Continuing with our catch-up of weekly recommended scores, here’s another round-up of scores that caught my attention over the week ending, 19th January 2024.
Adieu Bonaparte (1985) – Gabriel Yared (Decca Records France)
Set during Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign, the historical epic Adieu Bonaparte (dir. Youssef Chahine) explores the complex relationships between French soldiers, the Egyptian locals, and the impact of Napoleon’s conquest. The dark thematic material and the sometimes dissonant music that Yared uses in this score was a surprise to hear. I had not come across this score before. Yared mixes conventional orchestra, electronics (ondes martenot or theremin), and ethnic instrumentation (e.g., oud, qanun, ney) to create a complex and beguiling score that seems to reflect the psychological aspects of the film rather than follow the “action”. The score balances well the mix of darkness and geographical locale, though the repetition of the various themes over the course of the playing time can become a challenge. This digital release appears to be a release of the complete score and differs somewhat from Music Box Records’ 2016 CD release in terms of track order and track number.
Marcel Barsotti: Best of Emotional Film Music (2024) – Marcel Barsotti (Edition Tunesformovies)
The association of Swiss-born composer Marcel Barsotti’s name with a project usually means that the quality of the music will be of the highest quality. The release of Marcel Barsotti: Best of Emotional Film Music is, apparently, the first “best of” collection of his film music, and it ably showcases the composer’s talents. Featuring 28 tracks and over 70 minutes of music, this collection features music from many of his films including Das Wunder von Bern (The Miracle of Bern) (2004), La Línea Imaginaria (2023), Der Schatz der weißen Falken (The Treasure of the White Falcons) (2005), and Jesus liebt mich (Jesus Loves Me) (2012). The album also features music from Americana (2021), a collection of orchestral symphonic pieces that represents a musical journey through American history. Marcel Barsotti: Best of Emotional Film Music is recommended for those unfamiliar with the composer’s work and who would like a concise summary of some of Barsotti’s best works, or for someone familiar with his work and who would like a strong 70-minute playlist.
Reel Music 