La Fille du Puisatier
Alexandre Desplat
" One of Alexandre Desplat's most accessible dramatic works in years. "Written by Bob den Hartog - Review of the regular release
It’s a funny thing. Even when a European composer gets his big Hollywood break, and the film score community lets out a collective sigh that this talent finally gets some recognition for his work, his smaller and more intimate European projects tend to get just as much attention as they got before his big break. Alexandre Desplat ain’t any different, for despite his attention grabbing music for big franchise Harry Potter, American drama Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close and political thriller The Ides of March, hardly anyone noticed he also wrote an utterly charming piece for little known French film La Fille du Puisatier (The Well Diggers Daughter).
Which is just as well, since it leaves the film score aficionado a chance to still be able to discover that small gem of a score no one knows or talks about, and to keep this treasure to himself. Or to throw it out in the open. For La Fille Du Puisatier is basically everything Desplat is known for (intelligent string writing, melodious themes and colorful orchestration), minus the characteristics many find frustrating (favoring intricate writing over lush emotion) aided by a very welcome hint of melancholic nostalgia. In short, Puisatier is one of his most accessible dramatic works in years.
That feeling of nostalgia that is the current thread throughout this score is inevitably brought to the table by the setting of the film: pre-World War France. The film is about a small town family and the trials and tribulations they face when their daughter falls for a man, gets knocked-up by him yet is deserted before childbirth. As is evident in Desplat’s music, it’s a story in which romance and drama are in delicate balance, delivered lightheartedly with only a slight flair for the melodramatic. It’s not a tragedy, yet heartache shines through in every melody Desplat created.
To be completely sure the listener is aware of the time period in which the film is set, source songs from the first half of the 20th century are well represented. In their original form (like too-sweet-for-its-own-good operetta chanson "J’ai Rêvé D’Une Fleur"), but also in new renditions orchestrated by Desplat. Which is why we get not one, not two, not even three, but four versions of 1911 operatic classic "Core ‘ngrato", composed by Salvatore Cardillo; the original version as sung by tenor Enrico Caruso, a version with added orchestra, a beautiful cello version and a reprise of the orchestral performance, with once again tenor Caruso. Although one could say the many reprisals of the same song are a tad much, these works never detract from the established mood and help to enrich the sonic world Desplat creates, complementing his own thematic ideas.
In between these authentic pieces, Desplat weaves three themes that are purely Desplatian in orchestration yet surprisingly warm in performance. The primary theme is introduced in the titular opening track and is a soothing yet slightly tragic melody performed on strings, initially backed-up by harp and piano but later on emphasized with guitar. The second and most tragic theme is introduced in "Les Roseaux". It’s an achingly beautiful melody, fragile and deeply melancholic, in one half performed with tantalizingly short strokes, yet in the other half broader and slightly reassuring. It’s followed with the third theme, "Rendez-Vous Manqé", an uplifting adagio in which harp and flute are pushed to the forefront, this time backed up by the strings.
Every track that follows is either a variation on one of these thematic constructs or a different performance of the source songs. In limiting himself to these ideas Desplat creates an intimate score that is easy to fully enjoy on the first listen, even though the melodies resonate more with every listen of the full score. Which is rare for a composer whose works often require repeated listens in order to completely grasp the hidden layers, or to find the beauty in themes that do not reveal themselves quite so easily. Much like the renditions of the songs, the themes do not mature over the course of the score and only differ of one another in performance and orchestration. Which is the only drawback of an otherwise charming effort; the quality of the written themes leave the listener wanting for more interesting places to take them to.
La Fille du Puisatier is nevertheless a perfect introduction to Desplat’s work to those that always felt they should like his work yet never quite connected with his music on an emotional level. Or a no-brainer recommendation to those that are already in love with his style. In short, it’s a small work for a broad audience, played intimately.
