Burkhard Dallwitz Soundtracks - Home

February 2026

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 01:16:02 GMT

'The Goddess' Silent Film/Live Score Performance 20th February at Fed Square 8pm

Friday 20 February 2026
From 8pm

Celebrate Lunar New Year with The Goddess (1934), a landmark of Chinese silent cinema, brought to life with a new live score by Mindy Meng Wang and Burkhard Dallwitz. 

This exciting new collaboration between Wang and Dallwitz reimagines Wu Yonggang’s classic film through a haunting soundscape for guzheng, piano, electronics, percussion, electric cello and guitar – a contemporary meditation on Chinese film history.

One of the final masterpieces of the silent era in China, The Goddess tells the story of a young mother who sacrifices everything to give her son a better life – a powerful commentary on social injustice as well as a poignant portrait of love, endurance and redemption that continues to resonate across generations.

Bring a picnic rug or relax in a deckchair, and gather your friends and family to enjoy this special free live music and cinema event – a delight for music lovers and cinephiles alike.

Presented by Fed Square with support from Insite Arts, as part of Open Air at the Square.

The Goddess (1934)

Dir: Wu Yonggang | 1934 | 78min | China | Classification: MA15+

The Goddess (1934), directed by Wu Yonggang, exposed the brutal social injustices of the working class in 1930s Shanghai through the moving story of a mother’s sacrifices for her child. The story follows a single mother (Ruan Lingyu) who works as a sex worker to provide for her young son. Chased by the police, she seeks protection from a gangster, who exploits her and threatens her child.

The woman begins to save money secretly to pay for her son’s education, to give him a chance for a better life. Once at school, the boy is teased about his mother’s profession, leading to an investigation, a tragedy, and the mother’s ultimate sacrifice.

Often hailed as one of the best-known films of Chinese silent cinema, the film was ranked as one of the top 100 films of all time in the Hong Kong Film Awards in 2005. The Goddess was one of the last films to feature silent film star Ruan Lingyu. Lingyu’s central performance, in both its delicacy and its emotional power, makes for a truly remarkable film.

Mindy Meng Wang: composer, guzheng
Burkhard Dallwitz: composer, piano and synth
Anita Quayle: electric cello
Alexander Meagher: percussion
Clint Owen Ellis: electric guitar

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.

February 2025

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:46:44 GMT

February 2025

Remember the good old days when Soundtracks were released on CD, before Streaming services and algorithms came along and killed it all? After numerous requests, I've finally managed to make some of those releases available on the 'Listen' page on my website here. For one reason or another, these CD releases never made it across to the streaming platforms. Wolf Creek series 1 never had a commercial soundtrack release, so at the moment there's just one track available: 'Wolf Creek Suite' but I'm intending to add more tracks from the series in the near future. All tracks were mixed and mastered by Christian Scallan @ The Soft Centre Studios.

February 2025

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:15:16 GMT

February 2025

Gold Coast HOTA AACTA Awards 2025 with Producer/Director Anupam Sharma and co-composer Dmitri Golovko. Zeitgeist colleague and co-composer Brett Aplin was unfortunately unable to attend. We were nominated for 'Best Original Score in a Documentary' for 'Bollywood Downunder'.

December 2024

Mon, 09 Dec 2024 03:44:57 GMT

December 2024

Received a 2025 AACTA nomination for 'Best Original Score In A Documentary' together with my Zeitgeist Music co-composers Dmitri Golovko and Brett Aplin for BRAND BOLLYWOOD DOWNUNDER. Produced and Directed by Anupam Sharma.

Winners will be announced in February 2025.

September 2024

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 03:56:54 GMT

September 2024

Thank you to APRA AMCOS and the AGSC for this nomination.

Winners will be announced on October 29th.

May 2024

Mon, 27 May 2024 06:24:18 GMT

May 2024

My original soundtrack to the animated film “Travels On My Donkey’ (2024) by Lee Whitmore will be released on all streaming platforms on Friday June 7th.

