AlterFMF: Immersive Experience: Hauschka

concert during the 19th Kraków Film Music Festival

Volker Bertelmann, who also performs under the name Hauschka, is definitely an artist who approaches music as a constant experiment. For years, he has been creating his own uniquely distinctive world of sound. He was pushing the boundaries of the classical piano and revealing how many unexpected textures and tones a single instrument can hold.

Intensity

During the AlterFMF: Immersive Experience concert, I was able to immerse myself in an experience balancing between improvisation, electronics, and spatial sound. For me, it was quite a challenge. At times, it felt incredibly intense and unsettling. Yet without a doubt, it was a truly unique experience.

It was one of those concerts that you experience more than simply listen to. From the very first minutes, Hauschka seemed completely immersed in sound. He was focused, deeply engaged, and appeared to genuinely find joy in improvisation. It was clear that he was not repeating fixed patterns. He was truly playing with music and guiding it intuitively, allowing it to follow its own rhythm. There was something genuinely fascinating about watching him.

Spatial sound

The spatial sound enveloped the audience from every direction, which at times made the experience feel overwhelming for me. Some of the sounds were dark, at moments almost frightening. It was hard to believe that all of those sounds were coming from a piano. I kept trying to imagine what was happening inside the instrument. How many experiments does lay behind such extraordinary sonic textures?

And although it was a demanding concert and an incredibly intense sensory experience, it is impossible to deny the musician’s originality and immense passion. There was something hypnotic about it. I felt as though I was balancing between fascination, unease, and complete immersion in sound.