CD REVIEW - LA PREMIERE ETOILE


La Premiere Etoile
Music by Erwann Kermorvant
MovieScore Media MMD0003
18 Tracks 25:23 mins


MovieScore Media yet again brings a new name to my attention, that of French-born, Hollywood-trained composer Erwann Kermorvant, who has provided the score for the recent French comedy La Premiere Etoile, which won the Grand Prix du Jury and Prix du Public at the International Comedy Festival in l'Alpe d'Huez. The plot centres on a family ski holiday.
It's quite a brief score at just over 25 minutes, which means many of the tracks are also quite brief (under 2 minutes) - not unusual for a comedy, but they say good things come in small packages and this is certainly the case here.
The disc begins with the sprightly "Meet the Elizabeths," followed by "Ski Training," which opens quite lushly, but then becomes a bubbly, busy action cue. The somewhat sneaky antics of "2000 Euros" follow, and then a moment of delicate romance, for piano and strings, is introduced in the lovely "Juliette." Predictably, sleigh bells feature in the initially festive Mr. Christmas," but the cue turns caparesque and ends in a big crescendo. "Mama Strut" opens warmly, before becoming something of a comic promenade. Quirky, percussive, comical antics accompany "Five," with "Late" having something of a bluesy American Deep-South feel to it. The promenade from before receives further development in "Mama Takes the Lead." "The Scrabble Game" is an affectionate take-off of Michel Legrand's "The Chess Game" from The Thomas Crown Affair, and is followed by the balletic, piano-lead "Ice Skating." More humorous goings-on in "Tea Time/Lost," end in some dark, threatening suspense, before "Memories" warms things up again with a little jazz, featuring double bass. Next comes the brief "Angels Around Us," with heavenly choir, strings, and yes, those sleigh bells again. The initially delicate "The First Star" follows, before taking a sinister turn at its conclusion. "Family Diner" then adds a brief moment of warmth, before the return of the "Mama Strut" in "The Sledge;" "the opening theme returning in "The Trip" to close this delightful little score.
Go to www.moviescoremedia.com/premiereetoile.html for samples and links for this download-only album.