Arsène Lupin (2004)
Music Composed by Debbie Wiseman
With its abundant creativity, harmonic brilliance and a wide orchestral palette, Arsène Lupin is undeniably one of the best film music scores ever composed in the new millennium.
The main theme for the title hero, is a sly, mischievous motif that appears in its first incarnation in “Arsène Lupin” as a sly, addictive waltz interspersed with the cimbalom that appears in many different incarnations from witty woodwinds (“The Hollow Needle”) to brassy, bombastic action (“Arsène and Beaumagnan”). Not only is Wiseman’s attention to thematic development fully evident here, but she also explores the depth of each section of the orchestral ensemble with superb counterpoint in the action cues. In “Arsène and Beaumagnan”, Wiseman explores the highs and lows of the brass section in only 2 minutes, supported by the rest of the orchestra. The counterpoint and orchestration, while busy, don’t overwhelm the listener with noise, but allows the listener to marvel at the detail and skill Wiseman invests in her action writing.
Utilizing a full symphony orchestra (with an enlarged brass section), the 150-member Crouch-End Festival Chorus and specialty instruments such as the cimbalom and glass harmonica, Arsène Lupin is a mammoth score; in the best sense of the word, of course. Greatly aiding the score is a gloriously detailed recording and mixing by Steve Price and Steve Jenkins, which allows the listener to note the detail in the crisp brass performances and the depth of the cimbalom and glass harmonica solos.
Arsène Lupin isn’t only content with mystery, intrigue and action -- but also Gothic majesty and romance. The love theme is a restrained one, but Wiseman’s use of it is quite masterful and hits its emotional peak in the heartrending “Arsène Abandoned”. The tracks “The Theft of the Crucifix” and “Underwater” achieve the kind of Gothic majesty Danny Elfman embodied so well in Batman (without lifting from or following a temp-track), with choir and glass harmonica accentuating the mystery and discovery of the latter while brass and “funeral” gongs highlight the former.
With so many highlights, Arsène Lupin is another superb score to Wiseman's resume, alongside the likes of Middletown, Wilde and Tom’s Midnight Garden. In addition to showing off her flexibility in composing, Arsène Lupin is an testament that Wiseman can score action movies as good as (or probably even better than) the likes of John Williams and the highly overrated Hans Zimmer. Why oh why aren’t more film producers hiring her? Her gifts as a composer are far overlooked, particularly in the American film industry that definitely needs fresh blood behind the scenes.
Track listing:
1. Qui Es-Tu? (performed by ‘M’) (3:06)
2. Arsène Lupin (2:04)
3. Le Grand Cafe (6:27)
4. Arsène Deserted (3:14)
5. Casino (1:37)
6. The Needle of Etretat (2:50)
7. Clarisse and Arsène (1:43)
8. Arsène Escapes (2:09)
9. Goodbye Mother (3:08)
10. Countess Caligiostro (3:29)
11. Underwater (3:27)
12. Arsène and Beaumagnan (2:05)
13. The Ballroom (2:07)
14. Theft of the Crucifix (4:13)
15. Under the Spell (4:18)
16. The Mask of Prince Sernine (2:34)
17. Fields of Lupin (4:14)
18. The Eighth Star Will be Divine (4:53)
19. The Hollow Needle (1:48)
20. Fooled by a Newcomer (3:08)
21. Clarisse Wakes (3:35)
22. The Blue Lupin (2:38)
23. Secret Passage (4:46)
Total Time: 73:43
Music composed, orchestrated and conducted by Debbie Wiseman. Music performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Crouch-End Festival Chorus. Soundtrack produced by Debbie Wiseman and James Fitzpatrick. Soundtrack available on EMI France Records.
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