If you are like us, you’ve been charmed by the Netflix show Lupin and its main character Assane Diop, played by Omar Sy. This French series, which is dubbed in English, features a man on a journey to avenge his father’s wrongful imprisonment and death. In doing so, he uses tricks inspired by the Maurice Leblanc novels that his father gave him when he was a boy. They follow the story of Arsène Lupin, a gentleman thief and master of disguise.
Mathieu Lamboley
Broken up into two parts with five episodes in each, the series, now streaming, features a soundtrack by French composer Mathieu Lamboley, who eagle-eyed viewers might have spotted making a cameo as a conductor in this latest season. Let’s find out how he works and what went into creating the music for such an eclectic series.
What was your process on Lupin? How did you begin?
I first spent some time thinking about what Lupin really stands for, as I always want to give each project a unique soundtrack. To me, Lupin is all about heritage, a father passing on a literary heritage to his son, and the latter continuing the legacy in the present time. The question then became, how do I translate this into music? I decided to take a hybrid approach and mix my classical heritage with more modern sounds, as if I were myself trying to make my musical heritage live in the present. And this is what you can hear in the soundtrack: classical writing blended with hip-hop beats.
Can you walk us through your workflow?
In a series like Lupin, you have a huge amount of music to compose — we’re talking about 400 minutes for the first season — so optimizing your workflow is key. I start composing on my own for one or two episodes in a row and sending the demos to get approval by all the stakeholders (Netflix, producers, directors). Once it’s greenlit, my team helps me get this done as soon as possible. Although you can hear some library instruments in this soundtrack, most of it is real, performed by talented musicians.
For each episode, my team helped me book the performers, have a copyist prepare the score, record the soloists and orchestras, edit and then, of course, deliver a state-of-the art 5.1 mix. It was crucial for me to deliver the same quality as the one you would expect on a feature film, despite this massive quantity of music.
In Lupin, the pace of the story changes a lot. How does that affect what you write? Whimsical when Assane is playing a part in order to steal something, or high-octane chase scenes, or thriller like on the train, or the quieter times with his family.
This is the most fun part, playing with the musical codes and genres, but using the same themes. Each key character — Assane, Claire, Pellegrini — has his/her own theme. Depending on the situation and emotion, I vary these themes in an appropriate style that matches the scene. I love orchestrating, and I always do it myself, as it’s also a way to express emotions. The same theme with different orchestrations tells another story.
The end credits feel very jazz-like and almost mysterious. Why did you decide on this tone?
It’s the main theme: Arsène. In terms of style, it appeals to the character played by Omar Sy: playful and fun, but elegant and refined. The color is a mix between my classical heritage and more modern sounds. There’s a touch of jazz too, especially with the use of bass clarinet. Jazz has this playful power.
Lupin Part 1 is five episodes long. Did you map out how the score would progress in each episode ahead of time, before beginning the show?
You don’t really have the global vision when you start working on a series like this: I only had three episodes to start with. But that’s also what I liked: discovering the new episodes and adapting my music to the plot. Then probably the most exciting part was to deal with the series format since I usually compose for films.
For a composer, it’s a fantastic opportunity because you have time to develop your ideas. Viewers get used to your music during the first episodes, and then you can go way further in terms of creativity. To give you an example: For the final episode, I wrote a symphony that blended all the themes of the show together. It’s very complex and challenging music for the viewers, and it was made possible only because you have nine episodes before that, so the viewers are somewhat prepared.
Can you talk about the last 10 seconds of the Part 1 finale? What instrument did you use to create that high-pitch sound that grows in loudness?
There is a big crescendo on this last episode, with mechanical movements at strings and a solo violin on the top. At the end of this track, what you hear is a fortissimo of all strings and solo in the high register. Just after that you have a huge cluster (atonal chords) of strings with glissando. This is what creates the tension and hopefully the expectation of what is coming in Part 2.
Is there a specific scene in Part 2 that you would like the audience to pay attention to, musically?
Two scenes actually: First, Claire’s violin audition in Episode 6. I tried to compose a piece that fits the exact bowing of the actress playing the violin. (The scene has been shot without music). This piece is in a neo-baroque style, with the Assane theme on the top at the end.
The other scene is Episode 10’s last scene at the Chatelet Theatre. All the characters are there, and I composed a whole symphony movement with all the themes mixed together in a classical style, like a big finale. In the continuity of this scene, you have music until the end of the episode, with a huge orchestra playing nearly all the time. For a composer, it’s a great way to close this first chapter.
Are there any new plugins you have been using a lot?
I’m not a tech guy. Like all composers, I use DAWs and plugins, but my sound engineer is more familiar with this than I am. It’s key for me, as a composer, to focus on composing and orchestrating music and researching the musical language that is appropriate for the project.
Mathieu Lamboley (with actor Omar Sy, left) appeared in Part 2’s finale as the conductor.
In addition to this, I’m really attached to the unique emotions brought by performers, real human people. For Lupin, we had the chance to record great soloists, like bass clarinet, double bass, flutes, and orchestras.
You studied music composition in Paris. How early on did you know this was going to be your path?
I started playing music when I was 7, but it was still a hobby back then. At 15, I realized this was something I was going to be doing my whole life. I loved to play the piano and compose music, not only just for films, though.
As a student at the Paris Conservatoire, I totally fell in love with composers like Debussy and Ravel, and this convinced me even more that I wanted to be a composer. I soon started composing chamber music and music for drama shows. With this experience, I realized that I liked the idea of composing for other mediums and getting inspired by other stories. Composing for film happened almost by chance: I read a classified ad where a director was looking for a composer. This turned out to be my first film — Ears Have No Lids (Les Oreilles n’ont Pas de Paupières) — and won first prize at Aubagne Festival in France.
Any tips for those looking to write music for picture?
Based on my experience, I would say study with passion the masters from repertoire music. These guys have a lot to teach us. Then, when you write music for picture, you need to understand that the film is bigger than you. It might be in the film’s interest to have no music sometimes. The composer must find their right place. My last tip would be work like hell without counting.
