IT'S 23 years since Belgian-born singer and composer Jacques Brel died in Paris, but his music is now more popular than ever.

Next month sees the Theatre Deux Rives, from Rouen, paying homage to the man whose work has been recorded by the likes of Rod McKuen, Marc Almond, and, most notably, Sixties' star Scott Walker, with a show called Grand Jacques at the Nuffield Theatre, Southampton.

Despite an unwillingness to sing in English, refusing to work in the United States because of his opposition to the Vietnam war and his complete withdrawal from concert appearances in 1966, Brel conquered the world by proxy when his material was translated by American composers Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman.

Songs like Ne Me Quitte Pas, which evolved into If You Go Away, became showbiz standards, sometimes losing their drama and emotional intensity in the process.

Scott Walker's sensitive interpretations of songs like Jackie, Au Suivant (Next) and Amsterdam, which was also covered by David Bowie, remain a testament to the lyrical and compositional skills of the chain-smoking, uncompromising Brel.

Even before his death from lung cancer in 1978 he had acquired mythic status, which has been enhanced by the staging of Grand Jacques.

The musical, Brel Is Alive And Well And Living In Paris played for three years in New York.

The show at the Nuffield from January 28 to 30 presents many of Brel's best-loved songs, complete with heartbreaking melodies and candid, powerful lyrics focusing on sex, love, war, and above all, humanity.

All the songs will be performed in the original French, with sufficient translation to make the show fully accessible to those in the audience who are not fluent in the language.

Singer Alain Bezu and actor-musicians Philippe Davenet and Bertrand Lemarch-and join forces to tell the story of a man who was witty and moving, but rarely sentimental.

For tickets and information, call the Nuffield box office on 023 8067 1771.