Musique d'Elle
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Title: Suite for Orchestra​
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Duration: 15’
Scoring: 2(ll= alto fl.): 0:2: 2(ll=contra bsn.)
3:0:0:0
Timps: Perc (2)
Harp
Strings
Publisher: Buffalo Music Ltd
Availability: Rental
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Audio samples:
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Score sample:
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Recent performances:
BBC Concert Orchestra Watford Town Hall October 2022
About:
Orchestral suite from Paul Verhoeven's film "Elle". Anne Dudley's music was nominated for a César Award and won the Prix France Musique Sacem in 2017.
Programme note
“Elle”, directed by Paul Verhoeven was released in 2016. It received much critical acclaim, winning a César and a Golden Globe for Isabelle Huppert.
Genre- wise the film is hard to categorise, having elements of a thriller, a psychological drama and a bleak dark comedy. The “elle” of the title, a character called Michèle is a complex and enigmatic woman, whose past is as complicated as her present.
The score combines expressionistic lyricism with moments of dissonance and violence.
“She” is represented by a theme, appearing first in the violins and recurring in different arrangements and instrumentation. The strings provide the essential heart of the sound world. The texture of the woodwind, softened by the absence of oboes, represents both the austerity of a chorale (reflecting Michèle’s religious upbringing) and, in contrast, when they play in rich 3rds, the sensuality of her character. The harp provides the propulsion and heartbeat throughout.