His portfolio to date includes membership in various bands, spanning genres from rock to hip-hop, as well as a series of successful electronic albums featuring “special sound effects”—ranging from symphonic elements to the altered, surreal sounds of the prepared piano—and many other projects. He also gained significant recognition through his collaboration with American violinist Hilary Hahn, with whom he released the improvisational album “Silfra” in 2012 on the Deutsche Grammophon label.

Beyond his concert and studio work, Hauschka has been dedicated to film music for many years—and with remarkable success. In 2023, he was awarded the most prestigious of all film prizes for his composition for Edward Berger’s literary adaptation “All Quiet on the Western Front”: an Academy Award, better known as an Oscar.

However, Hauschka’s appearance at the Klavier-Festival Ruhr is not about his Oscar-winning status. Instead, he returns to the instrument that has remained his great musical love since his youth, despite his many other artistic pursuits: the piano.

Photo: Carsten Sander