With their double nomination at the World Soundtrack Awards in Ghent, Belgium, the Swiss-Australian sibling trio Diego, Nora and Lionel Baldenweg are making history for Switzerland.
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What does Ireland in the 70s sound like? Or when a man gets into a violent confrontation with IRA terrorists? For the feature film In the Land of Saints and Sinners (2023), starring Liam Neeson and directed by Robert Lorenz, Clint Eastwood’s long-time producer, the Baldenwegs have found convincing musical answers.
For their achievements, they are the first Swiss ever to be nominated twice for the World Soundtrack Awards (WSA) – in the categories Discovery of the Year and Public Choice. They are competing against well-known names such as Hans Zimmer (Dune 2), Anthony Willis (Saltburn) and Jerskin Fendrix (Poor Things).
“We create worlds and moods, we develop a vision, we tell a story,” Diego Baldenweg said in an earlier interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency.
Earlier this year, the siblings were already nominated for the same film score at the Movie Music UK Awards in the top category Score of the Year.
Film and advertising world
They are also attracting attention in the advertising world: Switzerland Tourism’s new campaign starring Mads Mikkelsen and Roger Federer, accompanied by Baldenweg’s song Falling for Autumn, is setting click records. The clip was launched in September and has since been viewed over 34 million times.
“Our difference makes our work better,” said Lionel Baldenweg, explaining their success. However, the three are less interested in the fact that they are siblings than the media. “What matters is what we deliver,” said Nora Baldenweg.
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Diego, Nora and Lionel Baldenweg have been composing music since 2004. Their music has been in feature films such as Mein Name ist Eugen (2005) by Michael Steiner, 180° (2010) by Cihan Inan and Zwingli (2019) by Stefan Haupt, as well as short films, series and advertising commissions.
They have worked with renowned musicians, orchestras and conductors, such as bandleader Pepe Lienhard, star violinist Daniel Hope and conductor Paavo Järvi. The Baldenwegs have been recognized for their diverse work at the Locarno Film Festival (2010) and received the Swiss Film Award (2018). They were nominated once at the World Soundtrack Awards 2019 for Zwingli.
These awards are often referred to as the “little brother of the Oscars”. They are among the most prestigious film music awards in the world. The World Soundtrack Academy, which includes leading composers, critics, film music agents, publicists and studio executives, judge the works.
The World Soundtrack Awards will be presented on October 16 in Ghent, Belgium.
Translated from German by DeepL/jdp
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