NEW FROM DISQUES CINEMUSIQUE.

LA DENTELLIÈRE (THE LACEMAKER / 500 EDITION)

Music composed by Pierre Jansen

DCM 155 • UPC: 771028238538

Release date: December 2, 2013

 

A CD premiere from Disques Cinémusique for one of the finest scores by Pierre Jansen, a composer best known for his extensive collaboration with caustic director Claude Chabrol (The Butcher, This Man Must Die).

A faithful adaptation of a novel by Pascal Lainé, winner of France’s prestigious Goncourt Prize, 1977’s La Dentellière (The Lacemaker) tells in a gentle way the transient love affair between a modest trainee hairdresser and a self-centered student belonging to the petite bourgeoisie. Young Isabelle Huppert gives a flawless performance in the lead part, paving the way to one of the most successful careers as an actress in contemporary French cinema.

Director Claude Goretta was not sure about the music he wanted for his beautiful but slow paced movie. He had Schubert in mind but wanted something original and tailored made. Pierre Jansen (born in 1930), managed to deliver a rich and surprisingly diverse score. While remaining subdued in the sound mix of the movie, it can be fully appreciated on our carefully mastered album.

On the one hand, for the prevalent, dramatic part, The Lacemaker offers classical-style pieces performed by a traditional orchestra dominated by strings and woodwinds, highlighting flute, piano and guitar. On the other hand, there is popular source music typical of the seventies, with synthesizer, electric guitars, drums and vocals. These lighter pieces rival the best achievements of this kind of music from pop specialists in vogue at the time. Both genres are grouped into separate blocks. Once again Jansen shows us con brio that a genuine “serious” film composer must be extraordinarily eclectic.

This limited edition of 500 copies is licensed by Gruppo Sugar. Color insert with a 6-page booklet.

LE FAUSSAIRE (CIRCLE OF DECEIT / 500 EDITION)

Music composed and conducted by Maurice Jarre
DCM 154 • UPC: 771028238484
Release date : December 2,  2013

 

A less known score from the great Maurice Jarre (1924 – 2009) makes its premiere on CD from the Canadian label Disques Cinémusique.  

 

Volker Schlöndorff’s Circle of Deceit, released in 1981, follows a German reporter (Bruno Ganz) on a mission to Beirut to cover the ongoing conflict between Christians and Muslims. Confronted with the horrors and the complexity of this civil war, he comes to question the usefulness of his profession. On his return to Berlin, in a crisis of conscience, he refuses to sell his article to the newspaper.

 

Schlöndorff starkly shows the harsh reality of a conflict with universal and topical resonance. He denounces at the same time the excesses of the press, which tend to favor sensationalism rather than rigorous analysis of the situation. Against a conventional war movie backdrop, the director takes a documentary approach, incorporating real fight scenes into his narrative. What Circle of Deceit loses as entertainment, it gains in authenticity and realism.

 

Composer Maurice Jarre, who had previously collaborated with Schlöndorff for The Tin Drum, opts for a largely atonal score, but it is not unattractive for that. Though disconcerting at first glance, the cues quickly become enthralling and prove to be very efficient on a dramatic level. The synthesizer and a chorus occasionally support the orchestra dominated by brass. Jarre uses many exotic plucked instruments, as well as a wide array of percussion, providing local color throughout the score. All in all, Circle of Deceit will be a nice surprise for the composer’s fans. Limited edition of 500 licensed by Argos Films. Color insert with a 4-page booklet.