Soundtrack The Broken Circle Breakdown

Todays hottest Belgian movie is with no doubt 'The Broken Circle Breakdown'. This movie, directed by Felix Van Groeningen, opened and closed the Film Festival of Ghent. With their performance on the World Soundtrack Awards the importance of the movie music of the film got to the fore. The genre of the soundtrack isn't the stereotype of country and bluegrass music. Bjorn Ericksson rewrote existing classics in the country- & bluegrass-repertoire creatively for, for instance, the voices of Veerle Baetens and Johan Heldenbergh.

cast Broken Circle Breakdown live at the WSA (c) Bert Wastijn

Who watched the movie can tell that the soundtrack is not just supporting the story but is standing in constant relation to all the aspects of this film. Not only because the main characters are no doubt the key figures of a bluegrass band that perform in diverse scenes. Also the lyrics connect with different layers in the soundtrack and the story. We can state that the music is one of the important elements that take this film to a higher level and make it even more touching.

For huge fans of this tupe of bluegrass music and for those who want to hear more movie music of this kind, the Original SoundTrack (OST) is already available in multimedia stores. It contains 15 tracks, as shown below:

1. Will the Circle Be Unbroken

   Johan Heldenberg : voice

   Bjorn Eriksson : voice, guitar

   Karl 'Hank van Damme' Eriksson : voice , banjo

   Geert Waegeman : mandoline

   Nils de Caster : voice , violin

   Lenn Dauphin : bass

2. The Boy Who Wouldn't Hoe Corn

   Johan Heldenberg : voice, banjo 

   Veerle Baetens : voice 

   Bjorn Eriksson : dobro, guitar

   Karl 'Hank van Damme' Eriksson : banjo

   Geert Waegeman : violin

   Nils de Caster : mandoline

   Lenn Dauphin : bass

3. Dusty Mixed Feelings

   Bjorn Eriksson : guitar

4. Wayfaring Stranger

   Veerle Baetens : voice

   Bjorn Eriksson : dobro

   Karl 'Hank van Damme' Eriksson: guitar

   Nils de Caster : violin

   Lenn Dauphin : bass

5. Rueben's Train

   Bjorn Eriksson : guitar

   Karl 'Hank van Damme' Eriksson : banjo

   Geert Waegeman : mandoline

   Nils de Caster : violin

   Lenn Dauphin : bass

6. Country in My Genes

   Veerle Baetens : voice

   Bjorn Eriksson : guitar

   Karl 'Hank van Damme' Eriksson : banjo

   Nils de Caster : mandoline

   Geert Waegeman : violin

   Johan Heldenberg : backingvocal

   Lenn Dauphin : bass

7. Further On up the Road

   Johan Heldenberg : voice, banjo

   Bjorn Eriksson : dobro

   Karl 'Hank van Damme' Eriksson : guitar

   Nils de Caster : violin

   Geert Waegeman : mandoline

   Lenn Dauphin : bass

8. Where Are Heading, Tumbleweed?

Bjorn Eriksson : Ukelele, autoharp, e-bow guitars, bass, national guitar

9. Over in the Gloryland

   Veerle Baetens : voice

   Johan Heldenberg : guitar, voice

   Bjorn Eriksson : guitar, voice

   Karl 'Hank van Damme' Eriksson : voice

   Nils de Caster : voice

   Geert Waegeman : mandoline

   Lenn Dauphin : bass, voice

10. Cowboy Man

   Johan Heldenberg : voice

   Bjorn Eriksson : guitar, backingvocal

   Karl 'Hank van Damme' Eriksson : banjo

   Nils de Caster : violin, backingvocal

   Geert Waegeman : mandoline

   Lenn Dauphin : bass

11. If I Needed You

   Johan Heldenberg : voice

   Veerle Baetens : voice

   Bjorn Eriksson : national guitar

   Lenn Dauphin : bass

   Nils de Caster : viool

12. Carved Tree Inn

   Bjorn Eriksson : national guitars, bass

13. Sand Mountain

   Bjorn Eriksson : dobro

   Karl 'Hank van Damme' Eriksson : banjo

   David Buyle : violin

   Geert Waegeman : mandoline

   Peter Pask : guitar

   Lenn Dauphin : bass

14. Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us

   Veerle Baetens : voice

   Bjorn Eriksson : national guitar, banjo, string arrangement

   Nils de Caster : violin

   Geert Waegeman : violin, alto violin

   Nathalie Delcroix : backingvocals

   Charlotte Vandermeersch : backing vocals

15. Blackberry Blossom

   Bjorn Eriksson : guitar

   Karl 'Hank van Damme' Eriksson : banjo

   Geert Waegeman : mandoline

   Lenn Dauphin : bass

(source: HUMO)

