Mood is of the essence in Alexandre Desplat’s sparing score as this drama is played out against the backdrop of corruption in the oil industry. As the story unfolds from Texas via Geneva to Pakistan, strings and ethnic instruments underline the terrain. Two principal themes catch the ear with the initial ‘Syriana’, first played on harp, becoming a hypnotic companion throughout. On its final appearance in ‘Fathers and Sons’, to a counterpoint on cello and duduk, it reaches a truly ravishing apotheosis. ‘Driving in Geneva’, heard on piano against an anxious string ostinato, is underscored with an electronic bass that recurs frequently in the music, suggesting a Le Carré-like world of furtive goings-on. With less originality, Desplat marshals his ethnic percussion group in a series of jaw-dropping sforzandi, rather too familiar from other contemporaneous scores. Syriana, though hardly likely to appeal to a mass audience, offers often subtle rewards assisted by immaculate production values.