Les Notes de Lecran Vol. 1

The beauty of Georges Delerue\'s film scores has long been highly regarded by fans, filmgoers and filmmakers alike and recently much of his work has found its way back onto disc (though sometimes in limited fashion) through such enterprising labels as Varese Sarabande. Now, in a single disc collection entitled Les Notes de Lecran, Volume 1, Cinefonia Records has collected short suites of music from four French films scored by Delerue: Jacquou le Croquant (1969), Les Chevaux du Soleil (1979), Les Chandelier (1977) and Le Jeune Homme Vert (1979), each adapted from novels or plays and Les Chevaux du Soleil was actually a TV series about French families living in Algeria.

For Jacquou le Croquant, Delerue creates a lilting tone in small instrumental groupings, as in the opening track where the melodic main theme on strings with harp accompaniment flows like a purposeful yet pleasant stream. "Ballade pour flute et harp" is just as it reads, a gentle duet for flute and harp set against a small string contingent. The harp continues to take center stage in the lovely "Adagio campetre", while the flute guides the melancholy of "Sourire". "Le temps qui passé", or "The Passing of Time" opens with a harp appropriately ticking away the seconds before it presents the flowing main theme, set against a bed of strings. The "Generique fin" nicely has the main theme on acoustic guitar, alternating with a bright, lilting flute.

Les Chevaux du Soleil opens in a grand orchestral fashion, with a sweeping long lined theme in 8 note groupings. "Triste est l\'amour" dials back and places this theme on harpsichord against strings, in an almost hesitantly progressing, as someone unsure of professing their love for another. "Le marche de l\'empire" is all field drums and fifes, but in a slightly off-kilter, small scale manner. A saddened solo oboe opens "Promenade en foret", soon joined by mid and low-range strings in a thick, but darkly moving tone. "La marche de la reine" brings up the pace and color in a short, sharp march while "Alger la Blanche" has an exotic quality through oboe, harp and string pedal drone. This quality is explored again in "L\'aube sur la mosque" and lastly the "Generique fin" returns to the main theme in its rich orchestral setting.

With Les Chandelier, Delerue presents melancholy tinged with hope in "Appel" through solo violin in a string quartet. This small-scale approach continues in both "Fete Royale" and "A suivre", specifically for piano, violin and cello, both of which are lovely dances, the former a waltz. The solo violin returns in "Le Chandelier" and "Mouvements lyriques", expressing a tragic sense of loss, and accompanied only by piano on "Le Chandelier". The music is fleshed out again in "Le Chandelier (generique fin)", as it was in "Appel", the downtrodden mood prevailing.

"Andante pour violon et orchestre" begins the final suite, which encapsulates Le Jeune Homme Vert, and displays a restrained but classically beautiful melody, followed by another effortlessly soothing, lovely theme on acoustic guitar backed by strings in "Theme de Marie pour guitare". The tone shifts to becomes a bit more bittersweet for "Ballade melancolique" and its lush strings and woodwinds presentation. A carefree nature is essayed in "Promenade pour flute et orhestre", utilizing the flute-led melody heard in the center of the previous track, while "Grande valse romantique" is a stately yet light waltz for piano, violin and cello. The suite and album close with "Le jeune home vert", where the flute-led theme from "Ballade melancolique" and "Promenade pour flute et orhestre" is revisited once more and then expanded on by full orchestra in a very rich, moving fashion. In all, this release is a marvelous treat for new and old fans of Delerue, those who want to hear more from him and who need to add to their already expansive collections. Each suite offers winning melody and instrumentation, but for me, I found Le Jeune Homme Vert to be the most memorable.