To see what the film is about, we suggest you go to a local cinema or try to get to watch this flemish production. But for a sneak peek on the music, we add a video of one of the tracks the cast performed live on the World Soundtrack Awards Ceremony.

For more information on the soundtrack and the live tour, visit this website.

World Soundtrack Awards 2012

Pressconference WSA (c) Bert Wastijn

Gisteren vonden de twaalfde World Soundtrack Awards plaats in 't Kuipke van Gent. Op zaterdag 20 oktober 2012 begon om 11 uur een persconferentie 'slash' Meet&Greet met Dirk Brossé, James Newton Howard, Pino Donaggio en Alex Heffes. (1) Aansluitend hadden amateurcomponisten de mogelijkheid om aan te sluiten bij een Masterclass met nog meer internationale componisten. Ieder met wat lef kon voor, tijdens en na deze momenten met hun vragen bij hen langs. De meest memorabele uitspraak was toch van Newton Howard: "I am an afwul conducter ... I just swing my arm like everybody can. I just love to do it."

Alberto Iglesias (c) Bert Wastijn

's Avonds vond de World Soundtrack Academy Award Ceremony plaats waarbij de langverwachte prijzen werden uitgereikt. Een kort overzicht van de gelukkigen. Twee componisten liepen met een dubbele prijs weg: Alberto Iglesias werd beloond als Film Composer of the Year 2012 voor zijn muziek in de film ‘Le Moine’ (‘The Monk’), ‘La Piel Que Habito’ (The Skin I Live In) en ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’. Met deze laatste film kaapte hij ook de award voor Best Original Film Score of the Year weg.

Brian Byrne, een Ierse componist die naar Amerika verhuisde, ontving de World Soundtrack Award boor Best Original Song Written for Film boor ’Lay Your Head Down’ from the film ‘Albert Nobbs’. Dit nummer was naar zijn mening "not supposed to happen". Glen Close schreef voor dit nummer de lyrics en samen met Sinead O'Conner werd dit een pareltje. Hij kaapte ook de Discovery of the Year Award weg.

De Public Choice Award ging naar Abel Korzeniowski voor de film ‘W.E.’, Pino Donaggio ontving de World Soundtrack Lifetime Achievement Award en de Sabam Award for Best Young European Composer was weggelegd voor Valentin Hadjadj. Het 'huisorkest' van de World Soundtrack Academy, het Brussels Philharmonic, ontving het Certificate of Outstanding Recognition.

Wilt u toch graag nog meer info? Breng deze website gerust een bezoekje.

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(1) Later verschijnt deze samenkomst integraal op de blog. Ook onze interviews met Brian Byrne, David Wingo en Lucas Vidal komen integraal hier terecht. Hou ons in de gaten!

The Russian action movie: the sociological poetry of criminality

A little history

The russian action movie of the 90s was highly influenced by the historical and cultural context of that time. During the early 90s – during and after the fall of USSR – there was a huge wave of criminality throughout the country. Almost all goverment structures lost all their influence and the power came into the hands of criminal group (bandits). These groups had specific territories of influence. For example, Moscow was controlled by 6 bandit groups. The criminal groups not only owned their own businesses and property but also “roofed” (“крышовать” [krishovat'] - from the russian word “крыша' [krisha] - “roof” - controlled, defended from other criminal groups, collected money from – usually monthy) most organizations (however small) that were in their zone/territory of influence. It is not a secret that those memebers of bandit organizations/groups that survived the 90s – for it is obvious that some of them didn't, a lot of conflicts between groups were solved with viloence – have afterwards become successful businessmen. This does not, however, mean that all Russian businessmen have a crimial background, although there is always a possibility of that being the case.