Track Listing
1. La Fille du Puisatier (3.27) Excellent track
2. Core ’ngrato — 1911 Recording (4.27)
3. Les Roseaux (3.13) Excellent track
4. Rendez-Vous Manqué (2.24) Excellent track
5. J’ai Rêvé D’Une Fleur (3.18)
6. A Travers Champs (3.09)
7. Core ’ngrato — Orchestral Version (4.29)
8. Départ Pour La Guerre (2.08)
9. L’Enfant (2.24)
10. Core ’ngrato — Cello Version (3.18) Excellent track
11. La Solitude D’Amoretti (2.33)
12. La Fille Perdue (1.35)
13. Core ’ngrato — Orchestral Reprise (4.34)
Total Length: 41.16
Which is just as well, since it leaves the film score aficionado a chance to still be able to discover that small gem of a score no one knows or talks about, and to keep this treasure to himself. Or to throw it out in the open. For La Fille Du Puisatier is basically everything Desplat is known for (intelligent string writing, melodious themes and colorful orchestration), minus the characteristics many find frustrating (favoring intricate writing over lush emotion) aided by a very welcome hint of melancholic nostalgia. In short, Puisatier is one of his most accessible dramatic works in years.
That feeling of nostalgia that is the current thread throughout this score is inevitably brought to the table by the setting of the film: pre-World War France. The film is about a small town family and the trials and tribulations they face when their daughter falls for a man, gets knocked-up by him yet is deserted before childbirth. As is evident in Desplat’s music, it’s a story in which romance and drama are in delicate balance, delivered lightheartedly with only a slight flair for the melodramatic. It’s not a tragedy, yet heartache shines through in every melody Desplat created.
To be completely sure the listener is aware of the time period in which the film is set, source songs from the first half of the 20th century are well represented. In their original form (like too-sweet-for-its-own-good operetta chanson "J’ai Rêvé D’Une Fleur"), but also in new renditions orchestrated by Desplat. Which is why we get not one, not two, not even three, but four versions of 1911 operatic classic "Core ‘ngrato", composed by Salvatore Cardillo; the original version as sung by tenor Enrico Caruso, a version with added orchestra, a beautiful cello version and a reprise of the orchestral performance, with once again tenor Caruso. Although one could say the many reprisals of the same song are a tad much, these works never detract from the established mood and help to enrich the sonic world Desplat creates, complementing his own thematic ideas.
In between these authentic pieces, Desplat weaves three themes that are purely Desplatian in orchestration yet surprisingly warm in performance. The primary theme is introduced in the titular opening track and is a soothing yet slightly tragic melody performed on strings, initially backed-up by harp and piano but later on emphasized with guitar. The second and most tragic theme is introduced in "Les Roseaux". It’s an achingly beautiful melody, fragile and deeply melancholic, in one half performed with tantalizingly short strokes, yet in the other half broader and slightly reassuring. It’s followed with the third theme, "Rendez-Vous Manqé", an uplifting adagio in which harp and flute are pushed to the forefront, this time backed up by the strings.
Every track that follows is either a variation on one of these thematic constructs or a different performance of the source songs. In limiting himself to these ideas Desplat creates an intimate score that is easy to fully enjoy on the first listen, even though the melodies resonate more with every listen of the full score. Which is rare for a composer whose works often require repeated listens in order to completely grasp the hidden layers, or to find the beauty in themes that do not reveal themselves quite so easily. Much like the renditions of the songs, the themes do not mature over the course of the score and only differ of one another in performance and orchestration. Which is the only drawback of an otherwise charming effort; the quality of the written themes leave the listener wanting for more interesting places to take them to.
La Fille du Puisatier is nevertheless a perfect introduction to Desplat’s work to those that always felt they should like his work yet never quite connected with his music on an emotional level. Or a no-brainer recommendation to those that are already in love with his style. In short, it’s a small work for a broad audience, played intimately.
Track Listing
1. La Fille du Puisatier (3.27) Excellent track
2. Core ’ngrato — 1911 Recording (4.27)
3. Les Roseaux (3.13) Excellent track
4. Rendez-Vous Manqué (2.24) Excellent track
5. J’ai Rêvé D’Une Fleur (3.18)
6. A Travers Champs (3.09)
7. Core ’ngrato — Orchestral Version (4.29)
8. Départ Pour La Guerre (2.08)
9. L’Enfant (2.24)
10. Core ’ngrato — Cello Version (3.18) Excellent track
11. La Solitude D’Amoretti (2.33)
12. La Fille Perdue (1.35)
13. Core ’ngrato — Orchestral Reprise (4.34)
Total Length: 41.16