UN SAC DE BILLES.

 

 

Based upon the novel A BAG OF MARBLES by Joseph Joffo, UN SAC DE BILLES was directed by Christian Duguay. It is the second film version of the novel the first being released in 1975. The music for this version of the story is the work of the brilliantly talented Armand Amar, he is for me personally a composer who has never disappointed and has always been able to experiment and re-invent himself and his musical styles on every project he is involved with. UN SAC DE BILLES is set in the dark and dangerous days of World War 2, in France and focuses upon two young Brothers, Joseph and Maurice, who are Jewish and are sent to the free zone by their parents. This is a story of both courage and determination and shows how the two siblings escape the occupying Nazi’s and attempt to re-unite their family. The musical score is a delight and contains so many delicately coloured musical themes and textures that it is something I for one listened to three times before sitting down writing this review. I believe composer Armand Aman is a breath of fresh air in film music, and thankfully is one of the very few composers that is working in film today that still creates themes and motifs in an abundance that it is astonishing to think that one person composed all of them. As I have said he is a composer that is not afraid of experimentation, not afraid of using instruments that maybe might seem out of place, because each time he gets the desired effect and results. His music is varied, vibrant and above all innovative. Born in Jerusalem in 1953 he spent his childhood in Morocco, and it is here that he became immersed in the what must have seemed to be the exotic and ethnic sounds of the Country. He taught himself how to play various instruments including the Tablas, Congas and Zarbe, at the same time he familiarized himself with other instruments, many of which the composer has put to effect use within his scores for both television and film. He also studied more traditional music and was classically trained under the guidance of various masters and tutors. In the 1970, s the composer became involved in writing music for dance and felt that he could fully express himself musically via this medium, later when teaching at the Higher National Music School, he began to become focused upon the relationship between music and dance. Since those early days the composer has worked with numerous choreographers who are well known and respected in contemporary dance circles. He began to write music for TV and film during the 1990’s and considering his late arrival onto the film music stage it is truly amazing to see the impressive list of projects he worked upon. Thus far into his career the composer has been involved in the scoring numerous acclaimed documentaries.

His highly addictive, emotive and haunting compositions have become the beautiful and dramatic background to motion pictures of all genres and not just a background, because his scores are an essential and vitally important component of the film making process. His music essentially becoming another character within a storyline, or being a part of a scene in a documentary or motion picture. The music that he composed for UN SAC DE BILLES is probably a more conventional approach for the composer, by this I mean it is symphonic, and there is not a great deal of ethnic or unusual instrumentation included, this is more of a piano, strings and cello work, and one that is simply spellbinding. The composer has crafted a soundtrack that overflows with highly emotive themes, and is laden with fragile and delicate sounding musical phrases and passages, it underlines and supports the storyline fully, and has all the attributes and rich thematic qualities to enable it to be a heart-warming and enriching listening experience away from the images which it was intended to enhance. Take a listen to track number,19, PARIS EST LIBERE as an example,  this is an uplifting composition for building strings that swell and ooze emotion and are filled with so much joy and relief they sound as if they are fit to burst.  This is a soundtrack that you MUST add to your collection, if you do not then you will so much poorer emotionally without it, and while you are looking for this score, why not take a look at the rest of this composers works, his output is verging on the unbelievable and his talent is boundless.

 

 

THE HISTORY OF LOVE.

 

Armand Amar is a composer I have long admired, he is a composer, musician and arranger that for me is not afraid of experimentation when he writes for film, but he is sometimes criticised by many collectors who have said that the orchestration or the sound he employs is at times a little different, but surely that’s what writing for film is all about, to come up with something, a sound a musical passage or a theme that is innovative and different or original as I would call it. Born in Jerusalem in 1953 he spent his childhood in Morocco, and it is here that he became immersed in the what must have seemed to be the exotic and ethnic sounds of that region. He learned how to play various instruments including the Tablas, Congas and Zarb and familiarised himself with other instruments. He also studied more traditional music and classical music under various masters and tutors. In the mid-1970, s the composer became involved in writing music for dance and could fully express himself musically via this medium and later when teaching at the Higher National Music School focused upon the relationship between music and dance. Since that time the composer has worked with numerous choreographers who are well known and respected in contemporary dance circles. During the 1990, s, he began to write music for TV and film and has during his career been involved in the scoring numerous acclaimed documentaries. His highly addictive, emotive and haunting compositions have become the beautiful and dramatic background to motion pictures of all genres and not just a background as his scores are an essential and vitally important component of the entire film making process. In many ways, it is like the films this composer works upon, have been made in monochrome and Amar is the artist who is adding colour and creating atmospheres and moods via his stunning compositions, this of course is in no way derogatory to the skills and visions of the many directors and producers he has collaborated with over the years. Armand Amar is also a composer who utilises the human voice frequently and to great effect within his scores, whether this be in the form of songs or wordless vocals, either way the result is always mesmerizing, stunning and striking. One of his recent scoring assignments is for an American made motion picture entitled THE HISTORY OF LOVE, it stars British actor Derek Jacobi, Elliot Gould and Gemma Arteton. Based upon the best-selling book by Nicole Krauss and directed by Radu Mihaileanu it tells the story of star-crossed lovers in a saga that travels from a Polish shtetl to New York’s Jewish community. The musical score is wonderfully melodic, diverse and original with the composer fusing many styles and musical colours to create a shimmering and delicately effecting work.

It is filled with themes that are rich and elegant with the composer’s flair for innovative orchestration shining through at every opportunity, giving the work a sound and a style that is at times filled with threat and gloom but on other occasions it has an aura of hope, melancholy and romanticism. The composer utilises solo piano, strings and a range of ethnic instrumentation that adds weight and credence to the proceedings. Take a listen to track number nine, THE DEATH OF ALMA this is a piece that begins slowly and is at first is a fragile and somewhat apprehensive sounding composition, solo piano and viola being the two main instruments, as the track builds and progresses the string section is brought into the mix, with fleeting brass stabs and timpani punctuating which takes the cue into a more dramatic and urgent mode before it returns to the calming viola solo which gradually becomes centre stage again as the string section and brass accompaniment fades away. THE HISTORY OF LOVE is a delightful score a work that is on first listen filled with surprises and “different orchestration” but it is also a score that I know will become a regular listen for any film music collector once heard. Recommended, and if you like this why not check out the immense catalogue of this talented composer.