As a bonus I also included my score to Lee’s previous animated film “Sohrab and Rustum”. (2018)

All tracks mixed and mastered by Christian Scallan @thesoftcentre with violin and viola on “Sohrab and Rustum” performed by Erkki Veltheim.

Pre-Save Link:

https://gyro.to/TravelsOnMyDonkeySohrabandRustumOriginalMotionPictureSoundtrack

March 2024

Sat, 16 Mar 2024 23:33:43 GMT

New Analogue Hardware - Prophet 6

New analogue hardware addition to the studio….Sequential Prophet 6.

A welcome change from VST instruments and Plugins!

December 2023

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 03:10:04 GMT

December 2023

Nominated at the 2024 AACTA awards for ‘Best Original Score In A Documentary’ together with my ‘Zeitgeist Music' co-composer Brett Aplin.

'Splice Here: A Projected Odyssey’ a feature documentary directed by Rob Murphy.

September 2023

Wed, 27 Sep 2023 22:59:01 GMT

21st September 2023

My colleague Brett Aplin and I just picked up an ARIA award nomination for Best Original Soundtrack for

“Splice Here: A Projected Odyssey"!

Thanks to ARIA and to Rob Murphy for his wonderful film. Winners will be announced on November 15th.

September 2023

Wed, 27 Sep 2023 22:54:12 GMT

20th September 2023

On September 28 'Zeitgeist Music' (Burkhard Dallwitz, Dmitri Golovko and Brett Aplin) are releasing their Soundtrack Album for the upcoming documentary feature film "Brand Bollywood Downunder". Available to stream and buy in all your usual places, you can access the album at the following link: https://gyro.to/BrandBollywoodDownunderOriginalMotionPictureSoundtrack

Directed by Anupan Sharma, this feature documentary is a fast moving, funny, musical, and entertaining look at Bollywoodisation and globalisation of popular Hindi Cinema through its love affair with Australia and the world.

September 2023

Wed, 27 Sep 2023 22:48:40 GMT

13th September 2023

Back at 'The Soft Centre Studios’ with the one and only Christian Scallan for a Dolby Atmos Mix of an animated film score I’ve just completed.

August 2023

Wed, 27 Sep 2023 22:23:58 GMT

August 2023

Happy to be part of the very first Australian Music Centre education resource kit for secondary school students, exploring music written for film and TV.

Thank you to Dr Joanna Drimatis for putting this together so beautifully.

June 2023

Wed, 27 Sep 2023 22:12:40 GMT

June 2023

Director Peter Weir’s THE TRUMAN SHOW celebrates its 25th anniversary this year and Paramount Home Entertainment is marking the occasion by releasing a newly remastered version on 4K Ultra HD for the first time ever on July 4, 2023. The film has been fully remastered using scans of the original negative, with the new 4K version approved by Weir. The film is presented with Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio for a truly immersive experience.

March 2023

Wed, 08 Mar 2023 03:14:49 GMT

March 2023

‘Wechselspiel (Interplay): Wenn Peter Stamm Schreibt’

Composed music for this beautiful European Film, co-directed by Georg Isenmann and Arne Kohlweyer.
The film premiered to critical acclaim at the recent 58th Solothurner Film Festival in Switzerland.

August 2022

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 22:00:17 GMT

August 2022

The original soundtrack by Brett Aplin and Burkhard Dallwitz for ‘Splice Here: A Projected Odyssey’ will be released across all streaming platforms on August 17th. The film directed by Rob Murphy will have its world premiere at MIFF on August 19

March 2022

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 22:00:14 GMT

March 2022

A new distribution deal means that my soundtrack for the movie THE WAY BACK (Dir. Peter Weir)
is being re-released on March 4 on all Streaming platforms.

