Brûle le sang
Guillaume Ferran
" this notable body of work "Written by Joep de Bruijn - Review of the download only release
Director Akaki Popkhadze assembles important cast and crew members from the region of Nice, including composer Guillaume Ferran, for the French crime thriller Brûle le sang (In the Name of Blood, 2024). It premiered in 2025 in French cinemas. In an attempt to explore themes of family, revenge, immigration, honor, community, and tragedy, the film is not distinctive. Yet, the original score warrants references to cliché sayings regarding film music, which are all true, to prove how good it really is.
Sypnosis:
In the working-class neighborhoods of Nice, a pillar of the local Georgian community is murdered. His son Tristan, who aspires to become an Orthodox priest, finds himself alone with his grieving mother. Gabriel, his older brother with a troubled past, reappears after a long exile to make amends by restoring his family's honor.
Given all the themes the film has to offer, the music by Ferran underscores, counterbalances and weaves them together through a singular, hummable theme, disguised in various ways. It is remarkably classical, as heard in the wonderful Brûle le sang - Main Theme and Tu ne tueras point, both pieces sounding like a concert work. This makes sense when overviewing the composer's wide career, in which he is perhaps best described as a connoisseur of chamber music.
The composer consciously chose baroque performances of the string section and piano, sometimes supported by small bits of modern electronics. In between this classical lyricism, it offers introverted tension, sustained chords, low-key dissonance and expressive melancholy through the plaintive strings, all to provide a stark contrast in between the brothers and their mother, their grief and the uselessness of revenge. There is a small cue - Au nom du père - of liturgical singing, referencing the brothers desire to become a priest, and the Georgian community of Nice in general, based on the melody of the main theme.
Having said all of this, the dramatic and fragile narrative of the music, both in the film and as a separate listening, is extremely rewarding. It ranges from strongly minimal low-key amiable piano (Deux frères), to piano forte positivism (Dojo), to the intensified and concerto piano in Dardan,just capturing one of the many elements of musical importance within this notable body of work.
The music is available digitally through Music box records. Interestingly, they also released a digital single, which includes Brûle le sang-Main Theme 3:03 and Brûle le sang - Trailer Theme 1:08. The trailer music places more emphasis on contemporary electronics performing the memorable main theme. Aside from this extra release, there is another digital one, including two bonus tracks: Tbilissi 2:50 and Batoumi 3:09. Unfortunately, both are club dance tracks with barely anything in common with the original score, rendering them unnoteworthy, but not in context.
Tracklist
1. Nissa 1:13
2. Brûle le sang-Main Theme 3:03
3. Assassinat 1:48
4. Au nom du père 1:08
5. La veillée 0:44
6. Honte 0:57
7. Deux frères 1:14
8. Dojo 1:46
9. Vengeance 2:09
10. Dardan 2:05
11. Juste ton absence 1:55
12. Je vous quitterai plus 1:36
13. Réveille-toi 1:20
14. Trahison 3:38
15. Tu ne tueras point 3:14
16. Console ma peine 2:58
Total duration: 30:48
(16-03-2025)
Sypnosis:
In the working-class neighborhoods of Nice, a pillar of the local Georgian community is murdered. His son Tristan, who aspires to become an Orthodox priest, finds himself alone with his grieving mother. Gabriel, his older brother with a troubled past, reappears after a long exile to make amends by restoring his family's honor.
Given all the themes the film has to offer, the music by Ferran underscores, counterbalances and weaves them together through a singular, hummable theme, disguised in various ways. It is remarkably classical, as heard in the wonderful Brûle le sang - Main Theme and Tu ne tueras point, both pieces sounding like a concert work. This makes sense when overviewing the composer's wide career, in which he is perhaps best described as a connoisseur of chamber music.
The composer consciously chose baroque performances of the string section and piano, sometimes supported by small bits of modern electronics. In between this classical lyricism, it offers introverted tension, sustained chords, low-key dissonance and expressive melancholy through the plaintive strings, all to provide a stark contrast in between the brothers and their mother, their grief and the uselessness of revenge. There is a small cue - Au nom du père - of liturgical singing, referencing the brothers desire to become a priest, and the Georgian community of Nice in general, based on the melody of the main theme.
Having said all of this, the dramatic and fragile narrative of the music, both in the film and as a separate listening, is extremely rewarding. It ranges from strongly minimal low-key amiable piano (Deux frères), to piano forte positivism (Dojo), to the intensified and concerto piano in Dardan,just capturing one of the many elements of musical importance within this notable body of work.
The music is available digitally through Music box records. Interestingly, they also released a digital single, which includes Brûle le sang-Main Theme 3:03 and Brûle le sang - Trailer Theme 1:08. The trailer music places more emphasis on contemporary electronics performing the memorable main theme. Aside from this extra release, there is another digital one, including two bonus tracks: Tbilissi 2:50 and Batoumi 3:09. Unfortunately, both are club dance tracks with barely anything in common with the original score, rendering them unnoteworthy, but not in context.
Tracklist
1. Nissa 1:13
2. Brûle le sang-Main Theme 3:03
3. Assassinat 1:48
4. Au nom du père 1:08
5. La veillée 0:44
6. Honte 0:57
7. Deux frères 1:14
8. Dojo 1:46
9. Vengeance 2:09
10. Dardan 2:05
11. Juste ton absence 1:55
12. Je vous quitterai plus 1:36
13. Réveille-toi 1:20
14. Trahison 3:38
15. Tu ne tueras point 3:14
16. Console ma peine 2:58
Total duration: 30:48
(16-03-2025)