David Hirschfelder

Australian film score composer, musician

David Hirschfelder

Born|  (1960-11-18) 18 November 1960 (age 64)
Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
Genres| Pop rock, adult contemporary
Occupation(s)| Musician, composer
Instrument(s)| Keyboards, piano, bass
Years active| 1980–present
Formerly of|

* Pyramid
* Peter Cupples Band
* Little River Band
* Blowout
* Dragon
* John Farnham band
* CAB

Website| davidhirschfelder.com

Musical artist

David Hirschfelder (born 18 November 1960) is an Australian musician, film score composer and performer. As a musician he has been a member of Little River Band and John Farnham Band. He has composed film scores for many films, including Strictly Ballroom, Australia, The Railway Man, The Water Diviner and The Dressmaker. He was nominated for Academy Awards for his scores for Shine and Elizabeth.

## Musician

[edit]

As a keyboardist, Hirschfelder has been a member of various groups including the jazz fusion band Pyramid, rock band Peter Cupples Band (1980), pop rockers Little River Band (1983–1986), Blowout, Dragon (1987, 1989), adult contemporary singer John Farnham's backing band (1986–1992),[1] and jazz fusion supergroup CAB.[2]

In 1980 Hirschfelder joined the Peter Cupples Band, Cupples had just left his soul-pop group, Stylus, and formed the rock group with Hirschfelder on keyboards, Virgil Donati on drums, Ross Ingliss on guitar and Robert Little on bass guitar.[3] In October 1981 Peter Cupples Band released his debut album, Fear of Thunder.[3] In 1982 Hirschfelder provided piano on Little River Band's album, Greatest Hits.[4] Their next album, The Net had Hirschfelder on keyboards and as co-producer, with the band's line-up including Farnham on lead vocals, Beeb Birtles on guitars and vocals, Graeham Goble on guitars and vocals, Stephen Housden on guitar and backing vocals, Wayne Nelson on bass guitar and vocals, and Derek Pellicci on drums and percussion.[5] He joined the group in September 1983, as they toured in the United States.[6] Their 1984 album, Playing to Win saw Hirschfelder supplying guitar, piano, keyboards, synthesiser, programming and vocals.[7] He also co-wrote the tracks, "When Cathedrals Were White", "Blind Eyes" and "Playing to Win".[7] The latter two were issued as singles, with "Playing to Win" reaching the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1985 and Top 100 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart.[8][9] In mid-1986 the group issued No Reins which had Hirschfelder on piano, keyboards and co-writing "Paper Paradise".[10]

After No Reins had been recorded, Hirschfelder left Little River Band to return to Australia and joined Farnham's backing band. In April–June 1986 Farnham recorded his album, Whispering Jack with Hirschfelder on keyboards, drum programs and co-writing "Going, Going, Gone".[11] For touring in support of the album Farnham and Hirschfelder were joined on the Jack's Back Tour by Angus Burchill (or Burchall) on drums, Brett Garsed on lead guitar, and Greg Macainsh on bass guitar (Skyhooks).[12] At that time, Jack's Back Tour was the highest-grossing tour by an Australian act.[13] Hirschfelder remained with Farnham for the studio albums, Age of Reason (July 1988) and Chain Reaction (September 1990).[12] Between these two albums he released his own, Welcome to the Nightclub of My Mind in 1989. In 1992 Hirschfelder left Farnham's backing band to concentrate on his score work for television and feature films. In 1999 he collaborated with David Hobson for the song cycle Inside This Room based on writings by Joseph Campbell and Paulo Coelho.[14]

## Film composer

[edit]

Hirschfelder's first score work was for the TV series, Skirts and Shadows of the Heart (both in 1990); Ratbag Hero followed in 1991.[15]

He has composed scores for films including Strictly Ballroom (1992), Shine (1996), Sliding Doors (1998), Elizabeth (1998), Hanging Up (2000), Peaches (2004), Australia (2008), and Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010).

He has worked numerous times with directors Ian Gilmour, Craig Monahan, Ann Turner, Roger Spottiswoode and Baz Luhrmann.

In 1999, the score for Elizabeth (composed for a 90-piece orchestra and a 40-piece choir) was nominated for an Oscar, and was honoured with a BAFTA award and an APRA award for Best Original Score. He also won the Best Score BAFTA in 1993 for Strictly Ballroom.

He composed for the opening ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.