January 2022

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 22:00:13 GMT

January 2022

Happy to announce that I received a nomination at this years (2021) Screen Music Awards for
Ms Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries .
Congrats also to my two Zeitgeist colleagues and co-composers Brett Aplin and Dmitri Golovko.
Winners will be announced on Feb. 22

December 2021

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 22:00:11 GMT

December 2021

A special edition of my ’Sunshine’ soundtrack ’Sunshine Suite’ (Music from the Original TV Series)
will be released in spatial audio (Dolby Atmos) on December 20.

The Dolby Atmos version will initially only be available on Apple Music.
(iTunes pre-order available on December 13)

Tidal and Amazon who also carry the ’spatial audio’ format will follow suit early next year.
All other streaming platforms will have the standard stereo version.

Credits:
Music composed and produced by Burkhard Dallwitz
Dolby Atmos & Stereo Mix by Christian Scallan @thesoftcentre

October 2021

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 22:00:09 GMT

October 2021

APRA 2021 board election now open for voting!

I’ve decided to run as a candidate at this year’s APRA board election.

Voting will be open from today until November 16. Log into the APRA AMCOS writer portal and click on the
'Cast your vote!' link.

This year there will be two vacancies, with Chris Neal retiring permanently after 21 years on the board.

I’ve put my hand up for a position on the board because I think it’s important that Chris’ seat be filled by another screen composer. We need strong representation on the board so our voices are heard.

I’m hoping to gain your support and would be honoured to receive your endorsement.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Here is my election statement:

As a screen composer with over 35 years of experience in the local and international film & TV industry, I’ve always been passionate about the rights of musicians and composers. I came to appreciate very early on in my career the critical role that APRA plays in supporting music creators.Apart from my professional career as a screen composer, I have also had extensive experience dealing with major record labels, publishing companies and independent aggregators through my soundtrack releases.
Our industry has entered a period of significant change via the rapidly evolving streaming platforms for both music and visual content.
Music creators from all sectors of the industry face a very challenging time in not only retaining the rights to their compositions but also receiving fair remuneration for their works.
Royalties are an essential part of a composer’s and musician’s income and APRA plays a vital role in enabling music creators to have a sustainable career.
Having been involved in an ongoing consultation process with APRA on canvassing possible changes in how streaming revenue is distributed to members, it’s become clear to me that APRA management is dealing with complex issues that will have a lasting impact on current and future writer members.
As a way of helping both emerging and established screen composers navigate this increasingly complex work environment, six years ago I co-founded a local support network in Melbourne. This has evolved into well attended quarterly gatherings where issues are raised, questions are answered, experiences are shared and emerging composers are mentored.
As it’s been almost 8 years since APRA last had a Victoria based writer/director on the board, I would welcome the opportunity to contribute to its role in serving and supporting the diverse APRA writer membership and advocating on their behalf.
If elected as a writer/director on the APRA board I would be 100% committed to representing the best interests of my fellow music creators.
I believe my extensive industry experience puts me in a good position to provide valuable insight and meaningful input to any board debate.

September 2021

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 22:00:08 GMT

september 2021

The original soundtrack to SBS’s AACTA award winning TV Series SUNSHINE will be released on October 5th on all major streaming platforms.

SUNSHINE is directed by Daina Reid @dainajreid and produced by Ian Collie @easytiger.tv, Anna McLeish and Sarah Shaw @carverfilms.

The series is based in Melbourne's inner-west suburb of Sunshine and follows Jacob Garang, a young South Sudanese-Australian basketballer on the cusp of being selected for the US College league, who gets caught up in a police investigation involving a teenage girl from one of Melbourne's affluent suburbs.

It stars Anthony LaPaglia, Melanie Lynskey and Wally Elnour.

Guardian Australia critic Luke Buckmaster described the series as an "excellent, beautifully balanced drama", and "one of the standout TV shows of the year”.

