The new Netflix series is home to a moody classical soundtrack.
The latest addition to Netflix’s ever-growing slate of original content is All the Light We Cannot See, a new adaptation of the Anthony Doerr novel that’s being directed by Shawn Levy (Stranger Things).
The new four-part series follows the story of Marie-Laure (Aria Mia Loberti), a blind French girl, and her father, Daniel LeBlanc (Mark Ruffalo), who flee German-occupied Paris at the onset of the Second World War.
But in their possession is a legendary diamond that they must keep from falling into the hands of the Nazis.
The story follows Marie as her path also collides with German soldier Werner (Louis Hofmann), a teenage boy whose radio-related intelligence leads to him being unwillingly drafted into Hitler’s regime.
It’s a slow-burning and mellow kind of drama with a fitting soundtrack to match, but what songs are included in the series? Read on for more about the music used in All the Light We Cannot See.
All the Light We Cannot See soundtrack
The entire series includes songs from the official soundtrack, which has been composed by James Newton Howard.
Howard is a well-known composer and music producer, having scored over 100 films, won a Grammy and an Emmy, and received multiple Oscar nominations.
Howard has scored films such as Pretty Woman, the Hunger Games film franchise and The Dark Knight, to name a few.
Here, he brings his musical talents to produce a fittingly moody soundtrack to All the Light We Cannot See, providing fitting musical accompaniments to the series’s most tense and emotional moments.
Speaking about being involved in the soundtrack, Howard told Netflix that he sought the project out when he heard it was in production.
He said: “I had written a couple of themes before I even saw any picture. I want people to feel moved and optimistic that the human spirit is resilient and capable of facing the greatest dangers.”
Howard also revealed how he attempted to stay true to each character’s point of view, using a substantial amount of synthesisers, sound design and electronics to add depth and drama to his core palette of piano, solo violin and orchestra.
The Model City theme “became the emotional centrepiece of the score” — being a track that carries over from young Marie’s life into her teenage years.
Its violin solo was written especially for acclaimed violinist James Ehnes.
The album will be released on the day of the show’s release on Thursday 2nd November.
The full track list for the soundtrack is as follows.
1. Main Title
2. August 1944
3. Falling Leaflets
4. Werner Listens
5. Secrets
6. Depart Immediately
7. Model City
8. To the Museum
9. A Day at the Museum
10. Wire
11. Messages in Code
12. A Small Miracle
13. A Great Professor
14. Top of My Class
15. Reason to Hope
16. Spilled Milk
17. Ten Seconds
18. Retrieving the Jewels
19. Father’s Fault
20. Burning Carousel
21. Illegal Broadcast
22. Broken Radio
23. Fix It or Die
24. No Trains Left
25. Burden
26. A Promise
27. Traditional Welcome
28. Finding 1310
29. Time to Meet
30. Take the Weapon
31. Thought Destroys Action
32. Genius Is a Gift
33. You Are the Professor
34. Catching Breath
35. Model Building
36. The Committee
37. Speak to Me
38. Fearless
39. No Escape
40. No Time for Games
41. Ask Me Again
42. I Need Your Strength
43. I Am Not Alone
44. Not Today
45. Uncle Etienne Sent Me
46. Sound Warnings
47. The Most Important Light
48. Liberation
49. Sea of Flames
50. Saint-Malo
51. Model City Duet – James Newton Howard & James Ehnes
52. Clair de Lune – Alison Procter
Aside from the official soundtrack, one of the main songs featured in the series that is meaningful to the plot line is Claude Debussy’s Clair de Lune, which is an iconic classical piano track.
The song has been used in films such as Twilight, The Purge and Ocean’s Eleven – but in the series, it’s used as the hopeful piece of music that accompanies the professor’s radio broadcasts, and is integral for both Marie-Laure and Werner.
All the Light We Cannot See will premiere on Netflix on Thursday 2nd November 2023. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr is available to buy now.
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