The Phoenician Scheme (Original Soundtrack) accompanies the 2025 comedy-thriller The Phoenician Scheme, written and directed by Wes Anderson and starring Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera and a large ensemble cast. The film’s original score was composed by Alexandre Desplat, a frequent Anderson collaborator known for The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Shape of Water and Asteroid City; his music here blends orchestral invention with references to classical repertoire while underscoring the film’s off-kilter storytelling.
The soundtrack album was released May 30, 2025 via ABKCO Records, containing a curated mix of Desplat’s original cues alongside classical and jazz recordings — including works by Igor Stravinsky, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johann Sebastian Bach, big-band staples like Glenn Miller and jazz by Gene Krupa & His Orchestra and the Fuasi Abdul-Khaliq Sextet — running approximately 44 minutes. A vinyl edition with expanded material was scheduled for July 11, 2025, and the album is available digitally on major platforms including Apple Music.
Desplat’s score often takes inspiration from Stravinsky’s L’Oiseau de feu (The Firebird) and other classical sources, interweaving them with his original themes to create a soundscape that complements both the film’s comic timing and episodic caper sequences. On screen, additional source music — from orchestral performances to period-style jazz — is used diegetically, making music an integral part of the film’s tone and rhythm.
Composer: Alexandre Desplat
Release Date: May 30, 2025
Label: ABKCO Records
Tracks: Various original score and licensed classical/jazz pieces
Genre: Film Score / Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
The Phoenician Scheme: Tracklist
- Igor Stravinsky and RCA Victor Orchestra – Apollon musagète: “Apotheosis”
- Robert Corben – Piano Sonata No. 2 in A Op. 2 IV Rondo
- Igor Stravinsky and Columbia Symphony Orchestra – Petrouchka, 1947 Version: “Tableau 1, The Shrovetide Fair”l
- Gene Krupa & His Orchestra – Drum Boogie
- Fuasi Abdul-Khaliq Sextet / Fuasi Abdul-Khaliq / Christian Grabandt / Rob Gutowski / Kelvin Sholar / Erik Unsworth / Eric Vaughn – Mud Bug
- Karl Richter, Munich Bach Choir, Münchener Bach-Orchester – Jesus bleibet meine Freude (Chorale)
- Ahuva Tsadok and Nachum Nardi – Hach Baregel
- Glenn Miller & His Orchestra – A String of Pearls
- Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan – Pictures At An Exhibition: “Promenade 1”
- Igor Stravinsky – L’Oiseau de Feu (The Firebird): “Introduction” / “Le Jardin enchanté de Kachtchei” / “Disparition du palais et des chevaliers pétrifiés, allégresse générale”
Score Soundtrack
- Alexandre Desplat – Airplane Crash #1
- Alexandre Desplat – A.Z.K Land & Sea
- Alexandre Desplat – Palazzo Korda
- Alexandre Desplat – The Gap Explodes
- Alexandre Desplat – The Trans-Mountain Locomotive Tunnel
- Alexandre Desplat – The Jungle Unit of the Intercontinental Radical Freedom Militia Corps
- Alexandre Desplat – Heaven #5 (Dost Thou Not Fear God)
