Dirk Maassen's first film score album, the soundtrack to the documentary "Schattenkind," is now released by Sony Classical. On this occasion, the composer and pianist accompanied the film crew around director Jo Müller over two years and transformed scenic impressions into emotional musical moods.
With his minimal piano melodies, which he sometimes arranges with subtle string passages, Dirk Maassen sensitively finds a tonal contrast to the impressive images from the 90-minute documentary film.
"Schattenkind" follows the exceptional photographer Andreas Reiner in his work and shows his frugal life on a dilapidated farm. Reiner, who hails from Swabia, looks where others look away and creates sometimes provocative photographic borderline experiences, for example by photographing the faces of bereaved families or the hands of the dead. In the film "Schattenkind" (Child of the Shadows), the viewers are also close to Reiner's nerve-racking work and can see how the extreme series of images are created. He shows the emotions in front of and behind the camera. All that unfiltered! Regardless of whether he photographs multiple murderers or women who have to cope with the trauma of a miscarriage. Dirk Maassen also becomes a part of Reiner's work and can be seen in the film as he becomes Reiner's photo subject on the grand piano in a dystopian-looking forest full of dead trees surrounded by naked people.
For Dirk Maassen, the fil production, which went on over a long period of two years, was a special experience, not least because as an actor in these key scenes he was able to immerse himself deeply in the events and the world of Reiner. He was particularly inspired by the stories of the many people he met during production. This personal contact also changed his perspective on life. Seemingly contradictory sensations such as strength and vulnerability, vitality and transience, despair and hope, joy and suffering had rarely been experienced by Dirk Maassen in such a compressed and simultaneous way before.
Director Jo Müller gave Dirk Maassen no guidelines for the composition of his film music. This allowed him to express himself freely and develop his own musical approach to the film. At times, the music also set the framework for the scenic performance, and Jo Müller was inspired by Dirk Maassen's new compositions via headphones during the filming.
"Schattenkind" won the award for best documentary at the International Hof Film Festival.