accomplished arranger and conductor who performs with orchestras worldwide.

At tomorrow’s spectacular, Michel conducts a 66-member orchestra and performs with many of his superstar friends including George Benson, Melissa Manchester, Jerry Lewis, Dionne Warwick, Andy Williams, Patti Page, Frank Sinatra Jr. and Steve Lawrence. Quincy Jones and Roberta Flack also are taping tributes to Michel.

The event pays tribute to some of Michel’s Academy Award-winning MGM movies including Yentl, The Thomas Crown Affair and Summer of 42. Michel has recorded more than 100 albums with artists spanning jazz, variety and classical music and working with stars including Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Perry Como, Neil Diamond, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Lena Horne, James Ingram, Jack Jones, Frankie Laine, Johnny Mathis, Jessye Norman, Diana Ross, Sarah Vaughan, Tony Bennett and Liza Minnelli.

I will join Michel at the star rehearsals this afternoon, and in addition to our tweets, we’ll be back here tomorrow at Vegas DeLuxe with another photo gallery of Tom’s shots from onstage and behind the scenes of the warm-up to the extravaganza.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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