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While a full orchestra is employed for Girl With a Pearl Earring, the strings, woodwinds, and piano carry the personality of the work. The harmonies Desplat explores are also vital, because they tend to be far more accessible than the composer can tend to be in the genre. In his chord progressions, he reminds of John Williams and James Horner at times, which is rare in his subsequent career. The entirety of the score is largely free of disturbed sequences, even the somewhat indignant and threatening "Van Ruijven" remaining rhythmically consistent with the rest of the score in a minor mode. Low strings take the duties often conveyed by thumping electronic pulses in his other works. Desplat's keen sense of motion is an important factor in this score's success as well. His set of themes follows basic tenets of waltz formations and form a decent though not overwhelming narrative. There are some moments when the thematic applications aren't as satisfying as they could have been, but Desplat still manages to hold the story together with his three major motifs. The primary identity of the score is split between two themes, one each for Griet and the portrait itself. A theme for the Vermeer house is arguably the most powerful of the three. Listeners will likely appreciate Griet's theme the most, if only because of its John Williams-like chord progressions in its swaying waltz movements. Heard immediately on woodwinds in "Griet's Theme," this idea and several secondary ones are explored throughout that suite of themes. Only its chord progressions and counterpoint lines open "A New Life" with exuberance, the secondary phrases from the suite factoring into the cue's middle. The proper theme interjects with upbeat tones late in "The Birth Feast" and lightly rolls at the start of "Winter Nights," building to a rollicking climax before shifting to solo woodwinds. A solo piano carries Griet's theme in "Silence and Light," and a slightly different arrangement of the suite is provided in "Griet's Theme (Reprise)." Each of this theme's full-ensemble performances is a winner, even when only the underlying chords are accessed, because they provide both elegance and mystery while adhering to the boundaries of the period.

The portrait theme in Girl With a Pearl Earring is a tentatively romantic, ascendant identity on strings, a little less accessible than Griet's theme but still attractive. Beginning right away at 0:11 into "Girl With a Pearl Earring" in a lightly swirling harp and piano atmosphere, a solo string takes the idea several times with a slight sense of exoticism. That solo representation reprises the same personality at 0:19 into "Vermeer's Studio." It is comparatively very sparsely conveyed over nervous plucking in "Home," and a supplemental motif of piano alternations related to this theme opens "The Master is Painting" in James Horner form after having shined in "Vermeer's Studio." Desplat also applies an introductory motif to that portrait theme that consists of four notes with a rising trio at its start. This tool of anticipation is heard immediately in "Girl With a Pearl Earring," moves cyclically under "Vermeer's Studio," emerges in the middle of "The Master is Painting," and closes the score softly and slowly in "Griet Remembers," with a newly resolving high note at the very end. More impressive is the Vermeer house theme, its descending string lines of suspense and worry offering the work's most aggressive moments of activity. It opens "The Master's House" in restrained form but gains volume, and the piano rhythms late in the cue enhance the sense of consternation in a large ensemble crescendo. The same spirit and suffering lines are turned wonderfully positive in "The Birth Feast," but the idea's destiny forces it sour again on cellos over thumping piano in "Cornelia," guiding most of that cue. The house theme darkens the mood at the end of "Winter Nights" on woodwinds and takes a faster turn on nervous piano and strings in "Catharina's Pearls." Finally, a romance theme is a variation on the chords of Griet's theme in the lovely "Colours in the Clouds" and bubbles along, again with Griet influences, in "By the Canal With Pieter." Together, these themes form a cohesive and elegant whole that stands as one of Desplat's most appealing dramatic works, a clear step above the following year's Birth. The short score on album is padded with a few alternate takes with the string section separated. For enthusiasts of the composer, Girl With a Pearl Earring reminds of exactly why he gained a loyal following in the early 2000's.  ****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For Alexandre Desplat reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.39 (in 31 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.22 (in 16,383 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.

Total Time: 50:31