## Selective filmography

[edit]

Year  | Film  | Directed by  | Notes

|
|
|

1990  | Skirts | Brendan Maher, Richard Sarell & Ian Gilmour | TV series
1992  | Strictly Ballroom | Baz Luhrmann |
1994  | Dallas Doll | Ann Turner |
1996  | Shine | Scott Hicks | nominated for Academy Award for Best Original Dramatic Score[16]
1996  | Dating the Enemy | Megan Simpson Huberman |
1998  | Sliding Doors | Peter Howitt | also orchestrator
1998  | The Interview | Craig Monahan  |
1998  | Elizabeth | Shekhar Kapur | also conductor and orchestrator; nominated for Academy Award for Best Original Dramatic Score[17]
1999  | What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? | Ian Mune |
2000  | Hanging Up | Diane Keaton |
2000  | Better Than Sex | Jonathan Teplitzky |
2000  | The Weight of Water | Kathryn Bigelow | also conductor
2002  | Bootleg | Ian Gilmour | TV mini-series
2003  | The Wannabes | Nick Giannopoulos |
2004  | Standing Room Only | Deborra-Lee Furness | Short film
2004  | Peaches | Craig Monahan  |
2004  | BlackJack | Peter Andrikidis, Ian Watson & Kate Woods | TV series, all episodes except pilot
2004  | The Five People You Meet In Heaven | Lloyd Kramer | TV film; also conductor
2006  | Aquamarine | Elizabeth Allen | also conductor
2006  | Irresistible | Ann Turner |
2007  | Shake Hands with the Devil | Roger Spottiswoode | Won Canadian Screen Award for Best Original Song at the 28th Genie Awards
2008  | The Children of Huang Shi | Roger Spottiswoode |
2008  | Salute | Matt Norman | documentary
2008  | Australia | Baz Luhrmann | also harmonica musician
2009  | The Blue Mansion | Glen Goei |
2010  | I Love You Too | Daina Reid |
2010  | Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole | Zack Snyder | Animated film
2011  | Sanctum | Alister Grierson |
2012  | Beyond Right and Wrong: Stories of Justice and Forgiveness | Lekha Singh, Roger Spottiswoode | documentary
2013  | The Railway Man | Jonathan Teplitzky, based on a true story by Eric Lomax | historical drama
2014  | Healing | Craig Monahan  | drama
2014  | The Water Diviner | Russell Crowe | historical drama
2015  | The Dressmaker | Jocelyn Moorhouse | drama
2016  | A Street Cat Named Bob | Roger Spottiswoode | drama
2017  | A Few Less Men | Mark Lamprell  | comedy
2017  | Dance Academy: The Movie | Jeffrey Walker  | drama
2018  | In Like Flynn | Russell Mulcahy | drama
2019  | Ride Like a Girl | Rachel Griffiths | drama
2024  | Sleeping Dogs | Adam Cooper  | crime, mystery, thriller

## Discography

[edit]

### Charting albums

[edit]

List of albums, with Australian chart positions  Title  | Album details  | Peak chart
positions

|
|

AUS
[18]
Inside This Room
(with David Hobson)  |

* Released: August 1999
* Format: CD
* Label: Mushroom (MUSH33241.2)

| 70

## Awards and nominations

[edit]

### Academy Awards

[edit]

* 1997 Academy Award for Best Original Dramatic Score nomination for Shine[16]
* 1999 Academy Award for Best Original Dramatic Score nomination for Elizabeth[16]

### ARIA Music Awards

[edit]

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987.

Year  | Nominee / work  | Award  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|

1993 | Strictly Ballroom | Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album | Nominated  | [19]
1999 | Elizabeth | Won
The Interview | Nominated
2000 | What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? | Nominated
2001 | Better Than Sex | Nominated

### APRA Awards

[edit]

The APRA Awards are held in Australia and New Zealand by the Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually.

Year  | Nominee / work  | Award  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|

