You´re one composer with a very singular, instantly recognizable musical identity, largely due to the marriage of World music with the Western classical musical culture. Listening to a score like "Himalaya" for instance, I can´t help but to wonder if this comes out naturally due to your training as a composer and your musical background or is it part of an aim to create an authentic sound?
Nowadays, composers have their ears open to world music and are lucky to have access to many traditional music resources and players. When I was working on Himalaya, I didn´t try to compose Tibetan music (I think I´d be really incapable of that!) but to obtain impressions and colors from their musical tradition instead.
Français: Aujourd´hui les compositeurs ont les oreilles ouvertes sur les musiques du monde et ont la chance d´avoir accès à plein de musiques traditionnelles. Quand je travaille sur Himalaya, je ne cherche pas à faire de la musique tibétaine (j´en serai bien incapable) mais d´obtenir des impressions à partir de cette tradition musicale.
"To be by your side", one of your most genuine compositions in a very charming score overall, "Winged Migration" (Le Peuple Migrateur). How did the collaboration with Nick Cave, one very well known and respected rock / film artist, came up? Was the sound of the songs and the score overall influenced by his presence - or in fact - Gabriel Yacoub, in the project?
For a long time, I felt great an admiration towards Nick Cave and his music; I always loved his lyrics, the poem-like texts he writes for his songs and his unique, truly singular way of singing. Our collaboration therefore came along very naturally; I sent him the music and he wrote his lyrics ontop of that, and then we recorded the song in Paris all in perfect harmony.With his aura, he gave us an enlightened perspective on the movie.
Français: Depuis longtemps, j´ai une grande admiration pour Nick Cave dont j´aime les textes et sa manière singulière de chanter. Notre collaboration a été très naturelle, je lui ai envoyé la musique et il a écrit son texte, puis nous l´avons enregistré à Paris en parfaite harmonie. Par son aura, il nous donne un regard éclairé sur le film.
Many contemporary composers neglect the art of film music mostly due to its fixed nature, the on-demand commissioned musical styles, the rush and the 2ndary role a film´s score appears to have, at least to them; i.e. following the director´s wishes and what the images dictate. Do you compromise as a composer? Do you feel artistically restrained or is there really a way to funnel your sound and musical wishes through the director´s and their movie? Do you ever feel the need to channel some of your creative journeys in extra-film territories, like– for instance, contemporary and concert compositions?
When we compose film music, we have to be very honest and adapt ourselves to the movie on which we are working on. If some films require an ambitious music, the composer´s work naturally becomes more personal as they´re free to express themselves, it all comes out easily and naturally. But at the same time and on the other hand, it´s also fascinating for the composer to try and discover his own new territories when the movie demands different and simpler musical universes which do indeed provide a better fit for some movies; for the composer, the latter case is sometimes even more difficult than the first case.
I think that any "real" composer has to return to concert compositions sometimes, because it´s the only way for one to experience the need to compose music and express themselves.
Regarding Benoît Jacquot´s next movie "Au fond des bois", the director asked me to write a violin concerto and to record it before shooting. Then both elements merge: an ambitious personal composition on the larger scale, as well as music which works with the movie as well.
Français: Lorsqu´on compose de la musique de film, on doit le faire avec la plus grande honnêteté et s´adapter au film sur lequel on travaille. Si certains films exigent une musique ambitieuse, le travail du compositeur devient plus personnel mais il est aussi passionnant de trouver son propre territoire dans des univers musicaux plus simples mais qui conviennent mieux à certains films (c´est parfois même plus difficile).
Je pense que tout "vrai" compositeur doit revenir de temps en temps à l´écriture pour le concert car c´est le seul moyen d´éprouver sa nécessité de composer de la musique.
Pour le prochain film de Benoît Jacquot "Au fond des bois", le réalisateur m´a demandé d´écrire un concerto pour violon et de l´enregistrer avant le tournage du film. Alors les deux éléments se rejoignent, une écriture ambitieuse et personnelle et une music qui fonctionne avec le film.
On the one side of your work body, one meets pure and delicate melody like in "Travelling Birds", "Count of Monte Cristo", "Coraline", "Himalaya" and on the other end, we find experimental and complex compositions, quirky sound schemes and unique blends in concepts like "Belphégor - Le Fantôme du Louvre", that dark beast, or "Genesis"; Where do these stem from and is the creative process of creating those aural landscapes any different than the more conventional film scores?
Regarding the movies based on landscapes and visuals, documentaries or more traditional fiction, the musician still has the same problem: how do you compose music which seems to belong only to the movie it illustrates and underlines? How do you make it as obvious and as natural as that the light of the film?
