Alexandre Desplat was born in Paris in 1961 and has a broader musical experience than many film composers. As a boy he studied Piano, Trumpet and Flute, winning several prizes during his music education. Despite this classical training, he has also performed with a number of Jazz and World artists. In the late 1980s his career moved towards film composing, and he scored more than 50 French and European films before his more recent move towards Hollywood funded movies. Following a number of English language US films, it was "Girl with a Pearl Earring" which really made Hollywood take notice of this composer. This is a tale woven around the famous painting by Johnnes Vermeer, and the music easily conveys a feeling of passion and obsession. The theme is reminiscent of Jerry Goldsmith's "Basic Instinct" or some of Bernard Herrman's work.
This was quickly followed by his critically acclaimed score to "Birth" starring Nicole Kidman. This movie has an unusual story, and Desplat created suitably unusual music to accompany it. From a creative perspective the music offers many sections of the orchestra a chance to shine either with solos or small groups of instruments, though the abiding memory is the haunting minimalist line with flutes and celeste and the truly unsettling sub-bass which generates an almost physical response in the listener. Since then the composer has gone from strength to strength in terms of recognition. "Hostage" starred Bruce Willis and then "Syriana" with George Clooney and Matt Damon earned him a Golden Globe nomination. "Syriana" has a lot of suspenseful tracks, some driven by ethnic instruments and percussion. Two features that "Syriana" shares with "Birth" are the bass sound and use of solo timpani. Then 2006 was a bumper year with "The Painted Veil" earning Desplat the coveted Golden Globe award and The Queen giving him nominations from both Bafta and Oscar.
Alexandre Desplat soundtracks on Amazon.com:
Films by Alexandre Desplat:
Mémoire Traquée (Lapse of Memory)
Au nom du père et du fils (In the name of the father and the son)
Family Express
Sexes Faibles (The weaker sexes)
The Hour of the Pig
Regard les hommes tomber (See how they fall)
Les Péchés Mortels (Innocent Lies)
Le Montreur de boxe (Lucky Punch)
Love, etc.
Un héros très discret
Une chance sur deux
The Revengers' Comedies
Amazon
The Luzhin Defence
Read my Lips
The Nest
September 11 - this is the film with 11 directors from different countries telling 11 stories related to the fateful events of that day in 2001, Desplat did the main theme whereas Gustavo Santaolalla did the segment set in Mexico.
Tristan
Stormy Weather
Girl with a Pearl Earring - supposedly the story behind the painting
Birth - a weird plot, but the music moves from comfortable and enchanting to ethereal and eerie
The Upside of Anger - starring Kevin Costner and Joan Allen
De Battre mon coeur s'est arrêté (The Beat That My Heart Skipped)
Hostage
Casanova - big-budget version of the story, directed by Lasse Hallström
Derailed
Syriana - troubled world music for this story driven by the politics of the oil industry in the middle east
Lies & Alibis
Firewall - with Harrison Ford
The Valet
The Painted Veil - featuring pianist Lang Lang, the soundtrack also contains the Gnossienne No.1 by Erik Satie
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