By D: Hanging By CMS' Bedroom
He was captivated by a single photo where the mother, with pain palpable on her face, was saying her last goodbyes to her bui-doi. It was but a single picture, of emotions caught on a flash, that immortalized her and fired-up the imagination of one French and the world of musical theatre. His name is Claude Michel Schonberg.
My first memory of Schonberg was of him playing the piano. He was with Lea Salonga, while she tried out the strains, in her melodious voice, of Sun and Moon. They were on TV as Saigon specials were aired every day. Every little girl at that time wanted to be Lea Salonga. From obscurity (in the global sense), Schonberg brought the Philippines and Lea to the forefront of musical history.
My last memory of him was of one Sunday afternoon, four years ago. He was sitting across from me, while strings were playing and the Sofitel dessert tempted us from the distance.