Alexandre Desplat and the Renewal of the Timbre of Hollywood Symphonies: Programmed Sounds as a Form of Casting the Orchestra into Relief with Magical Effect - Text 6
Thus when Laureline and Valérian, on board their space-ship, arrive on the planet Alpha (“Arriving on Alpha”), the echoing flutes – consonant and ethereal in the way that Goldsmith’s flutes were in Alien – appear even more to float when they bounce off the undulating synth pad of Arturia sounds in the low notes, in the midst of the strings over which a heroism motif gradually emerges from the horns. Desplat effects this same musical gesture for more intimist films. In some parts of The Danish Girl he gives a similar function to the programmed organ or the sub-bass[7] to reinforce the low strings in order to highlight the inner discord of the character (Einar/Lili) and signify his deep angst. This, for example, is the case of the scene in which Einar, before his physical transformation into Lili, mimics the movements of feminine sensuality which he sees the female trainer doing through the glass of a peep-show.
