Academy Award–Winning Composer Volker Bertelmann Shares How a Refurbished Harmonium Inspired His Score for All Quiet on the Western Front
Volker Bertelmann. Credit: Carsten Sander.
Few classical musicians have an IMDb page as extensive as composer-pianist Volker Bertelmann.
In addition to the experimental piano music he composes and performs under the moniker Hauschka, Bertelmann is one of the most prolific film composers at work today. Over the past 15 years, he's scored nearly 60 films and television shows — including titles featuring megawatt stars like Nicole Kidman and Benedict Cumberbatch.
But even with those credits, Bertelmann knew it would be difficult composing the score for Netflix's new World War I epic All Quiet on the Western Front. He would need to establish a musical atmosphere that could take viewers from the optimistic enthusiasm felt at the start of the war to the bleak despair experienced by millions of soldiers trapped in trenches on the front lines. Bertelmann was up for the challenge.
"My life philosophy is that your lifetime is there for you to grow," he says on the latest episode of the Classical Post podcast. "And you can only grow if you're challenged — finding solutions, another path. I'm a big fan of that. It keeps you flexible."
Bertelmann's work has certainly paid off. Earlier this year, he won the BAFTA Film Award for his score to All Quiet ..., and just last month he took home an Oscar for best original score.
In this episode — recorded before his trophy wins — we talk more about the development of his award-winning score and the ways modern dance and architecture inspire his creativity. Plus, Bertelmann shares the facial toner he can't live without and his favorite Manhattan restaurant for, interestingly enough, Shaker-inspired early American cuisine.
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