In Paris, from the Studio Grande Armée to the “Studio du Palais”, the triumph of film music

When a film score involves a symphony orchestra, its name appears in the credits, but, in most cases, not that of the studio where it was recorded. Yet, it constitutes a fundamental element. In Paris, while several recording venues once specialized in hosting large ensembles, both for their spacious dimensions and their low-reverberation acoustics, none has gone down in history with the same aura as the Studio Grande Armée. This activity, developed on two sites, is attested to by two creators who participated in it, Bruno Coulais and Alexandre Desplat.

Bruno Coulais, composer of the music for the hit film The Chorus (2004), by Christophe Barratier, had his first important experience in this studio, founded in 1972 by the harpist Jean-Claude Dubois (1935-2022). The director François Reichenbach (1921-1993) commissioned him, in 1977, to compose the music for his documentary Mexico magico . A baptism of fire "a little petrifying" , remembers the man who had to endure the hazing reserved for young composers by seasoned musicians, "studio sharks" often working at the Paris Opera. Wrong notes played here and there with aplomb to test the ear of the author of a score "intended for a force close to that of Stravinsky's fanfares" .

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