David Hirschfelder(born 18 November 1960,Ballarat,Victoria) is an Australian musician,film scorecomposerandperformer.As a musician he has been a member ofLittle River BandandJohn Farnham Band.He has composed film scores for many films, includingStrictly Ballroom,Australia,The Railway Man,The Water DivinerandThe Dressmaker.He was nominated forAcademy Awardsfor his scores forShineandElizabeth.
David Hirschfelder | |
|---|---|
| Born | 18 November 1960 Ballarat,Victoria,Australia |
| Genres | Pop rock,adult contemporary |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
| Instrument(s) | Keyboards, piano, bass |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Formerly of |
|
| Website | davidhirschfelder |
Musician
editAs a keyboardist, Hirschfelder has been a member of various groups including the jazz fusion band Pyramid, rock band Peter Cupples Band (1980), pop rockersLittle River Band(1983–1986), Blowout,Dragon(1987, 1989), adult contemporary singerJohn Farnham's backing band (1986–1992),[1]and jazz fusion supergroupCAB.[2]
In 1980 Hirschfelder joined the Peter Cupples Band, Cupples had just left his soul-pop group,Stylus,and formed the rock group with Hirschfelder on keyboards, Virgil Donati on drums, Ross Ingliss on guitar and Robert Little on bass guitar.[3]In October 1981 Peter Cupples Band released his debut album,Fear of Thunder.[3]In 1982 Hirschfelder provided piano on Little River Band's album,Greatest Hits.[4]Their next album,The Nethad Hirschfelder on keyboards and as co-producer, with the band's line-up including Farnham on lead vocals,Beeb Birtleson guitars and vocals,Graeham Gobleon guitars and vocals,Stephen Housdenon guitar and backing vocals,Wayne Nelsonon bass guitar and vocals, andDerek Pelliccion drums and percussion.[5]He joined the group in September 1983, as they toured in the United States.[6]Their 1984 album,Playing to Winsaw Hirschfelder supplying guitar, piano, keyboards, synthesiser, programming and vocals.[7]He also co-wrote the tracks, "When Cathedrals Were White", "Blind Eyes" and "Playing to Win".[7]The latter two were issued as singles, with "Playing to Win" reaching theBillboardHot 100in March 1985 and Top 100 on the AustralianKent Music ReportSingles Chart.[8][9]In mid-1986 the group issuedNo Reinswhich had Hirschfelder on piano, keyboards and co-writing "Paper Paradise".[10]
AfterNo Reinshad been recorded, Hirschfelder left Little River Band to return to Australia and joined Farnham's backing band. In April–June 1986 Farnham recorded his album,Whispering Jackwith Hirschfelder on keyboards, drum programs and co-writing "Going, Going, Gone".[11]For touring in support of the album Farnham and Hirschfelder were joined on the Jack's Back Tour by Angus Burchill (or Burchall) on drums, Brett Garsed on lead guitar, and Greg Macainsh on bass guitar (Skyhooks).[12]At that time, Jack's Back Tour was the highest-grossing tour by an Australian act.[13]Hirschfelder remained with Farnham for the studio albums,Age of Reason(July 1988) andChain Reaction(September 1990).[12]Between these two albums he released his own,Welcome to the Nightclub of My Mindin 1989. In 1992 Hirschfelder left Farnham's backing band to concentrate on his score work for television and feature films. In 1999 he collaborated withDavid Hobsonfor thesong cycleInside This Roombased on writings byJoseph CampbellandPaulo Coelho.[14]
Film composer
editHirschfelder's first score work was for the TV series,SkirtsandShadows of the Heart(both in 1990);Ratbag Herofollowed in 1991.[15]
He has composed scores for films includingStrictly Ballroom(1992),Shine(1996),Sliding Doors(1998),Elizabeth(1998),Hanging Up(2000),Peaches(2004),Australia(2008), andLegend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole(2010).
He has worked numerous times with directorsIan Gilmour,Craig Monahan,Ann Turner,Roger SpottiswoodeandBaz Luhrmann.
