In September 2002 the pair went on to release a joint album entitled Ma plus belle histoire d'amour... Barbara. The opus, presented in an elegant 50s-style cover, featured 13 tracks recorded with the Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra and produced by Fabrice Aboulker. And what overwhelmingly moving listening the album makes with Ann'So's extraordinary vocals recalling the Dame Brune's haunting tones and Romanelli guiding his young partner in the musical footsteps of the legendary French chanson star who died just five years ago.

A few weeks later the duo transposed their album to the stage, bringing the house down at Paris theatre L'Européen. Their show, directed by choreographer Bruno Agati, produced by Victor Bosch (Notre-Dame de Paris) and illuminated by lighting genius Jacques Rouveyrollis is set to run until 31 December (after which the duo hope to take it on tour). Their musical/theatrical tribute to Barbara is infused with Romanelli's personal memories and Ann'So's admiration. RFI/Musique investigates:

RFI/Musique: Roland, what initially caught your attention when you heard Ann'So singing on the radio?
Romanelli: Well, it was the first time in my life that I'd heard anyone sing a Barbara song with such emotion and yet at the same time such subtlety (Ann'So pretends to faint!) No, honestly, it's true, I thought it was amazing! I've heard a lot of different artists singing Barbara in my time but none of them moved me the way Ann'So did. It really made my day!

Were you struck by her performance because there were certain similarities between Ann'So and Barbara?
R: No, it wasn't that. It was more a question of rediscovering that special ambience, what I'd call the distinctive Barbara spirit. That's what struck me most about Ann'So's performance. She stayed incredibly close to the original lyrics!

How did you go about choosing which songs to include on the album?
R: We sat down and listened to every song Barbara ever recorded and then Ann'So made a final selection...
A: Basically, some songs suited my voice better than others…
R: And, then of course there were some songs which could only ever be sung by Barbara...
A: ...like Ma plus belle histoire d'amour, for instance. That's why we chose to call the album that, but there was no way we wanted to do that song live on stage! Ma plus belle histoire d'amour belongs to Barbara and her fans – there's no way round that! Basically, we chose to include a lot of songs about love. And then there are the songs which symbolise Barbara's life – her birth, her background, her career highs and lows, then her death.

So the album's basically a mix of old favourites and lesser-known works?
R: Yes, more or less. But even the lesser-known songs on the album were all performed on stage in her lifetime. We'd perform them fairly regularly, in fact. Actually with Barbara it was always next to impossible to add songs in or leave others out when it came to choosing the running order for a show. It was always such a painful choice.

Why did you choose to record the album with a full orchestra?
A (speaking to R.): It's true, you told me Barbara never really used strings much, that wasn't really her thing...
R: She only used them with Michel Colombier on the albums L'Aigle Noir (1970) and Le Soleil Noir (1968). She felt very confident with Michel and had the impression that his arrangements really enveloped her songs. But generally speaking, what Barbara loved was totally minimalist arrangements. That's what she worked so well on stage. There were just two of us to begin with, and then three when Gérard Daguerre joined us in the 80s. But even Gérard didn't feature that much. He only played piano when Barbara got up to sing. I think it was pretty brave for a musician to accept that kind of deal, in fact.

One of the interesting things about your show is that it's directed by a choreographer. Barbara herself had a very special way of moving on stage, didn't she?
R: Well, in the early days of her career she didn't move at all, she'd stay glued to her piano from beginning to end. But when she started using other instruments in her concerts that meant she could escape from behind the piano. And she soon ended up getting a real taste for moving about the stage!

She did this special thing with her rocking-chair as well, didn't she?
R: Yes, that's right, she used it to dramatic effect on the song A peine. She came up with the idea of using the rocking-chair as a means of getting across stage. She'd rock her way back and forth across stage, sliding along as if she were on rollerskates...
A: And you'd get a glimpse of her feet furiously kicking away beneath her skirt...

Ann'So, are you worried that people might draw direct comparisons between your performance and Barbara's originals?
A: Well, I think that's going to be inevitable really. But I wouldn't say I'm particularly worried about it. I like the idea of provoking some reaction in people. After all, the worst thing in life is indifference!

How do you feel about the fact that Barbara's most committed fans might consider her repertoire as sacred and thus 'untouchable'?
R: I think Barbara had a particularly intelligent and enlightened public. And I don't think this show will leave anyone indifferent. On the whole, I feel I really owed it to myself to do it!
A: All I can say is, Roland never got the chance to say goodbye to Barbara and I never got the chance to say hello. So in one way or another we absolutely had to end up doing this show!