21 March 2009

Georges Auric's Music for 'Bonjour Tristesse'

Here is an outstanding score from Georges Auric for the 1958 film of Françoise Sagan's tale of decadence among the Parisians, Bonjour Tristesse.

Georges Auric
The music features a perfect, languid version of the title song by Juliette Gréco, the muse of the Existentialists. (Inspired by this, I just had to get her 1950s records out to listen again. Sagan wrote the lyrics for several of her songs.)

This rip is taken from an unplayed copy of the original issue. [Note (June 2023): This now has been remastered in excellent ambient stereo.] The striking cover art is by Saul Bass.

Juliette Gréco

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18 comments:

  1. GilinAZ22 March, 2009 00:51

    Buster...I believe Francoise Sagan's novel was called "Aimee Vous Brahms?" (Do you love Brahms?). However, I don't think there is anything about Brahms, in the movie. I remember seeing the movie many years ago...but can't remember much about the plot, now.

    Gil

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  2. Ron-O22 March, 2009 09:03

    Thanks for the great post...I was wondering if anyone had the names for the tracks? I checked the 'Soundtrack Collector" which usually has listings of the different recordings/releases and a detailed track list but no such luck on 'Bonjour Tristesse' track names...

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    Replies
    1. Junko5513 April, 2018 17:30

      Hi Ron-O here you have the complete tracks
      https://www.discogs.com/Juliette-Greco-Bonjour-Tristesse/release/4907419

      Anytime HIRAM Venezuela

      Delete
  3. Buster22 March, 2009 09:19

    Gil,

    Sagan did write a novel called Aimez-vous Brahms? and it was made into a film - but this is a different novel; her first.

    Ron-O,

    There are no track names on the label or cover for this one.

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  4. GilinAZ22 March, 2009 11:25

    Buster...yeah, you're right. It was the film "Goodbye, Again". The main title song "Say No More, It's Goodbye", is based on the third movement (I think), of Brahm's 3rd Symphony.

    Gil

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  5. AlternateAthos23 March, 2009 20:53

    Wow. This is great.

    I wish I had the Juliette Greco albums too.

    (Not really a hint... but it could be) ;)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Buster23 March, 2009 21:18

    I did get one of my Greco LPs out to listen - and I gotta tell you, while I do like her, her approach gets a little monotonous.

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  7. Jazzrealities03 April, 2009 08:46

    The music for the movie "Aimez-vous Brahms?" was written by and conducted by Georges Auric as well. Check out that Kenny Clarke was the drummer for most part of that score.
    JazzRealities

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  8. denyspr24 January, 2018 08:23

    Hi, Buster, it's Denys, again...
    Can you re-up this precious gem, please?
    Thanks in advance...
    Denys P.R.
    ==================

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  9. David Federman19 February, 2018 07:33

    Another thank you from one of your most grateful admirers. I saw this film on TCM recently--before I knew about her turbulent life and the very likely role the FBI played in ending it. Let's just call her's an "assisted" suicide. But before she became a sort of Patty Hearst she was just Jean, the most beautiful newspaper seller Paris has ever seen.

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  10. alfred venison20 February, 2018 18:39

    thank you. -a.v.

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  11. Boursin29 March, 2018 19:09

    Only nine years late, but here are the track titles as revealed on the French pressing of this LP (RCA 530.239):

    01 - Introduction
    02 - Promenade en voiture / Bonjour tristesse
    03 - Cave à Saint Germain des Près
    04 - Cécile
    05 - La calanque
    06 - Le sentier
    07 - Les Halles
    08 - La chambre
    09 - Le casino
    10 - Le petit déjeuner
    11/12 - La découverte
    13/14 - L'accident et Finale

    Tracks 11 and 12 are on the French LP as one long track with this collective title, as are tracks 13 and 14. (And the two vocal numbers are not the versions by Gréco, but ones sung in French by Laura Mellec.)

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  12. Buster29 March, 2018 19:15

    Boursin - Many thanks. I pulled out the American record again recently to make sure there were no track listings. (There were not.) Surprised to learn that Gréco is not on the French LP. I don't think I have ever heard anything by Laura Mellac.

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  13. jeronimo23 July, 2018 16:02

    Aaaaaah wonderful!
    thanks!

    j.

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  14. Buster20 June, 2023 19:59

    Remastered in ambient stereo, Apple lossless format:

    https://mega.nz/file/jR9jFQjA#nxKE-NMWIdZL7i23uHITTNzh2u3WeW7ceSTzP8aiJ7k

    ReplyDelete
  15. Scoredaddy09 July, 2023 01:17

    thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  16. centuri18 July, 2023 09:08

    Many thanks dear Buster for this ! We don't have so many recordings of Auric's music. He was part of the famed 'Groupe des Six' (Tailleferre, Honegger, Milhaud, Durey, Poulenc...!) but together with Durey not he was the most known , probably because he wrote mainly film music. He was good orchestrator (eg Les Fâcheux -there is an excellent recording of this ballet under Markevitch/Monté-Carlo Orchestra). Juliette Gréco is, as ever, amazing !

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    Replies
    1. Buster18 July, 2023 10:05

      Thanks, Jean - I will be on the lookout for Les Fâcheux.

      Delete

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