Chanel Solitaire

This is the CD premiere for Chanel Solitaire (1981), a gorgeous soundtrack by a composer known primarily as arranger and accompanist for many famous French singers. Jean Musy indeed started working in the 1960s with Joe Dassin, Catherine Lara, Nicolas Peyrac, Barbara, Nicole Croisille, Yves Duteil, Françoise Hardy, Charles Aznavour, to name only a few stars. This self-taught musician has contributed to over a thousand 45 rpms and some 150 LP albums !

Jean Musy still found time to compose no less than 70 film scores for directors such as Costa-Gavras (Clair de femme) and Jean-Claude Brisseau (Noce blanche, L’ange noir, etc). However, it is with Chanel Solitaire, directed by Charles Kaczender in 1981, that he was able to give the full measure of his talent. This drama, starring Marie-France Pisier, Timothy Dalton and Rutger Hauer, traces the career and the love life of the great fashion designer Coco Chanel. Unfortunately, the movie failed at the box office and its soundtrack sunk into undeserved oblivion as well.

Performed by the Orchestre symphonique de la Garde républicaine conducted by Roger Boutry, the music from Chanel Solitaire remains true to the sound of the early 20th century period, relying on a wide variety of deeply sensitive themes. While the original LP soundtrack included only thirty minutes of orchestral music, our release offers an extended version that should meet the expectations of all romantic listeners.
 

Hellé

Disques Cinémusique proudly presents the first release of the complete original soundtrack composed by Philippe Sarde for Hellé (1972), a less known movie by director Roger Vadim.

Hellé takes us to a village in the Haute-Savoie region, in early 1950s France. It is the setting of the difficult love story between a deaf-mute (Gwen Welles) and a young man of good family, Fabrice (Didier Haudepin), who is spending the summer in the area. This film can be considered as Vadim's most personal work and remained one of his favorites, according to his relatives.

The gentle main character and the countryside setting inspired Philippe Sarde to write a highly melodic theme that lends itself to many variations and instrumental combinations. Whether performed on flute and guitar, by Anne Lonnberg's solo voice, in an arrangement for piano and a small string section, or by a symphonic orchestra with a large choir, this melody seduces by its grace and fluidity. It is music of celestial accents, reminiscent of the angelic realm to which Hellé’s character is associated in the mind of the enamored Fabrice.

For more info and ordering, visit Disques CinéMusique