Klaus Doldinger is not only the composer of Germany's most famous main title theme music for the cult series Tatort - he has also become an international star of the film music scene with global successes writing music for Das Boot and The Neverending Story. His music also adorns films such as Peter in Magicland and Der Herr der Wüste (‘The Lord of the Desert’), series such as Polizeiruf 110 (‘Police Call 110’), Großstadtrevier, Pfarrer Braun (‘Father Braun’), Liebling Kreuzberg (‘Darling Kreuzberg’), A Case for Two, The Commissar, Wolfs Revier and a staggering 34 Tatort (The longest running German crime series) episodes. He also composed music for advertising for major companies.
His long career has earned the saxophonist numerous awards, such as the Grimme Award, the Bavarian Television Award, the Golden Camera, the Echo for his life's work and the Echo Jazz as well as the German Federal Cross of Merit, the latter for ‘important and unmistakable impulses that he has given to German cultural life’. Klaus Doldinger will now be awarded the SoundTrack_Cologne Lifetime Achievement Award on the 31st of August, 2019.
‘I was lucky enough to be able to hear a concert by Klaus Doldinger with Passport at an early age, which I still remember today. But only years later did it become clear to me that he was not only one of the most important international jazz musicians, but also the composer who wrote such unique film tunes as Das Boot. We are delighted that we are able to award Klaus Doldinger, a film music legend, with the SoundTack_Cologne Liftetime Achievement Award 2019,’ says Michael P. Aust, festival director of SoundTrack_Cologne.
Klaus Doldinger was born in Berlin on 12 May 1936 during the interwar period and grew up in Vienna during the Second World War. When his family moved from Vienna to Düsseldorf, he heard an American jazz band playing for the first time at a stopover in Bavaria. Since the 1960s Doldinger himself has been regarded as one of the most important and enduring icons of jazz and was awarded the honorary citizenship of New Orleans on his first US tour at the age of 24.
His two recently released albums ‘Doldinger’ and ‘Klaus Doldinger's Passport: Symphonic Project’ are impressive proof of his musical creativity, which continues even after 60 years as an active musician, composer and bandleader - and the next record release is already imminent.
As a symbol of extraordinary achievements in the art of media composition, Soundtrack_Cologne honours an artist each year for their life's work. During the Theme
Day: Film Music at SoundTrack_Cologne on Friday, 30th August, Klaus Doldinger will talk to Dr. Rolf Moser from Bavaria Media about his body of work and will then be available to answer audience questions. On Saturday, 31st August 2019, he will then be honoured with the SoundTrack_Cologne Life Achievement Award at the closing gala.
Former awardees include Craig Armstrong, Bruce Broughton, Cliff Martinez, Enjott Schneider, Eberhard Schoener, Manfred Eicher, Michael Nyman, Horst Peter Koll, Christian Bruhn, Irmin Schmidt and Peter Thomas.
Soundtrack_Cologne 16 will take place from 28 to 31 August 2019. Each year, the conference welcomes international and domestic guests to over 40 discussion rounds, panels, workshops and networking events and has become a driving force behind the growing European festival and music conference landscape.
