Sony Classical is pleased to announce the release of new single Dew and Spiderwebs, by renowned pianist and Oscar-nominated film composer Hauschka (Volker Bertelmann). Dew and Spiderwebs follows previous single Curious, and offers another glimpse into his upcoming album A Different Forest. On this album he does away with his customary instrumental preparations to return to the pure piano. Dew and Spiderwebs progresses the central theme of the album: the experience of nature as the basis for Hauschka’s understanding of life and the composition of music. For him, the concept of nature is epitomized by the image of a forest.
“In A Different Forest, I’m focusing on the forest as a natural environment and contrast to the urban everyday life; to my surroundings. Where do I want to live and work? What surroundings do I need in order to feel fulfilled? By examining these questions I always come back to nature. How often have I gone for a walk and finished on the crest of a hill or mountain top, and found a new perspective on things. It’s quite a moving experience. The experience of the sublime. Realising that everything has been there for such a long time and will continue to exist, yet in contrast, our human existence is reduced to but a fraction of the earth’s history.” The forest is also a symbol of change for Hauschka. Here people can find themselves again and feel surrounded by, as well as a part of, a unified whole.
Wandering in the forest is also comparable for Hauschka to his way of composing. He doesn’t initially write down his music, but rather develops melodies, motives or rhythmic ideas that he tests at the piano and then records. So a piece comes into being through the process of playing. A technique he also applied in his early works, that can be attributed back to his experiences walking in nature.
“My way of composing is similar to walking freely through the forest. When wandering you simply set off into the unknown. You find yourself in surroundings where nothing can be certain and you must trust your own senses in order to find orientation. You select the starting point and certain pointers along the way, but you cannot foresee what will take place enroute. I experienced this very early on and it was essential in order to discover my senses and to realise that when I trust my intuition, a lot can be achieved. So musical ideas are for me in this sense like waypoints while playing and the playing itself is like the wandering that joins them together. In a way I organise sounds into a musical journey.”
For Hauschka every musical work is a momentary recording of his activities in the here and now. Similar to a hike it’s often first in looking back, that the way reveals its ‘meaning’. So too with Hauschka’s compositions – it’s often on looking back at the process of their creation that their sense crystallises. Furthermore A Different Forest is also a plea for us to protect and preserve our natural world.
Ever prolific, Hauschka has worked on numerous projects throughout the last decade, most notably in the fields of theatre, dance and classical ensemble works. In recent years Hauschka has also built a prolific career writing scores for films, coming to international prominence in this field through his soundtrack for the hit film Lion in 2016. Scored in collaboration with Dustin O’Halloran, the soundtrack was nominated for numerous awards including an Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA. His other recent soundtrack work includes the films Hotel Mumbai (premiered at the Toronto Film Festival 2018), Adrift (2018), In Dubious Battle (2016), Exodus (2016) & Praia do Futuro (2014); and music for the new US TV mini-series Patrick Melrose (2018) starring Benedict Cumberbatch. This Fall he will be inducted as a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Hauschka will take the album on tour in 2019
Feb 13 Hamburg Elbphilharmonie April 09 Glasgow Mackintosh Queens Cross Church April 10 Manchester Royal Northern College of Music April 11 Bristol St Georges April 12 London Milton Court April 27 Berlin Konzerthaus May 9 Antwerp De Roma May 10 Amsterdam Concertgebouw May 20 Frankfurt Mousonturm May 23 Cologne Kulturkirche May 26 Recklinghausen Ruhrfeststpiele Recklinghausen
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