Français: Pour les films de paysages, les documentaires ou fictions plus traditionnelles se pose le même problème au musicien : comment faire pour que la musique semble n´appartenir qu´au film qu´elle illustre ? Comment la rendre aussi évidente et naturelle que la lumière du film?
In similar tone with the above, your score for "De L´Amour" comes to mind. The cue "La Cabine" for instance, is known for its combination of symphonic elegance with trip hop elements, making the composition sounding completely natural, like those 2 elements were never strangers in the first place. What´s the creative process for that like?
For "La Cabine", the trip hop element comes right at the end of the movie, right when a long and obsessive sequence ends. By the repetition of its rhythmic cell, it helps the narrative move forward but also plays and goes alone with the Time as well. The orchestra which is added in there also plays a rather emotion role and gives a redemptive aspect to the character.
Somehow, the music is a savior for the character who is otherwise a monster. The combination of these two elements, trip hop and traditional orchestration, plays on two different sides but their fusion comes along very naturally, I hope.
Français: Pour "La Cabine", l´élément Trip Hop amène à la fin du film une longue séquence obsessionnelle. Par la répétition de sa cellule rythmique, elle fait avancer la narration et joue avec le temps. L´orchestre qui s´y rajoute, joue plutôt sur l´émotion et donne un aspect rédempteur au personnage.
D´une certaine manière la musique sauve le personnage qui pourtant est un monstre. la combinaison de ces deux éléments trip hop et orchestration traditionnelle joue sur deux côtés différents mais leur fusion se fait, j´espère, naturelle.
Something which is in the mind of anyone who´s ever appreciated your music, is your trademarked affinity for the human voice; an element completely integral to the largest percentage of your work body. Where does this come from? You´re always using distinctive vocal ensembles / combinations of different voices in your scores whilst most of the times (like in - again, "Himalaya" or "Winged Migration" and "Belphégor" for instance) attributing them the primal role in your music.
Indeed the human voice has always fascinated me and as I see it, brings a great emotional strength and larger depth to the images. The child´s voice, for example, reminds me of the fantasy or even terror because it is at the age of the first discoveries, the early fears and thrills. I particularly enjoy working with a vocal ensemble to create unique colors.
With the Corsican Group A´Filetta, I discovered the richness (treasure) of traditional music and the potential of these musicians who work primarily with their ears and hearing. With more conventional choirs, like in the “Mikrokosmos” score, I like to mix the orchestra and then create new sound textures ontop of that. The choir becomes more instrumental and the sung text has no real, perceptible meaning.
Français: Effectivement la voix humaine m´a toujours fasciné et apporte pour moi une force émotionnelle très grande aux images. La voix d´enfant par exemple, évoque pour moi le fantastique ou même la terreur car c´est l´âge des premières découvertes, des premières peurs.
J´aime particulièrement travailler avec un ensemble vocal pour créer des couleurs singulières. Avec l´ensemble Corse A´Filetta, j´ai découvert toute la richesse de la musique traditionnelle et le potentiel de ces musiciens qui travaillent à l´oreille. Avec les choeurs plus classiques (Mikrokosmos), j´aime les mélanger à l´orchestre et créer ainsi de nouvelles textures. Le choeur devient plus instrumental et le texte chanté n´a plus de sens véritablement perceptible.
Where do you find yourself most comfortable working at? In Melodic or experimental modes? Song-driven perhaps? Or even in the classical lush and romantic "Count of Monte Cristo" - for the Depardieu miniseries? What´s your dream project and do you think there will ever be a state where you´ll feel complete as a composer and an artist.
I feel myself naturally more comfortable with experimentation. Cinema is an opening to the world and my greatest happiness is to discover new worlds every time.
For me, the dream is to consider the next movie as it would be my first one, an eternal new beginning.
Français: Je me sens naturellement plus à l´aise avec l´expérimentation. Le cinéma est une ouverture sur le monde et mon grand bonheur est de découvrir chaque fois de nouveaux univers.
Pour moi, le rêve est de considérer le prochain film comme un premier, un éternel recommencement.
Interview conducted by Demetris Christodoulides, Thessaloniki, Greece. Fall 2010
A warm thanks to Bruno Coulais for his honest input and for his time. Also a huge thank you goes out to Ray and Andy from the Costa Communications agency for their intermediate help.
Thanks to the following people for their much appreciated help: Joep de Bruijn, Martin Provost, Pawel Stroinski and Bregt De Lange
9-october-2010
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