The South Korean won over the jury led by Oscar-winning composer Gabriel Yared. Three soundtracks for the nine-minute short film THE SHYNESS OF TREES were at the heart of this year's International Film Music Competition (IFMW), and they were as different as the three composers who wrote them. First there was Carl Falkenau of Sweden, who has reached the competition's final for the third time. Given that the 146 entries from 36 countries are judged anonymously, that is more than remarkable. Of course he would be happy if it worked out this time with the Golden Eye, he said with a slightly self-mocking calm, «but if not, I'll come back next time.»
Brendan Galvin, the second finalist, told the host Sandra Studer how he, as an American, ended up in New Zealand. Finally, Semin Son, who had traveled to Switzerland for the first time ever, said a sentence in Korean and then provided the translation. It read: «I want to win this competition.»
And yes, he really did win. His music reflects a deep understanding of the story of this animated film, which tells of a daughter and a mother, of loss and consolation, «and it finds exactly the right poetic tone for the images,» praised jury president and Oscar winner Gabriel Yared. «We particularly liked your colorful and creative instrumentation and the way you developed the mother's song into a musical theme.»
Before the competition, the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich had presented works by the Swiss film music duo Michael Künstle and Matteo Pagamici, who had once stood on the IFMW stage themselves as winner and finalist respectively, and who now formed the jury alongside Gabriel Yared, the actress Martina Gedeck, and the conductor Frank Strobel.
Afterwards, in the second half of the concert, the jury president himself took center stage in three roles: as the composer of the film scores for L'AMANT, THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY and THE ENGLISH PATIENT (the latter of which earned him an Oscar in 1997); as the pianist in these works; and finally as the recipient of the second Golden Eye awarded that glamorous evening. Reta Guetg, director of the Zurich Film Festival, presented him with this Career Achievement Award in a tribute so warm that Gabriel Yared promptly replaced his prepared acceptance speech with a spontaneous, equally heartfelt one.
What else was there? For example, the bandoneon player Juanjo Mosalini and the singer Héloïse Poulet, who expanded the already multifaceted musical spectrum in an exceptionally atmospheric way. Or music and images from the classics LAWRENCE OF ARABIA and CASABLANCA. And, last but not least, an audience that enthusiastically celebrated the film music and all the protagonists of the evening.
