Niki Reiser
Niki Reiser (born 12 May 1958) is a Swiss film score composer and flautist. He is considered one of the most outstanding film composers of the German-speaking countries, winning the German Film Award five times. His debut was in 1986 the score for the film Du mich auch, directed by Dani Levy, for whom he has composed all further scores. He had his breakthrough with the music for the film Beyond Silence, directed by Caroline Link in 1996. Niki Reiser was born in 1958 in Reinach, Aargau in Switzerland, the son of a pastor and a nurse. Before he came to Basel age twelve, where he has lived since, he spent four years in Schaffhausen. In addition to classical flute lessons a child, he invented his own melodies on the piano. In his youth he played in several bands, composed pieces for them and for theater performances at school. In the 1970s, Reiser studied classical music with an emphasis on flute in Basel. From 1980 to 1984 he studied in Boston at the Berklee College of Music jazz and classical music with a focus on film music. From 1984 to 1986, Reiser lived partly in Europe, mostly in Switzerland, where he continued his studies in composition in Basel. In workshops in the U.S., he met Ennio Morricone and Jerry Goldsmith who influenced his music. During this time he composed his first pieces for movies. During this period he also toured as a jazz flutist with the ensemble People, which he had co-founded. In 1986, Reiser moved back to Europe where he met the film director Dani Levy. He composed the music for his first film Du mich auch. The film was a surprising success throughout Europe and was nominated for the Golden Camera at the Cannes International Film Festival in 1987. This encounter started a lasting friendship, resulting in Reiser composing the music for all of Levy's films. At that time Reiser joined the klezmer band Kolsimcha as a flutist, and composed several pieces for the group. On two world tours he played with the band in Carnegie Hall and at the Montreux Jazz Festival, among others. When Reiser realised that it was impossible to be a flutist and a composer at the same time, he concentrated on composition. In addition to working with Levy, he also composed for Caroline Link, whom he met in 1996. His breakthrough came with the music for her movie Beyond Silence. For her film Nowhere in Africa, Reiser studied African music in Nairobi. The influences of indigenous Kenyan music can be seen in the score he composed for the film. In addition to cinema and TV films, he also wrote music for the theater. In 2008 he worked again for Link for A Year Ago in Winter. The score won both the Preis der deutschen Filmkritik and the Deutscher Filmpreis of 2009. Reiser has his studio in Basel's Gundeldingerfeld. He is on the board of the Deutsche Filmakademie since its inception in 2003. Source: Article "Niki Reiser" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Known for
SoundBirthday
May 12, 1958Gender
MaleKnown Movie Credits
23Place of birth
Reinach, SwitzerlandCrew credits
Beyond Silence
Original Music ComposerSummer Storm
Original Music ComposerGo for Zucker
Original Music ComposerAnnaluise & Anton
Original Music ComposerNowhere in Africa
Original Music ComposerThe Flying Classroom
Original Music ComposerMy Führer
Original Music ComposerThe White Masai
Original Music ComposerNobody Loves Me
Original Music ComposerWunderlich's World
Original Music ComposerYou Love Me Too
MusicThe Little Ghost
MusicPromising the Moon
MusicA Year Ago in Winter
MusicExit Marrakech
MusicAnna annA
MusicThe Kangaroo Chronicles
MusicThe Adventures of Huck Finn
MusicHeidi
Original Music ComposerAll About Me
Original Music ComposerI Was on Mars
Music