Coco Avant Chanel Soundtrack Review
Delicate, Winning Drama Score from Alexandre Desplat
Jul 15, 2009 David Abraham Dueck
Desplat’s voice in the film scoring world is a unique and beloved one, and admirers of his music will be thrilled to know that while his score for the biopic Coco Avant Chanel is largely more of the same, it is undeniably of that extremely high compositional quality which his fans have rightly come to expect. Coco Avant Chanel is a lovely, dramatic work.
The Musical Voice of Alexandre Desplat
“Elegant” is an easy word to use when describing an Alexandre Desplat score, as are the words “intelligent,” “delightful,” “nostalgic” and “beautiful.” His scores display an amazing affinity for orchestration and rich dramatic texture which make each score he writes an enchanting listening experience, if not a completely memorable one.
His seeming focus on layers of instrumentation and the overall tone of his score cause obvious thematic development to take a back seat, and while he has an uncanny knack for writing delicious original waltzes for each of his scores, it could be all too easy to consider the body of Desplat’s dramatic scores to suffer from a certain degree of anonymity, despite the rich beauty of each individual score.
Themes in Desplat’s Coco Avant Chanel Score
Unlike Desplat’s other recent score of 2009, Cheri, which featured some amusingly prickly comedy flavours, Coco is largely a delicate, nostalgic work, never flashy and always very rooted in that fluid, rippling classicism which defines Desplat’s best works.
The main themes are introduced in the beginning of the score across the first few cues. “L’Abandon” puts Desplat’s lovely primary theme on full display, a rhythmic piece for piano and strings which slowly envelops the listener with its astonishing balance of innocence and maturity. “Chex Chanel” changes the tone significantly, introducing Desplat’s waltz theme in a more breezy, romantic and whimsical atmosphere.
“Coco & Boy” introduces a more sweepingly romantic theme, although the orchestrations remain restrained and introspective. It is a winning theme with an almost brooding sense of yearning, balanced with an innocent (perhaps even naïve) sense of optimism.
Potential Anonymity of Coco Soundtrack in Desplat’s Canon
These themes make up the bulk of the fairly short album, which totals just less than forty minutes in length. The main theme’s emphasis on rhythm over melody makes it yet another Desplat theme which must be heard many times to consciously recall later on, and the waltz structure of his second theme is admittedly very similar to other waltzes from Desplat’s career.
However, all the themes are extremely fine in construction and rewarding as listening experiences, and provide a level of instrumental complexity which, as is typical of Desplat’s work, is belied by the gentleness of his textures and melodies.
Conclusion
In summary, Coco Avant Chanel is extremely typical of Alexandre Desplat’s work in his field, and this may well be the dividing line for collectors of film scores. Those who admire and enjoy the man’s work in general will find much to enjoy in this score, for it is yet another excellent and gorgeous work from a composer whose skill is undeniable.
For those who are tiring of his extremely consistent output for period dramas and romances, however, it may come across as anonymous, repetitive and unoriginal. One should let one’s current attitude towards Desplat be the primary guiding factor in pursuing this album.
See Also: Cheri Soundtrack Review, Largo Winch Soundtrack Review, Benjamin Button Soundtrack Review
Coco Avant Chanel Album Cover
|
Alexandre Desplat, Composer
|
What do you think about this article?
Latest Articles