A musical layer beneath the story
The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Shape of Water, The King’s Speech and many more: much of the finest film music of recent years was composed by Alexandre Desplat. On Friday 20 and Saturday 21 March, he conducts his greatest successes with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. Meet a born storyteller.
From intimate piano solos to large-scale orchestral writing, Alexandre Desplat’s compositions are always an inseparable part of the films he works on. For him, film music is not merely an acoustic backdrop, but an essential element of storytelling. He sees music as a powerful tool to influence and intensify the viewer’s emotions. Through a careful selection of instruments and combinations of rhythm and harmony, he creates an additional emotional layer beneath the images, drawing the audience deeper into the story.
“Music is an emotional catalyst,” says Desplat. “It can elevate a scene, reveal a character or highlight a plot twist. My task is to offer the audience a deeper experience.”
Classical influences
Desplat’s love of music began at an early age. Growing up in a musical family, he became familiar with the sounds of Ravel, Debussy and world music. His formal training included piano, trumpet and flute, but it was the film music of composers such as Max Steiner and John Williams that truly captivated him. His admiration for Williams’s score for the first Star Wars film was so great that it inspired him to pursue a career as a film composer.
Desplat’s education in and love for classical music are clearly audible in his work. He is influenced by French composers, but equally by Prokofiev and Stravinsky. These influences can be heard in the richness of his harmonic language and the complexity of his orchestrations.
“Classical music shaped me as a composer,” Desplat explains. “It taught me how to use music to express emotion and tell stories.”
Collaboration and artistic freedom
As a film composer, Desplat is remarkably versatile. He moves effortlessly between genres and styles, from classical orchestral writing to jazz and world music. This versatility allows him to explore a wide range of emotions and adapt his music to the specific needs of each film. At the same time, artistic freedom is paramount to him. A small budget is no obstacle, as long as he is given the space to create. Dialogue with the director is essential: when working with someone who loves music and inspires him to explore new ideas, the collaboration can be truly “wonderful,” Desplat says.
The power of subtlety
Desplat is known not only for his versatility, but also for his subtlety. Rather than relying on grand gestures, he often uses small, delicate details to create atmosphere. A single piano note, a whispering string passage or a subtle rhythmic pattern can be enough to move the audience emotionally.
In an interview with VPRO Gids, Desplat explains his approach using The French Dispatch, a film by Wes Anderson, as an example. The film opens with a painter in prison.
“He paints his model; they look at each other. We knew very little music was needed there, and that only a few instruments should be heard. That’s why we chose just a piano. When you use a single instrument, you hear the loneliness, purity or vulnerability of a character. When you add instruments, their world suddenly opens up.”
A similar approach can be found in Jacques Audiard’s Un prophète, also set in a prison. In a scene where actor Tahar Rahim sits alone in his cell, Desplat wanted the audience to feel that he was thinking about life beyond his four walls.
“If you choose the right music and instruments, you can push those walls away and create space. It’s as if the cell doors slowly open. That is the power of music.”
Credit where credit is due
Desplat has collaborated with many of the film industry’s most renowned directors, including Wes Anderson, Roman Polanski, Guillermo del Toro and Ang Lee. This has resulted in some of the most memorable film scores of recent decades—and an impressive collection of awards.
At the 87th Academy Awards, Desplat was nominated for both The Imitation Game and The Grand Budapest Hotel, winning the Oscar for the latter. In 2018, he received his second Academy Award for The Shape of Water. He has also won two Golden Globes for The Painted Veil and The Shape of Water, as well as two Grammy Awards for The King’s Speech and The Grand Budapest Hotel. And soon, he may add yet another accolade: his score for Frankenstein, directed by Guillermo del Toro, is nominated for an Academy Award this year. On Monday 16 March, we will find out whether he has won.
Looking ahead
Desplat views the future of film music with optimism. He believes there is still ample room for innovation and experimentation. With the rise of new technologies, such as digital instruments and software, composers can create increasingly complex and detailed music.
“The possibilities are endless,” Desplat says. “I am truly curious to see what the future will bring—also in cinematic terms.”
Experience Alexandre Desplat live on 20 and 21 March, as he conducts his film music with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, including Oscar-winning scores from The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Shape of Water.
Text: Inge Jongerman Image: Alicja Wroblewska
