NEWS FROM COSTA COMMUNICATIONS


Further to my recent review of Bruno Coulais' music for the documentary Babies comes the following from the composer's publicists, Costa Communications:-

DUE DATE FOR BRUNO COULAIS’ BABIES

SOUNDTRACK IS MAY 4

LOS ANGELES (April 16, 2010) – The trailer to Focus Features’ BABIES has become an internet sensation that the Today Show calls “three minutes of pure pleasure.” Indubitably the score by Annie award-winning composer Bruno Coulais (CORALINE, THE SECRET OF KELLS, WINGED MIGRATION) adds to the building buzz. Lakeshore Records announces that the BABIES soundtrack will be available in stores as well as iTunes and Amazon.com on May 4^th. Beginning on Earth Day, April 22^nd, his score to Disneynature’s OCEANS will be heard in theatres.

BABIES (opening Mother’s Day weekend) follows four of the world’s newest inhabitants from birth to first steps. Although the subjects live in different parts of the world – a small African village, a Mongolian farm, a bustling Tokyo and an environmentally conscious San Francisco the film joyfully captures the earliest stages of life that are at once unique and universal to us all.

“(Director) Thomas Balmès and I did not want to adapt the music to the nationality of the babies” said Bruno Coulais. “The music needed to show that no matter what their conditions are, wherever they live, these babies grow up happy as long as they are loved. We hoped to express that universal truth.”

Whether writing for a documentary or a kid-friendly animated film, Coulais creates moods and emotions in the absence of actors, dialogue and narrative in BABIES. Mixing orchestra and adding contrapuntal themes tease additional meanings from a scene according to Coulais.

“The music of BABIES was written for a very special orchestra,” said Coulais. “I used a lot of toys, a string quartet, a wind orchestra, ethnic instruments, piano and percussion. The words of the lyrics have no meaning. The vocals sound like the beginning of human language.”

Coulais’ musical style may vary significantly between different projects. However, there are some constant visible factors: his taste for opera and for human voice, a search for original sonority, world music and mixing different musical cultures, and a tendency to give preference to the ambience created by lighting.

Coulais’ score to CORALINE won him an Annie award. LES CHORISTES earned him an Academy Award-nomination, a BAFTA Award-nomination and won a Cesar Award. Other credits include LUCKY LUKE, VILLA AMALIA and the Academy Award-winning WINGED MIGRATION.