Syriana [SOUNDTRACK]

Alexandre Desplat (Composer)

Product Details

• Composer: Alexandre Desplat
• Audio CD (December 13, 2005)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B000BSZA2Y
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #61,912 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
After last year's Girl with a Pearl Earring, this CD confirms the much-deserved rise of French-born composer Alexandre Desplat in Hollywood. The success of this particular score is actually double-edged: It works wonders in the film because it never dictates the mood or imposes a viewpoint; instead, it's in such symbiosis with the images in Stephen Gaghan's political thriller that at times the music's impact is almost subliminal. That's a good thing when you watch the movie, but it also means that on its own, the CD's focus can fade in and out. Desplat tends to follow the less-showy European film-scoring model, i.e. he prefers subtlety to bloated orchestrations and tends to refrain from associating characters to musical themes. Though much of the film's action takes place in the Middle East, Desplat doesn't turn ethnic instrumentation into a cliché. And the way he instills a pervasive sense of dread on tracks such as "Driving in Geneva," "Access Denied," or "The Abduction" should be taught in film and music schools. For Desplat, less is always more. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tight, haunting, complex, June 27, 2006

By	Sara Eff (west coast) - See all my reviews

As the product description states above, this score mirrors the film by being appropriately understated and nuanced. The title track is both melancholy and haunting, a feeling which runs through the entire soundtrack. Other parts have quite a bit of tension. One gets the feeling that there is always something bubbling under the suface here -- nothing is as it seems, which of course, is the intention of the film. Alexandre Desplat did a stellar job.

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Understated Score , September 15, 2007

By	Media Lover - See all my reviews

Desplat does what few can in "Syriana," mixing the adrenaline of a John Powell score and the extremely understated compositional style of Philip Glass. With Syriana, Desplat has proven his worth as a truly contemporary film score composer, using high quality sounds and music to not only back up a film, but to actually work with it simultaniously. Even if you haven't seen the film, Desplat's score is still a work of art to be purchased and enjoyed.
Highly reccomended for avid film score listeners.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tense and really exciting, June 25, 2006

By	Kevin C. Li (Campbell, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a good soundtrack. When I listen to it, I was just feeling that I was being into a tense place in it. Especially, track 1, 5, 7, 10 brought me to the real experience for it. So, if you love the movie, I bet you must love this too. Well done.