Wes Anderson’s New Film Is Pure Stravinsky

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In an unusual rendition, Alexander Desplat performs “Happy Birthday to You” on his keyboard, elevating the last note of “you” above the standard pitch.

Igor Stravinsky’s work, titled “Greeting Prelude,” is a reinterpretation of a well-known melody that he created in 1955 as a tribute to French conductor Pierre Monteux on his 80th birthday. This creative adaptation by the Russian composer sparked Desplat to adapt a piece from Stravinsky’s ballet “The Firebird” for the soundtrack of Wes Anderson’s film, “The Phoenician Scheme,” currently showing in cinemas.

Desplat shares that the basis of his composition originates from a work by Stravinsky, incorporating a brief, modified tune. As he began experimenting with this melody, he contemplated Stravinsky’s style and aimed to remain within Stravinsky’s creative realm.

Desplat taps out a short tune on his keyboard – a recurring musical theme that will serve as the foundation for Anderson’s new movie. The narrative revolves around Zsa-zsa Korda (played by Benicio Del Toro), a business tycoon, who embarks on a daring project with his long-lost daughter Liesl (Mia Threapleton), who happens to be a nun, and her entomology instructor, Bjorn (portrayed by Michael Cera).

As the themes reminiscent of “The Firebird” shift and change, they are heard during the scene transitions, symbolizing the various locations the team visits while striving to bridge a financial shortfall for Korda’s expansive construction endeavor.

“It should be called ‘The Russian Scheme,’” Desplat jokes.

Stravinsky’s impact extends beyond just the written notes. In “The Phoenician Scheme,” you’ll find several compositions from the renowned Russian composer, such as the “Apotheosis” from his ballet “Apollo,” which plays during the opening sequence. Additionally, music by other musical titans like Bach and Beethoven is present, along with jazz adaptations by Gene Krupa, Gerry Mulligan, and Glenn Miller.

Desplat aimed to “slalom around” those classical and jazz pieces when writing the score.

He clarifies that there are too many events occurring simultaneously, making it challenging for him to harmoniously connect them all. As a result, he chooses to bypass them and let them play out independently, then insert his own unique touches – one after the other. The songs or pieces continue to progress, and he moves about in response.

This specific musical technique stands out distinctly, as Desplat notes, due to the fact that the characters exclusively listen to music sourced from tracks by various artists, which are audible via radios, bands, and turntables shown in the scenes.

In this opening scene, I’m playing ‘The Firebird’ on a turntable, creating music that is part of the movie itself – diegetic music. This is contrasted by the non-diegetic music, or the film score, which seamlessly intertwines with what we see on screen, going in and out of the visuals as it pleases. That’s how Desplat describes the unique connection between the soundtrack and the image.

Although the movie featured a diverse group of actors like Cera playing a peculiar Norwegian entomologist and Korda as Uncle Nubar, the villainous half-brother portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch, Desplat opted against composing unique themes for each character. Instead, he concentrated on creating harmonies that enhanced the film’s overall mood and atmosphere.

“It would be a Rubik’s Cube to give colors to every character,” he admits.

Desplat has been a frequent collaborator with Anderson, starting from their 2009 collaboration on the stop-motion comedy “Fantastic Mr. Fox”. He has since lent his talents to several of Anderson’s films including “Moonrise Kingdom” (2012), “The Grand Budapest Hotel” (2014), “Isle of Dogs” (2018), “The French Dispatch” (2021) and “Asteroid City” (2023).

For our latest projects, we’ve been maintaining a collection of musical instruments similar to what was used in ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’. This includes items like the glockenspiel, choir, mandolin, banjo, recorders. We often explore new possibilities with these tools, but sometimes we revisit an instrument from our past projects and incorporate it into the composition, as was the case with drums and piano in ‘The Phoenician Scheme’.

When inquired about the “Wes Anderson style of film music,” Desplat characterizes it as “easy to grasp yet not overly simplified, undeniably catchy, persistently recurring” and a “spectacle of sounds.

In “The Phoenician Scheme,” the distinctive quirkiness and playfulness that characterizes Desplat’s previous projects with Anderson remains present. However, what sets this score apart for the composer is a significant difference: it was heavily influenced by Stravinsky.

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2025-06-09 21:18