1998 | Shine | Best Film Score  | Won  | [20]
1999 | Elizabeth | Best Film Score  | Won  | [21]
2008 | Children of the Silk Road | Best Film Score  | Won  | [22]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Holmgren, Magnus. "Little River Band". Australian Rock Database. Passagen (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 27 September 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
2. ^ ""C.A.B." With Bunny Brunel And Tony MacAlpine Live At The Baked Potato". All About Jazz. 29 May 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
3. ^ a b McFarlane, Ian. "Stylus". Archived from the original on 1 September 2004. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
4. ^ David Hirschfelder at AllMusic
5. ^ The Net – Little River Band at AllMusic
6. ^ McFarlane, 'Little River Band' entry at the Wayback Machine (archived June 15, 2004). Archived from the original on 15 June 2004. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
7. ^ a b Playing to Win – Little River Band at AllMusic
8. ^ "Little River Band – Chart History ("Playing to Win")". Billboard. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
9. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book Ltd. ISBN 0-64611-917-6. Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) created their own charts in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974.
10. ^ No Reins – Little River Band at AllMusic
11. ^ Whispering Jack – John Farnham at AllMusic
12. ^ a b McFarlane, 'John Farnham' entry at the Wayback Machine (archived August 29, 2004). Archived from the original on 29 August 2004. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
13. ^ Kimball, Duncan (2002). "John Farnham". Milesago: Australasian Music and Popular Culture 1964–1975. Ice Productions. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
14. ^ Inside This Room (2002) at IMDb
15. ^ "Peaches" (DOC). School of Media Communication and Culture. Murdoch University. 2006. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
16. ^ a b c "The 69th Academy Awards | 1997". Oscars.org. 5 October 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
17. ^ "The 71st Academy Awards | 1999". Oscars.org. 18 November 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
18. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 130.
19. ^ ARIA Award previous winners. "History Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 12 July 2022.
20. ^ "Winners Prior to 2002". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). Archived from the original on 14 April 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
21. ^ "1999 Winners - APRA Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). Archived from the original on 18 September 2009. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
22. ^ "2008 Winners – Screen Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Archived from the original on 8 March 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2010.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to David Hirschfelder.

* Official website
* David Hirschfelder at IMDb

Awards for David Hirschfelder

* v
* t
* e

AACTA Award for Best Original Music Score

1975–2000|

* The Cars That Ate Paris / The Great McCarthy – Bruce Smeaton (1975)
* No Award (1976)
* The Picture Show Man – Peter Best (1977)
* The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith – Bruce Smeaton (1978)
* Mad Max – Brian May (1979)
* Manganinnie – Peter Sculthorpe (1980)
* Fatty Finn – Rory O'Donoghue and Grahame Bond (1981)
* The Man from Snowy River – Bruce Rowland (1982)
* Phar Lap – Bruce Rowland (1983)
* Street Hero – Garth Porter and Bruce Smeaton (1984)
* Rebel – Ray Cook, Chris Neal, Peter Best, Billy Byers, Bruce Rowland (1985)
* Young Einstein – William Motzing and Martin Armiger (1986)
* The Tale of Ruby Rose – Paul Schütze (1987)
* The Lighthorsemen – Mario Millo (1988)
* Dead Calm – Graeme Revell (1989)
* The Big Steal – Phil Judd (1990)
* Dingo – Michel Legrand and Miles Davis (1991)
* Romper Stomper – John Clifford White (1992)
* The Piano – Michael Nyman (1993)
* Traps – Douglas Stephen Rae (1994)
* Hotel Sorrento – Nerida Tyson-Chew (1995)
* Shine – David Hirschfelder (1996)
* Doing Time for Patsy Cline – Peter Best (1997)
* Oscar and Lucinda – Thomas Newman (1998)
* In a Savage Land – David Bridie (1999)
* Bootmen – Cezary Skubiszewski (2000)

2001–present|

* The Dish – Edmund Choi (2001)
* Rabbit-Proof Fence – Peter Gabriel (2002)
* Japanese Story – Elizabeth Drake (2003)
* Somersault – Decoder Ring (2004)
* The Proposition – Nick Cave and Warren Ellis (2005)
* Suburban Mayhem – Mick Harvey (2006)
* The Home Song Stories – Antony Partos (2007)
* Unfinished Sky – Antony Partos (2008)
* Mao's Last Dancer – Christopher Gordon (2009)
* Animal Kingdom – Antony Partos and Sam Petty (2010)
* The Hunter – Andrew Lancaster, Michael Lira and Matteo Zingales (2011)
* Not Suitable for Children – Matteo Zingales and Jono Ma (2012)
* The Great Gatsby – Craig Armstrong (2013)
* The Railwayman – David Hirschfelder (2014)
* Mad Max: Fury Road – Tom Holkenborg (2015)
* Tanna – Antony Partos (2016)
* Lion – Volker Bertelmann and Dustin O'Halloran (2017)
* Ladies in Black – Christopher Gordon (2018)
* Judy and Punch – François Tétaz (2019)
* Babyteeth – Amanda Brown (2020)
* June Again – Christopher Gordon (2021)
* Falling for Figaro – Cezary Skubiszewski (2022)
* Talk to Me – Cornel Wilczek (2023)
* Better Man – Batu Sener (2024)

