Thanks so much for sharing with us, Dascha! Can you tell us more about what led you to composing and specifically to composing for film?

I’ve been composing since I was five. My mother took me to a music professor who, coincidentally, worked at the school where she was an accountant. He taught me composition and music theory and that actually paved my way. My childhood consisted of many concerts with my own pieces which led to further study at the Hanns Eisler Music Institute first for piano, then at the University of Arts Berlin for music theory, and finally a master’s in film music at Film University Babelsberg.

After studying music theory I found myself at a turning point. I didn’t feel myself to be a “teaching person” and really wanted to connect my two passions in life — films and music. I was facing challenges because the film industry moves quickly and doesn’t wait for anyone, you really need to know the right people to succeed. Going to the film university was the best thing to do in my life. I took advantage of this time and worked on lots of different projects and met everyone who was there. 

In my last year of studies, Burhan Qurbani came to direct a short film with the students and I was lucky to compose the music for it. Shortly afterwards, he sent me his script for the feature Berlin Alexanderplatz and I took on the project. The film became a huge success, also on an international level and my music got lots of attention. That was my door opener. 

You’ve worked with director Guy Nattiv on both the Academy Award-nominated Golda and his highly awarded film Tatami. Can you tell us what this collaboration has been like and how you approached each of these scores?

Working with Guy means a lot to me as I really admire his way of making films. It’s a film  language that is always captivating, really artistic, political and incredibly unique. This was also expected of the music. So this collaboration was a creative fight (meant in the best way), side by side with Guy for the most extraordinary score that still had to capture the film’s DNA.  

In comparison to Tatami, finding the right direction for Golda was easier, as it was clear that we needed an orchestra and it was going to be an acoustic score. The film clearly set the tone for the music direction. Being aware of this frame was helpful, so we focused on finding the right catchy musical themes and additional instruments that brought the special elements (typewriter, cowbell, frame drum etc.) into the score. The general concept of Golda was to add layers through the music as lots of Golda’s emotions are told on a psychological level in the film. It’s not a typical anti-war film where you see battles, but it’s a tense chamber piece where the music had to be its own character.  

Coming from Golda, where every music cue was its own piece and really added an additional layer to the film, Tatami needed something completely different. I tried everything, starting from dissonant accordion compositions to minimalist electronic music. The range of possibilities was wide and that challenged us a lot. At some point we figured out that the film needed something more reduced and subliminal. The whole film focuses on Leila as a fighter. She is a fighter on every level and the film is first and foremost a political thriller. So how do you compose a score for such an overwhelming subject that is still a thriller without being generic? At some point we decided to use different taikos for a rhythmic component that was perfect for the suspenseful moments and fights in the film.

For the emotional side, it was really important for us to keep the music universal, harmonically and instrumentally, and not to narrow the feeling for the character through national harmonics or instruments. I took an acoustic steel string guitar, an E-Guitar (with which I incorporated different playing techniques), and composed some very simple and melancholic pieces. Overall, we searched for the right concept for so long and the composition process itself lasted only around two weeks in the end. Every project is like a different child.  

In addition to all your film work, you’ve worked on the TV shows The Interpreter of Silence, The Swarm, and Souls. What has been your experience working on these shows, and how is your approach to working on TV different from working on film?

Basically, it’s not such a different thing. For both, you need to find your sound, your themes, your concept. Once you’ve found it, it’s a matter of the use. Of course it takes way more time to work on a series just because of the actual duration. But there are also big opportunities like developing the themes you have or even bringing up something new in the later episodes. I really take advantage of having so much time for developing and do not just copy-paste my themes. 

Congratulations on all the awards your music and soundtracks have received including a European Film Award, Cannes Series Best Music Award, and a German Film Academy Award, plus numerous more nominations. Can you tell us more about what makes your sound or approach to scoring stand out? 

I had a strict classical education and am really connected to the avant-garde. I feel attracted to experimental sounds and playing techniques, not so much to conventional film music. I always look for an uncommon combination of instruments or something that the audience’s ear is not used to. Furthermore, I love recording very closely and mixing very dry. Especially in cinema we’re used to bigger and wetter scores. I want to break this. If you watch Golda for example, the orchestra was recorded in a completely dry studio in Budapest and was mixed without any reverb. It boosts the film’s claustrophobic atmosphere and feels like we’re “stealing Golda’s breath”. 

Overall, I like a dry, small, experimental and minimalistic approach to composing and even though my scores are completely different, I would say that you can hear my DNA in each of them. This is very important to me.

If you could work on any project at all, what would your dream project be and why? What would be your favorite music style to write? 

In general, it’s very important to me to work on relevant films, preferably with political content. I think every person in the world has to do their bit to make a difference and this is mine. I can compose music for films that make a difference for some people and make them think about things.  

I’d love to get a film some day where I can do something really crazy like write a score for a contrabass and 12 plastic bags. Something minimalistic and experimental, but still with melodies and harmonies. The most important thing to me is still to create something really special for every film. 

Interview by Kati Falk-Flores

Check out the Directory page for Dascha here!