Wes Anderson's lighthearted Eastern European epic found its perfect match in composer Alexandre Desplat, whose score borrows from Russian folk music, European classical, and vintage Hollywood soundtracks. Opening with an unaccompanied male chorus in "S'Rothe-Zäuerli," the music includes the regional sounds of balalaikas, zithers, and Alpine horns. Orchestral pieces like "M. Ivan" and "Cleared of All Charges" hark back to Maurice Jarre's classic Doctor Zhivago score. And Desplat's arrangement of the traditional tune "Moonshine," plucked at dizzying speed, underlines the film's whimsical side.