Volker Bertelmann

As Hauschka, Germany's Volker Bertelmann reimagines the potential of the prepared piano for the 21st century. His music touches on the work of the technique's innovators, such as Erik Satie and John Cage, nods to early keyboard works by Philip Glass, Terry Riley, and Steve Reich, and even echoes gamelan's undulating melodies. His early albums, such as 2005's The Prepared Piano, focused on his instrument's distinctive sound, but Hauschka expanded his horizons on 2011's house- and techno-influenced Salon des Amateurs and 2017's What If, which combined hip-hop-influenced rhythms with rapid-fire player pianos. Along the way, Hauschka also became a well-regarded composer for film and stage productions; his score to the 2016 movie Lion with Dustin O'Halloran received Oscar and BAFTA nominations, an achievement he repeated -- as Volker Bertelmann -- with his minimalist score for the 2022 remake of All Quiet on the Western Front, which took home both awards.