The Confrontation (Les Misérables)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Confrontation is a song from the musical Les Misérables, sung by the main characters Jean Valjean and Javert. It follows Come to me and is followed by Castle on a cloud. The song is low and slow-paced. The instrumentation behind the vocals is the same as in the Work Song, the melody partly also picks up that song. The song's highlight is Javert and Valjean singing different texts on different melodies at the same time, with the lead changing. In the French version of Les Misérables, the song is also known as La confrontation.
[edit] Overview
Fantine has just died when Javert arrives to arrest Valjean. Valjean asks him three days time to fetch Fantine's daughter, Cosette, and promises to return. Javert laughs at this; a convict's promise is worth nothing to him. Javert doesn't believe that a man could possibly change; he triumphes about having at last found Valjean. He reveals that he was born in prison but chose the right way in life.
Valjean, at the same time, tells Javert, that he didn't care for his beliefs, reminding him, that his only crime was stealing a loaf of bread. He says, that he will fulfill his promise to Fantine and that he would kill Javert, if he had to, being much stronger than him.
They now both make a promise: Valjean promises the dead Fantine again to fetch her child and raise her; Javert swears to Valjean, that he'll never stop chasing him and that, one day, he will arrest him. Valjean knocks Javert out after a short fight and escapes.
