Three years before passing away in 1963, Edith Piaf introduced to music audiences "Non, je ne regrette rien" (I do not regret anything), a song that was to become one of her biggest hits and one that touched the hearts of her fans worldwide. In it, she sings: “I do not regret anything, not the good things people have done to me, not the bad things, it's all the same to me...”

The life and career of Edith Piaf, or Little Sparrow, as her stage name Piaf indicates in French, will be commemorated at the Cairo Opera House on 19 December, the day that marks her birth centenary.

Piaf was not a beauty, neither did she touch on the senses that Marilyn Monroe or Marlene Dietrich did, her stage clothes were not the epitome of Parisian fashion, and she was always seen in her simple black dress. Edith Piaf just sang. It is through her simplicity and the emotional honesty in her music and lyrics that she managed to reach the hearts of many.

Her life was far from being the happiest one, though she used to say that if not for the life she had, she would not have been able to sing the way she did.

Piaf is recognised for many iconic songs and ballads in which she reflected on her life. They include "La Vie en rose" (1946), "Hymne à l'amour" (1949), "Milord" (1959), "La Foule" (1957), "Non, je ne regrette rien" (1960).

Reuters reported that in the weeks marking 100 years since Piaf's birth, Paris's National Library of France has launched an exhibition dedicated to the iconic singer.

"Hundreds of posters, letters, manuscripts, photographs, film clips and even her signature black dress are among the 400 items on display. The exhibition retraces the singer's life, from her humble beginnings as the daughter of travelling performers to fame.”

The evening at the Cairo Opera House will feature singer Ketty Orzola, Pascale Rozier on piano and Patrick Rozier on clarinet.

Programme:
Saturday 19 December, 8pm
Cairo Opera House, small hall, Zamalek, Cairo 

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