We are proud to present Loek Dikker’s score for Peter Delpeut’s film Diva Dolorosa.

This is Loek Dikker’s magnum opus, a tribute to the great operas of the late 19th century with subtle jazz influences as they were invoked by, among others, Maurice Ravel and Darius Milhaud in the 1920s. Keen film music enthusiasts might even discover some hints of Nino Rota in the vaudeville music. Dikker’s score has it all – instrumental arias, jazz, vaudeville, and even some polyphony. It is the work the composer is proudest of, and indeed, it stands as a towering achievement in his impressive oeuvre.

“Diva Dolorosa” was met with great acclaim when it was released in 1999. Director Peter Delpeut had assembled individual scenes from “Diva Films,” Italian melodramas from the 1920s. He put together a new work, a story in the tradition of the Italian classics as a found footage collage.