Jorge Arriagada

Jorge Arriagada (20 August 1943 – 8 October 2024) was a French-Chilean composer residing in France. Specializing in film music, he is best known for his longstanding collaboration with director Raúl Ruiz.

Life and career Arriagada studied composition and orchestral conducting at the National Conservatory of Music in Santiago. Later, he received a four-year scholarship from the French government, allowing him to study in Paris with Max Deutsch, a student and friend of the Austrian composer and theorist Arnold Schönberg. He also studied with Pierre Schaeffer, Olivier Messiaen, and Pierre Boulez.

In 1972, the Guggenheim Foundation in New York awarded Arriagada a scholarship for his contributions to the field of electronic music at Stanford University in California, USA. During the same period, he served as a professor of music composition for French government scholarship recipients.

From 1977, he worked primarily in the film industry, composing music for over 160 films for about thirty directors, including Olivier Assayas, Patricio Guzmán, Benoît Jacquot, Orson Welles, and Barbet Schroeder, as well as 46 films directed by Ruiz.

His film scores often encompass symphonic music, as well as chamber music pieces. He even provided his interpretation of the fictional Vinteuil Sonata for Ruiz's film adaptation of Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time in 1999. The genres he has explored include classical, contemporary, electroacoustic, and jazz music.

In 2013, a CD titled "Les Musiques de Jorge Arriagada pour les Films de Philippe Le Guay" was released by Disques Cinémusique, featuring Arriagada's original compositions for Philippe Le Guay's films, including Les Femmes du 6e étage (2010), and Alceste à bicyclette (2013).

Arriagada served as a jury member at various film festivals, including Cannes, San Sebastián, São Paulo, Valencia, Buenos Aires, Valladolid, among others.

In 2020, he was awarded the Grand Prix Sacem de la Musique pour l'image in France.

Arriagada died on 8 October 2024, at the age of 81.

