La Ville des Prodiges (1999) is a Spanish film set in Barcelona at the turn
of the nineteenth/twentieth centuries and stars Olivier Martínez and
the gorgeous doe-eyed Emma Suárez.. According to the liner notes,
"It is a story of love, power and death. Onofre's unrestrained ambition will
take him very far; and without qualms, he'll take advantage of other people,
including his beloved Delfin, to obtain power and money, yet destiny is
lurking…"
Jean-Marie Sénia has composed music for more than 500 TV programmes
and for numerous films including: Céline and Julie Go Boating;
The Man in the Silk Hat; Red Kiss; and Breaking Out. For La
Ville des Prodiges he has written a dark hued, brooding yet compelling
score with a memorable main theme that is infinitely varied throughout this
album as it passes through many moods and between various instrumental
combinations or given to solo instruments. The Main Title evokes a sultry
Mediterranean location with slowly brushed cymbals suggesting lapping waves
upon the shore.
Sénia's instrument is the piano (he won first prize at the Conservatory
of Strasbourg) so it may not be surprising that he favours it in this score
and gives the most substantial and most beautiful cue, Le piano espagnol
to it - haunting, serene yet passionate too. Another interesting piano solo
is the colder, more staccato 'L'honneur d'un homme' an assertive call to
duty regardless… -- a clever piece of piano writing this. The accordion
ushers in 'Enfance pauvre' which is really a powerfully meditative, agonising
piece for cello solo and strings. Harsh, stark staccato dotted-rhythm piano
and steely string chords evoke the ruthless character of Onofre in 'Ambition
devorante'. In 'Barcelone endormie' the oboe adds a plaintive note while,
in lighter, less troubled mood the main theme breathes romance through guitar
and strings in Onofre Bouvila
The above descriptions should give a good idea of this score. At
fifty minutes, it might be just beginning to outstay its welcome - less is
often more but I am carping here for this is splendid music which wears well
on repeated hearings
Reviewer
Ian Lace
and Jeffrey Wheeler adds
This serpentine and tricky soundtrack tenders many lovely moments, but not
enough to completely abrogate the score's redundancy, abrupt ending,
and a given predictability detectable in nearly half of the disc's running
time. What is appreciable is the classical flavor. Lugubrious piano melodies
appear in broad swatches throughout the disc. Decorated touches from accordion,
guitar, and English horn, and from within the orchestrations themselves,
such as Jean-Marie Sénia's use of susurrous bass lines, support an
atmosphere of life and love that is not always pretty. The lack of maturing
characteristics as the music advances eventually pushes the score to outwear
its welcome, but the journey up till then presents many engaging creations.
Reviewer
Jeffrey Wheeler
OST 
