A Closer Listen
In 1921, director André Bayard released La Route des Alpes, a 46-minute montage of four mountaineering films. Dually commissioned by the Touring Club de France and the PLM Railway Company, the film was originally intended as a type of travel promotion, but its spectacular views have transcended time. Over a hundred years later, DNGLS (Maxime Dangles) was commissioned by Scène Nationale du Lux in Valence to compose a new score, which became part of a cine-concert. While we don’t have the visuals (an online search will reveal portions), we do have the music, suitably cold, adventurous and cinematic.
We imagine “Evian” as an overture, beginning at base camp, its ambient glow like the first hints of morning, the sun seeping light from below the horizon. As the slow beat develops, chime tones twinkle like sun on snow. A gentle voices eases the mountaineers into their quest. The beats begin in earnest on “Ascension,” which is part spectral, part d ‘n’ b ~ a mingling of genres that suggests transcendence. As the track is less than two minutes long, there’s also a Nouveau Monica remix later in the set, much swifter and twice as long. No Alpine climber could keep up this pace, but a dancer could, which raises the question of whether a second score might be collected, containing only remixes.
“Roche & Glace” (“Rock and Ice”) slows the pace, exposing the arduous nature of the journey. An impervious sample seems to ask, “Would I?” or repeat “one eye,” referencing the wisdom of Odin in the realm of the gods. The huge, organ-like chords of “Le Sommet” connote triumph, for many the realization of a life-long dream; it’s no surprise it was chosen as the first single. Today “Le Col” is the name of a cycle wear company, but in 1921 it simply meant “The Pass.” The track has a lovely, beatless breakdown, like a rest stop along the way. By the time the score winds down, the listener is left with a feeling of accomplishment, even though all one has done is complete the album; the resolve, the effort, and the euphoria are all found in this sonic microcosm. (Richard Allen)
Tue Nov 25 00:01:22 GMT 2025