The weird, eclectic score+song soundtrack for MOONRISE KINGDOM is one of my top 2 or 3 favorite film music recordings of 2012. I love Desplat's "Heroic Weather Conditions" cues, and particularly Part 7, After the Storm which pays homage to Britten's "Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Opus 34: Themes A - F" by elucidating the orchestral components of Desplat's score, and plays over the end titles. The young boy who narrates it does so with magnificent intelligence and enthusiasm. I also found myself chasing down the recording of Britten's cycle of practice exercises for boy's choir entitled "Songs From Friday Afternoon" (available on Amazon), a couple of which are featured in the soundtrack. Don't know if Desplat chose the Britten and other non-original score materials but the choice of music for this oddly loveable film was inspired, IMO. I definitely plan to see GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL with an ear open to the music.
I'm not allowing myself to hear any of the score yet so that it will be completely fresh to my ears when I see "Budapest" for the first time a week and a half from now.
Love this Matt Zoller Seitz description of the film: “Imagine the first 10 minutes of Raising Arizona, except it’s two hours long and it’s set in Eastern Europe.”