A couple of weeks ago I heard a suite from his score for 'Cyrano de Bergerac' and liked it very much so I took a chance and bought the CD. I'm blown away by this score and can't stop playing it (even if there's a strange reference to Danny Elfmans Batman theme somewhere...). I knew him from the 'Jean de Florette/Manon des Sources'-scores even if I don't have them. Can you guys recommend some of his scores? I remember seeing 'Un Hussard sur le Toit' back in the nineties and liking the music but never got around to buying it.
His scores for Jean de Florette/Manon des Sources are very good but I think Le Zebre, Mayrig/Rue Paradis, Lady Chatterley and especially the rousing Return of the Musketeers are among his best work. A remarkable composer, a smart gentleman, who was "offered" (so to speak) a career in LA after his huge success for Cyrano but declined. He was approached to score Man Trouble, among others films.
Luc, from what I can tell a lot of Petit's scores are OOP and expensive on the secondary market. You've a great start with his score for 'Cyrano', and 'Mayrig' is a personal favourite, but I would heartily recommend this compilation from Universal France. It contains the themes from his major works and it's an affordable, impressive sample...
I love just about any Jean-Claude Petit score (I have 15 in my collection) but a special mention must go to Le Zebre which, just like governor, I consider one of his best and it is definitely the one I play most often.
Another good one is Le Hussard sur le Toit, I saw the film in a cinema just a year ago on a local festial and it's a great one. It also made me revisit the score.
Yet another personal favorite is Seaforth, with a great dark main theme featuring low strings. A very similar theme is also included on the CD of "Les Vivants et les Morts" (which has a beautiful and somehow tragic melody of its own).
Jean Claude PETIT has definitely this unique european - french - sound. His output has been sparse in France for the last 15 years. Don't know why. A great composer worth of a (re)discovery.
Thomas, thanks so much for posting the Universal France compilation.
As I've entered the FIFTH decade (mon dieu!) of my collector's life, I'm finding highlights and themes much more interesting than seeking out rare and expensive full soundtracks with all their attendant repetition. And I love these Universal France collections (picked up the George Van Parys collection for his music from The Earrings of Madame de, and it's another recent favorite). Plus I ordered it new for only 7.98 from Amazon US, can't beat that.
Bump for this thread as I'm interested to hear what Sean thinks of the Universal France Compilation. (And if anyone else wishes to discuss more Petit, of course).
Thomas, just now seeing your response (it's fun to go back over old threads from time to time.)
I have to be honest that I've added so many new items to my collection in the last couple of months that I've got a lot of listening to catch up on. (Talk about a first world problem!)
But I have sampled the first eight or ten tracks, and it is a very appealing collection, with that typical hey-there's-more-variety-here-than-I-expected quality that comes from listening to a hardworking film composer's highlights.
I'm not much into the "prettier" side of film music generally - not a dis, just a preference - but when I am, it's the Frenchies who I turn to most often, because everything is so tuneful and elegant and a bit less sentimental than the Hollywood folks. But again, often preferred in suite and compilation form - picked up all the old London Sessions Delerues for that very reason.
In September, we will find Jean-Claude Petit for the soundtrack of the new french movie " Premiers Crus" of Jérôme Le Maire, with Gérard Lanvin and Lespert.
I hope it will spark your curiosity because we haven't listened JC Petit in a movie since a long time ! And the composition (with orchestral, guitar and flute soloists Bulgarian) is in an obvious filiation with the score of the famous movie "Jean de Florette" !!
But I suppose that the music in the trailer is not by Petit, or is it? Because this is the press release text and I don't hear anything of this in the trailer: "Il en sort une luxuriante partition pour orchestre, avec guitare et flûte bulgare solistes, une bande très originale dont le lyrisme touche à l'universel. Premiers crus : un album indispensable pour tous les aficionados de musique de film, un retour de Jean-Claude Petit à l'altitude d'inspiration de Cyrano de Bergerac, du Hussard sur le toit, des Misérables."