Filmography

Year Title Director Notes 1977 Colloque de chiens Raúl RuizBest Short Film Award Cesar 1977. Selection Cannes Film Festival 1978 1978 Les Divisions de la nature Raúl Ruiz 1978 The Suspended Vocation Raúl RuizGrand Prix San Remo Film Festival 1978 1979 L'Hypothèse du tableau volé Raúl Ruiz Selection Cannes Film Festival 1979 1979 Of Great Events and Ordinary People Raúl Ruiz 1980 Zig-Zag - le jeu de l'oie (TV) Raúl Ruiz 1981 The Territory Raúl Ruiz 1982 Le Péril rampant Alberto Yaccelini 1982 On Top of the Whale Raúl Ruiz 1982 Moi, l'autre João Botelho 1982 Three Crowns of the Sailor Raúl RuizSelection Cannes Film Festival 1983 1983 Bérénice Raúl RuizSelection Avignon Festival 1983 1983 City of Pirates Raúl RuizSelection Venice Film Festival 1983 1984 The Terrible Lovers Danièle Dubroux and Stavros Kaplanidis 1984 Point de fuite Raúl Ruiz 1984 Paris vu par... vingt ans après Philippe Venault 1984 Notre mariage Valeria SarmientoGolden Seashell Best Film San Sebastian International Film Festival 1984 1984 Ave Maria Jacques Richard 1985 Ces jours où les remords vous font vraiment mal au coeur Melvil Poupaud 1985 Manoel's Destinies Raúl RuizSelection Cannes Film Festival 1985 1985 The Insomniac on the Bridge Raúl Ruiz 1985 Treasure Island Raúl RuizSelection Cannes Film Festival 1991 1986 Life is a Dream Raúl Ruiz 1986 Richard III Raúl RuizSelection Cannes Film Festival 1986 1986 Dans un miroir Raúl Ruiz 1986 Hijos de la guerra fría Gonzalo Justiniano 1986 15 août Nicole GarciaSelection Cannes Film Festival 1986 1987 Brise-glace Jean Rouche and Raúl Ruiz 1987 Le Professeur Taranne Raúl Ruiz 1987 The Miracle Jean-Pierre Mocky 1987 Buisson ardent Laurent Perrin 1988 Les Mendiants Benoît Jacquot 1988 Terre Sacrée Emilio Pacull 1989 Winter's Child Olivier Assayas 1989 Blancs cassés Philippe Venault 1989 Les Deux Fragonard Philippe Le Guay 1990 Amelia Lopes O'Neill Valeria Sarmiento 1990 Le procès du roi João Mário Grilo 1990 Un jeu d'enfant Pascal Kané 1990 La Désenchantée Benoît Jacquot 1991 Langlois Monumental (TV) Jacques Richard 1991 Blanval Michel Mees 1991 Sushi Sushi Laurent Perrin 1991 The Sky Above Paris Michel Béna 1992 The End of the World Raúl Ruiz 1992 Urgence d'aimer (TV) Philippe Le Guay 1992 Das Tripas Coração Joaquim Pinto 1992 Terra fria António Campos 1993 Dark at Noon Raúl Ruiz Won - Sitges Film Festival Award for Best Original Score. Selection Cannes Film Festival 1992 1993 Rhésus Roméo (TV) Philippe Le Guay 1993 It's All True Bill Khrone and Myron Meisel 1994 Los Náufragos Raúl Ruiz 1994 Exterior Night (short) Mark Rappaport 1995 Le fabuleux destin de Madame Petlet Camille de Casabianca 1995 L'Année Juliette Philippe Le Guay 1995 L'Éducatrice Pascal Kané 1995 Elle Valeria Sarmiento 1995 Three Lives and Only One Death Raúl RuizSelection Cannes Film Festival 1996 1995 Pili, Prince des rues Bertrand Van Effenterre 1996 Transatlantique Christine Laurent 1996 L'Éducatrice Pascal Kané 1996 Os Olhos da Ásia João Mário GriloSelection Cannes Film Festival 1993 1996 Mi último hombre Tatiana Gaviola 1996 Turres Eburnea Raúl Ruiz 1996 Transatlantique Christine Laurent 1997 El Ché Maurice Dugowson 1997 Genealogies of a Crime Raúl RuizSilver Bear Grand Jury Prize Berlin Film Festival 1997 1997 Le Monde d'Angelo (TV) Pascal Kané 1998 Aventureros del fin del mundo (TV) Miguel Latín 1998 L'inconnu de Strasbourg Valeria Sarmiento 1998 Shattered Image Raúl Ruiz 1998 El Entusiasmo Ricardo LarraínSelection Cannes Film Festival 1998 1999 Quelque chose Melvil Poupaud 1999 La Isla de Robinson Crusoe Patricio Guzmán 1999 Time Regained Raúl RuizSelection Cannes Film Festival 1999 2000 30 ans Laurent Perrin 2000 Love Torn in a Dream Raúl Ruiz 2000 Our Lady of the Assassins Barbet SchroederItalian Senate Award Venice Film Festival 2000 2000 Comedy of Innocence Raúl RuizSelection Venice Film Festival 2000 2001 Savage Souls Raúl RuizSelection Cannes Film Festival 2001 2002 