In 1999, the score forElizabeth(composed for a 90-piece orchestra and a 40-piece choir) was nominated for anOscar,and was honoured with aBAFTAaward and anAPRAaward for Best Original Score. He also won theBest Score BAFTA in 1993forStrictly Ballroom.
He composed for the opening ceremony of the2000 Summer Olympicsin Sydney.
Selective filmography
editDiscography
editCharting albums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [18] | ||
| Inside This Room (withDavid Hobson) |
|
70 |
Awards and nominations
editAcademy Awards
edit- 1997 Academy Awardfor Best Original Dramatic Score nomination forShine[16]
- 1999 Academy Awardfor Best Original Dramatic Score nomination forElizabeth[16]
ARIA Music Awards
editTheARIA Music Awardsis an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres ofAustralian music.They commenced in 1987.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Strictly Ballroom | Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album | Nominated | [19] |
| 1999 | Elizabeth | Won | ||
| The Interview | Nominated | |||
| 2000 | What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? | Nominated | ||
| 2001 | Better Than Sex | Nominated |
APRA Awards
editTheAPRA Awardsare held in Australia and New Zealand by theAustralasian Performing Right Associationto recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Shine | Best Film Score | Won | [20] |
| 1999 | Elizabeth | Best Film Score | Won | [21] |
| 2008 | Children of the Silk Road | Best Film Score | Won | [22] |
References
edit- ^Holmgren, Magnus."Little River Band".Australian Rock Database.Passagen (Magnus Holmgren). Archived fromthe originalon 27 September 2012.Retrieved10 April2012.
- ^""C.A.B." With Bunny Brunel And Tony MacAlpine Live At The Baked Potato ".All About Jazz.29 May 2014.Retrieved4 September2014.
- ^abMcFarlane, Ian."Stylus".Archived fromthe originalon 1 September 2004.Retrieved2 July2016.
- ^David HirschfelderatAllMusic
- ^The Net– Little River BandatAllMusic
- ^McFarlane,'Little River Band' entryat theWayback Machine(archived June 15, 2004). Archived fromthe originalon 15 June 2004. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
- ^abPlaying to Win– Little River BandatAllMusic
- ^"Little River Band – Chart History (" Playing to Win ")".Billboard.Retrieved10 April2012.
- ^Kent, David(1993).Australian Chart Book 1970–1992.St Ives, NSW:Australian Chart Book Ltd.ISBN0-64611-917-6.Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 untilAustralian Recording Industry Association(ARIA) created their ownchartsin mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974.
- ^No Reins– Little River BandatAllMusic
- ^Whispering Jack– John FarnhamatAllMusic
- ^abMcFarlane,'John Farnham' entryat theWayback Machine(archived August 29, 2004). Archived fromthe originalon 29 August 2004. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
- ^Kimball, Duncan (2002)."John Farnham".Milesago: Australasian Music and Popular Culture 1964–1975. Ice Productions.Retrieved10 April2012.
- ^Inside This Room(2002)atIMDb
- ^"Peaches"(DOC).School of Media Communication and Culture.Murdoch University.2006.Retrieved10 April2012.
- ^abc"The 69th Academy Awards | 1997".Oscars.org.5 October 2014.Retrieved18 November2024.
- ^"The 71st Academy Awards | 1999".Oscars.org.18 November 2016.Retrieved18 November2024.
- ^Ryan, Gavin (2011).Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010(pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 130.
- ^ARIA Award previous winners."History Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album".Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).Retrieved12 July2022.
- ^"Winners Prior to 2002".Australasian Performing Right Association(APRA) |Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society(AMCOS). Archived fromthe originalon 14 April 2014.Retrieved4 August2018.
- ^"1999 Winners - APRA Music Awards".Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). Archived fromthe originalon 18 September 2009.Retrieved3 March2018.
- ^"2008 Winners – Screen Music Awards".Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Archived fromthe originalon 8 March 2011.Retrieved29 April2010.
External links
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