The depiction of those times in film in literature has specific features. We can see that in film and literature banditism is in a way romantisied. The protagonist (a lot of times a member of a criminal group) becomes a pseudo-romantic hero – individualistic and lonely, overcoming hardships, abolishing old idols and searching for new ones.

The protagonist

Analyzing (or simply watching) a russian action movie we have to keep in mind that it is in a lot of ways different from the classical Hollywood action film. However, I will not focus here on the differences and will not make a comparative analysis, but will briefly describe the main characteristics of the russian action film.

The main hero (protagonist) of the action movie does not exist outside of action and movement — only in actions he obtains his character and appearance. In the Russian action film there is always only one protagonist, there can not be two, three or a group of them – this fact correlates with the main characteristic of the hero – although he is the main focus point of the story and everything revolves around him, he exists separately from his surrondings, he stands out, there is no ahrmony between him and the world he lives in.

The hero usually doesn't have a family – he could be an orphan – but even if he does, there is never a father, but just the melanholic image of his “greyhaired mother” (“the mother whose hair turned grey too soon” - from the work of Dubin - a russian researcher of cultural studies). Despite this the construction of the personage does not obtain a shade of weakness but seems stronger and even more selfsufficient.

A very important element of the russian action film is the presence of the “teacher” or mentor that, in a way, substitutes the father that the hero never had. The teacher is a figure of power and strength, he is the moral idol of the protagonist. The teacher does not have power over the protagonist, but only helps him to discover his enormous inner source of will.

The fact that the protagonist has a moral idol does not mean he cannot (and will not) destroy/abolish those morals and idols. The protagonist of the action film can do anything – space and time are in his hands, the events in the movie only happen because of him. Accourding to Dubin - “...there is no limit to his abilities (capasities)...”. The protagonist is fighting against the evil of the world, he wants to destroy the heart of it.. and we know he can do it.

Diana Goderich

Diana is a 21 years old student Russia, Moscow. She's polish, russian, ukrainian and cuban - all in one. In 2008 she graduated from Physic-Mathematics School of Novosibirsk State University - a boarding school in the middle of Siberia, specializing in technical education. She has a bachelor degree in the Russian State University for the Humanities in 2012 - specialization "History and Theory of Culture". Now she studies a Master in Cultural Studies in Europe (Belgium) at the Catholic University of Leuven.

Diana is a guestblogger for Lumière. Want to read more? Want to write something yourself? Let us know: lumière.radioscorpio@gmail.com!

India of Bollywood?

Voor de uitzending van vanavond, stoppen we bij het tweede land in onze wereldreis door de filmmuziek: India. Dankzij enkele enthousiaste luisteraars en supporters werden er twee films naar voor geschoven die hen (jullie dus) aan India en Bollywood doen denken.

// Wil je vanavond meer horen over Slumdog Millionaire?

// Ben je gebeten door de filmindustrie of gewoon nieuwsgierig wat Bollywood nu precies is?

// Ben jij de winnaar van onze film&literatuurprijsvraag of gewoon de gelukkige bij de 'social media'-wedstrijd (facebook: Lumière en twitter: @LumiereRS)?

// Wil je graag iets horen over James bond?

Luister dan vanavond tussen 7 en 8 naar Radio Scorpio (via www.radioscorpio.be of 106 FM in leuven)!

Geniet alvast van deze smaakmaker:

Lumière 2012.7.10: Italië; oude filmscores en een nieuw boek!

Lieve cinemusicofielen! 

We hebben weer een mooie aflevering klaarstaan, 

+ we gaan  van start met onze eerste "De wereld rond met filmmuziek", we beginnen in Italië met Federico Fellini en zijn trouwe filmcomponist Nino Rota

en bekijken en beluisteren we La vita è bella dichterbij

+ we introduceren we een nieuw boek voor ons film&literatuurspel, doe mee en win tickets!

+ we eren we een van de vroegste scores uit de geschiedenis van de filmmuziek, deze van Camillie Siant-Saëns voor L'Assasinat du Duc de Guise (uit 1908)

en Stanley Myers

Hieronder alvast een opwarmertje!