desplat-philomena

Photo credit: H.Wallace/Photomundo International

Yesterday afternoon, the work of Alexandre Desplat was celebrated during a conversation and performance of his Oscar-nominated score for Philomena at the Beverly Hills Hotel’s Polo Lounge. During a Q&A moderated by Society of Composers & Lyricists president Ashley Irwin, the composer talked about his fourth collaboration with director Stephen Frears, the challenges of the project and meeting the real Philomena Lee portrayed in the film by Judi Dench. Check out a video from the conversation after the jump. Randy Kerber performed selections from the Philomena score on piano. He also played music from Desplat’s Academy Award-nominated score for The King’s Speech and from his score for David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which the composer singled out as one of his favorite projects he worked on. Desplat also discussed his his career, including his breakout in Hollywood following his Golden Globe-nominated score for The Pearl With the Pearl Earring, his continuing relationships with directors such as Roman Polanski and Wes Anderson and his recent work on George Clooney’s The Monuments Men, in which he had a starring role alongside Matt Damon.

desplat-kerber

Alexandre Desplat, Randy Kerber & Ashley Irwin
Photo credit: H.Wallace/Photomundo International