Eric Serra Special Concert
Éric Serra, Master of French Film Music, to Grace the Jecheon Night
The 21st Jecheon International Music & Film Festival (JIMFF) is proud to announce this year's recipient of the Jecheon Film Music Award: the master of French film music, Éric Serra.
Renowned for his long-standing collaboration with director Luc Besson, Serra has built a unique and original musical world, captivating film fans worldwide. He is celebrated as "a rare composer who completes the cinematic imagination with music." The JIMFF Special Choice stage will mark a very special occasion—his first-ever live performance in Korea.
Éric Serra's scores have always deepened the emotional impact of cinema. From the urban energy of Subway and the refreshing breath of the ocean in The Big Blue, to the intersecting solitude and innocence of Léon: The Professional, the futuristic sound experiments of The Fifth Element, and the sophisticated suspense of GoldenEye, his music transcends mere background, becoming a language that enriches the narrative.
For his premiere concert in Korea, Éric Serra and his band will bring his extensive musical universe to life on stage. As the melodies that once flowed across the screen resonate through the live venue, audiences will experience the perfect fusion of film and music.
Éric Serra is a world-renowned French composer and musician. Born in France in 1959, he is known as the cinematic alter ego of director Luc Besson and has composed the soundtracks for numerous masterpieces in film history, including The Big Blue, Léon: The Professional, and The Fifth Element.
His music career began in the early 1980s as the bassist and music director for the band of famous French musician Jacques Higelin. He later met director Luc Besson, and starting with Besson's first feature film, The Last Battle, they have continued a collaborative relationship for over 40 years, building a unique musical world. In particular, his work on The Big Blue earned him the César Award for Best Music, solidifying his fame as a composer. His activities expanded beyond Europe to Hollywood, where he served as the music director for the James Bond film GoldenEye.
In addition to his identity as a composer, he is also a performer who plays the fretless electric bass. Recently, he formed a jazz/fusion band called the 'RXRA Group' and is focusing on reinterpreting his representative film scores with a live sound. This is an ongoing endeavor that explores his other identity as a stage performer, moving beyond his global fame as a film composer.
The RXRA Group is a band formed by the master of film music, Éric Serra, to bring his musical world to the live stage. Serra, who also released a rock album in 1998 under the name 'RXRA'—which sounds like his own name when pronounced in French—reinterprets his film music in jazz and fusion styles with this band.
Led by Serra on bass, the group unites an ensemble of premier musicians from the French jazz scene. Acclaimed artists in their respective fields, including Emile Parisien (saxophone), Thierry Eliez (keyboards), Paul Cepede (guitar), Pierre Marcault (percussion), and Jon Grandcamp (drums), unite to breathe new life into Serra's iconic compositions.
