Alexandre Desplat : NPR

Composing The Folk Music Of A Made-Up Country

Ralph Fiennes and Tony Revolori as hotel concierge M. Gustave and his lobby-boy confidante, Zero, in The Grand Budapest Hotel. Fox Searchlight Pictures hide caption

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Fox Searchlight Pictures

Deceptive Cadence

Composing The Folk Music Of A Made-Up Country

February 19, 2015 • The Grand Budapest Hotel might take place in a fictional world, but Oscar-nominated composer Alexandre Desplat was there to make it feel authentic.

Composing The Folk Music Of A Made-Up Country

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'Philomena' And The Power Of A Quiet Film Score

Judi Dench and Steve Coogan in the film Philomena. Alex Bailey/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Alex Bailey/Courtesy of the artist

Deceptive Cadence

'Philomena' And The Power Of A Quiet Film Score

February 8, 2014 • Compared to his work on Zero Dark Thirty and the Harry Potter films, Alexandre Desplat's Oscar-nominated score is strikingly spare — yet the composer says it was one of the hardest he's ever written.

'Philomena' And The Power Of A Quiet Film Score

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The 81st Annual Academy Awards

Movie Music 2009: Oscar-Nominated Scores

February 22, 2009 • Tucked in among the Oscars for Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Picture is a lesser-known category: Best Original Score. Film-music specialist Andy Trudeau has come to discuss the nominees every year since the 68th Academy Awards.

Movie Music 2009: Oscar-Nominated Scores

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Music Interviews

Curious Film Score Mimics 'Benjamin Button'

January 9, 2009 • The score to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button works both backward and forward. Composer Alexandre Desplat drew his inspiration directly from the film, a story about a man who ages in reverse.

Curious Film Score Mimics 'Benjamin Button'

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Review

Song Of The Day

Joplin's 'Bethena' Sounds As New As It Is Old

December 16, 2008 • When Scott Joplin wrote "Bethena (A Concert Waltz)" in 1905, his wife of two months had just died; Bethena may well have been her nickname. Now, more than a century later, "Bethena" sounds as fresh as it if were written just minutes ago, a tender and heartfelt remembrance of a love lost.

Bethena (A Concert Waltz)

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79th Annual Academy Awards

Oscar-Nominated Scores: 'Babel,' 'The Queen'

February 11, 2007 • Andy Trudeau offers his annual take on Oscar-nominated scores. A diverse, international lineup this year has him pleasantly surprised.

Oscar-Nominated Scores: 'Babel,' 'The Queen'

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Alexandre Desplat: Creating Color For Harry Potter

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Deceptive Cadence

Alexandre Desplat: Creating Color For Harry Potter

July 18, 2011 • Alexandre Desplat, composer for the last two 'Harry Potter' films, explains how Scriabin and Xenakis shaped his own work — and in what color he's cast Potter's last cinematic spell.