* v
* t
* e

BAFTA Award for Best Original Music

1968–2000|

* John Barry (1968)
* Mikis Theodorakis (1969)
* Burt Bacharach (1970)
* Michel Legrand (1971)
* Nino Rota (1972)
* Alan Price (1973)
* Richard Rodney Bennett (1974)
* John Williams (1975)
* Bernard Herrmann (1976)
* John Addison (1977)
* John Williams (1978)
* Ennio Morricone (1979)
* John Williams (1980)
* Carl Davis (1981)
* John Williams (1982)
* Ryuichi Sakamoto (1983)
* Ennio Morricone (1984)
* Maurice Jarre (1985)
* Ennio Morricone (1986)
* Ennio Morricone (1987)
* John Williams (1988)
* Maurice Jarre (1989)
* Andrea and Ennio Morricone (1990)
* Jean-Claude Petit (1991)
* David Hirschfelder (1992)
* John Williams (1993)
* Don Was (1994)
* Luis Bacalov (1995)
* Gabriel Yared (1996)
* Nellee Hooper, Craig Armstrong, and Marius de Vries (1997)
* David Hirschfelder (1998)
* Thomas Newman (1999)
* Tan Dun (2000)

2001–present|

* Craig Armstrong and Marius de Vries (2001)
* Philip Glass (2002)
* T Bone Burnett and Gabriel Yared (2003)
* Gustavo Santaolalla (2004)
* John Williams (2005)
* Gustavo Santaolalla (2006)
* Christopher Gunning (2007)
* A. R. Rahman (2008)
* Michael Giacchino (2009)
* Alexandre Desplat (2010)
* Ludovic Bource (2011)
* Thomas Newman (2012)
* Steven Price (2013)
* Alexandre Desplat (2014)
* Ennio Morricone (2015)
* Justin Hurwitz (2016)
* Alexandre Desplat (2017)
* Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, and Lukas Nelson (2018)
* Hildur Guðnadóttir (2019)
* Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor, and Atticus Ross (2020)
* Hans Zimmer (2021)
* Volker Bertelmann (2022)
* Ludwig Göransson (2023)
* Daniel Blumberg (2024)

* v
* t
* e

Little River Band

* Wayne Nelson
* Chris Marion
* Ryan Ricks
* Colin Whinnery
* Bruce Wallace

* Graeham Goble
* Beeb Birtles
* Derek Pellicci
* Glenn Shorrock
* Roger McLachlan
* Graham Davidge
* Dave Orams
* Ric Formosa
* David Briggs
* George McArdle
* Geoff Cox
* Stephen Housden
* John Farnham
* David Hirschfelder
* Steve Prestwich
* Peter Beckett
* Tony Sciuto
* Steve Wade
* Paul Gildea

Studio albums|

* Little River Band
* After Hours
* Diamantina Cocktail
* Sleeper Catcher
* First Under the Wire
* Time Exposure
* The Net
* Playing to Win
* No Reins
* Monsoon
* Get Lucky

Live albums|

* Backstage Pass
* Live in America
* Live Classics

Compilation albums|

* It's a Long Way There (Greatest Hits)
* Greatest Hits
* Too Late to Load
* Worldwide Love
* The Classic Collection
* The Definitive Collection
* Ultimate Hits
* Masterpieces

Videos & DVDs|

* Live Exposure

Singles|

* "Curiosity (Killed the Cat)"
* "Emma"
* "Everyday of My Life"
* "It's a Long Way There"
* "I'll Always Call Your Name"
* "Help Is on Its Way"
* "Witchery"
* "Home on Monday"
* "Happy Anniversary"
* "Shut Down Turn Off"
* "Reminiscing"
* "Lady"
* "Lonesome Loser"
* "Cool Change"
* "The Night Owls"
* "Man on Your Mind"
* "Take It Easy on Me"
* "Down on the Border"
* "St. Louis"
* "The Other Guy"
* "When the War Is Over"
* "Love Is a Bridge"
* "When Will I Be Loved"
* "Forever Blue"

Related articles|

* Members
* Discography
* Awards
* Birtles Shorrock Goble
* Birtles & Goble
* Mississippi
* We Two Pty Ltd v Shorrock (2002)

* Category

* v
* t
* e

CAB

Founding members|

* Bunny Brunel
* Dennis Chambers
* Tony MacAlpine

Other members|

* Brian Auger
* Virgil Donati
* Dennis Hamm
* David Hirschfelder
* Alex Machacek
* Patrice Rushen

Discography|

* CAB
* CAB 2
* CAB 4
* Theatre de Marionnettes

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Czech Republic
* Spain
* Poland
* Israel

Artists|

* MusicBrainz

People|

* Deutsche Biographie

Other|

* IdRef
* SNAC

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