Madrid Patricio Guzmán 2002 l'Astronome et l'Indien Carmen Castillo 2002 Cofralandes, Chilean Rhapsody Raúl Ruiz 2003 That Day Raúl RuizSelection Cannes Film Festival 2003 2003 A Place Among the Living Raúl Ruiz 2004 Operation Hollywood (TV) Emilio Pacull 2004 Tout pour l'oseille Bertrand Van Effenterre 2004 Salvador Allende Patricio GuzmánSelection Cannes Film Festival 2004 2004 Days in the Country Raúl Ruiz 2005 The Lost Domain Raúl Ruiz 2005 Horcón, al sur de ninguna parte Rodrigo Gonçalves 2005 Juanita de Tanger Farida Benlyazid 2006 Klimt Raúl RuizSelection Rotterdam Film Festival 2006 2006 Vocation Cinéaste Laurent Perrin 2007 Terror's Advocate Barbet SchroederSelection Cannes Film Festival 2007 2007 La Recta Provincia (TV mini-series) Raúl Ruiz 2007 Crosse Liova Jedlicki 2007 Nucingen House Raúl Ruiz 2008 Secretos Valeria Sarmiento 2008 Mr President (TV) Emilio Pacull 2008 Inju: The Beast in the Shadow Barbet SchroederSelection Venice Film Festival 2008 2008 Litoral (TV mini-series) Raúl Ruiz 2008 Nucingen House Raúl Ruiz 2009 Nova: The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies (PBS documentary) Nick de Pencier 2009 El Pasaporte amarillo Raúl Ruiz 2009 History of a Chair Pablo Salvador N.G. 2009 Medea's Ark Pablo Salvador N.G 2010 Je ne vous oublierai jamais Pascal Kané 2010 Il Était une fois King-Kong Laurent Perrin 2010 Mysteries of Lisbon Raúl Ruiz ICS Award for Best Original Score.Silver Seashell Award Best Director San Sebastian International Film Festival 2010 2010 La Maleta Raúl Ruiz 2010 The Women on the 6th Floor Philippe Le GuayAudience Award Colcoa French Film Festival 2010 2011 Ballet Aquatique Pascal Kané 2011 Diario de mi Residencia en Chile Valeria Sarmiento 2011 Cornelia frente al espejo Daniel RosenfeldSelection Rotterdam Film Festival 2012 2011 Alguien ha visto a Lupita Gonzalo Justiniano 2012 Chez Frida Kalo Xavier Villetard 2012 Ferlinghetti le dernier des Beatniks Laurent Perrin 2012 Night Across the Street Raúl RuizSelection Cannes Film Festival 2012 2012 Lines of Wellington Valeria SarmientoSelection Venice Film Festival 2012 2013 Cycling with Moliere Philippe Le Guay Nominated - César Award for Best Music Written for a Film. Selection Tribeca Festival 2013 2013 Diary of a Residence in Chile (TV series) Valeria Sarmiento 2013 L'Harmonie familiale Camille de Casabianca 2014 Welcome Home Emma-Rose (short) Miriam Heard 2015 Al centro de la Tierra (short) Daniel Rosenfeld 2015 Floride Philippe Le GuaySelection Locarno Film Festival 2015 2015 Le Saphir de Saint-Louis (short) José Luis Guerín 2016 Sélection Oficielle Jacques Richard 2016 Tierra Yerma Miriam Heard 2016 Raoul Ruiz: Drama Against Ignorance! Alejandra Rojo 2016 Jean Dupuy, une Biographie à 2 Têtes (Short) Pascal Kané 2016 Mademoiselle Clara (Short) Daniel Rosenfeld 2017 Casa di Angeli (TV series) Valeria Sarmiento 2017 La Telenovela Errante Raoul Ruiz and Valeria SarmientoSelection Locarno Film Festival 2017 2017 Le Venerable W Barbet SchroederSelection Cannes Film Festival 2017 2018 Il Etait une fois le Progrés Pascal Kané 2018 O Caderno Negro Valeria SarmientoSelection San Sebastian Film Festival 2018 2019 Entierro Maura MoralesSelection Bologna Film Festival 2019 2020 The Tango of the Widower Raoul Ruiz and Valeria SarmientoSelection Berlin Film Festival 2020 2022 L'Heure de Départ Camille de Casabianca 2023 El Realismo Socialista Raoul Ruiz-Valeria Sarmiento 2023 Toxicily François Xavier Destors

Discography Three original soundtracks composed by Arriagada can be found on the CD compilation Les Musiques de Jorge Arriagada pour les films de Philippe Le Guay, released by Canadian label Disques Cinémusique, in 2013 : Alceste à Bicyclette, Les Femmes du 6e étage and Les Deux Fragonard. French and English liner notes. More information here.

The same label also released the same year Arriagada's complete original soundtrack from Les Lignes de Wellington. More information here.