To pre-save the release on Spotify, Apple Music and Deezer click on the link below.

https://gyro.to/SunshineOriginalScore

Music c r edits:

Music composed, produced and performed by Burkhard Dallwitz
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Christian Scallan @thesoftcentre
Violin/Viola: Erkki Veltheim #erkkiveltheim
Cello: Molly Kadarauch @mollykad
Double Bass: Sam Anning @anningsam
Kora: Amadou Suso @amadoujalysuso
Vocals: Ajak Kwai @ajakkwai
Guitar: David Herzog #davidherzog

June 2021

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 22:00:05 GMT

June 2021

The soundtrack to Ms Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries will be available on all major streaming platforms on Friday the 25th of June 2021. To pre-save this release please click below.

March 2021

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 22:00:04 GMT

March 2021

New studio completed in November 2020

March 2021

The Gloaming in LA...premieres on March 21 on STARZ

January 2021

petar@mesmeriseco.com (Petar Petrovic) — Sun, 19 Feb 2023 22:00:02 GMT

January 2021

Ms. Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries Series 2

Commenced work on the new series of MFMOD together with my 'Zeitgeist Music' co-composers Brett Aplin and Dmitri Golovko. We're excited to again collaborate with the brilliant team at Every Cloud Productions!

After licensing the first season, AMC Networks’ Acorn TV returns to commission the second season of Ms. Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries with Acorn Media Enterprises from Every Cloud Productions in association with all3media international. From the creators of global sensation Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries , Fiona Eagger and Deb Cox , this 1960s-set spinoff features the fearless, fun, and charmingly down-to-earth Peregrine Fisher (Logie-nominated Geraldine Hakewill , Wanted ) in the lead role as Phryne Fisher’s niece who inherited a windfall from her famous aunt and sets out to become a world-class private detective in her own right. Called a "vivacious crime series (standing) alone and above any comparisons to the original series" by IndieWire and “clever crime fare” by The New York Times , Season 1 exclusively premiered on Acorn TV as four feature-length mysteries in the U.S. and Canada in April 2019. Season 2 will feature eight one-hour mysteries. The Acorn TV Original Series will begin production this October and exclusively premiere on Acorn TV in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and in its home country on Acorn TV Australia in 2021 and thereafter on the Seven Network in Australia. Leading independent international distributor all3media international will manage distribution in the rest of the world.

August 2020

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 22:00:01 GMT

August 2020

Locusts wins 'Best Music Score' at the 2020 Melbourne Indie Film Festival.
Due to Covid 19 this was delayed with winners only announced today.

June 2020

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 22:00:00 GMT

J une 2020

Ten years (to the day) after the original CD release of the Underbelly Soundtrack, it's finally available on all major streaming platforms.

My thanks to everyone at Sony, Screentime and the Nine Network for making this possible!

April 2020

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 21:59:58 GMT

April 2020

www.zeitgeistmusic.com.au

Zeitgeist Music launches and official website goes live.

A new venture aside from my solo projects, Zeitgeist Music was established as a collaborative team in 2018 to provide original music scores for film & television.

Combining the talents of multi-award winning screen composers Burkhard Dallwitz, Brett Aplin and Dmitri Golovko, Zeitgeist Music has collaborated on international feature films such as The Longest Shot , TV drama productions including the ABC/Netflix series Pine Gap , Network Seven’s Ms Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries , Network Ten’s My Life is Murder and the critically acclaimed STAN/ABC Disney drama series The Gloaming.

The composers at Zeitgeist Music have over 55 years of combined experience in film and television productions, and have produced a hugely diverse back catalogue of award winning works, that range from hybrid electro-acoustic, small ensemble to full orchestral scores.

In the ever-changing landscape of tight and often overlapping post-production schedules, Zeitgeist Music is uniquely placed to deliver original music scores of the highest quality.

April 2020

Cover art: Felix von Dallwitz

I JUST CAN’T SING (EP) will be available on all major streaming platforms from 10.4.2020

This was a little side project I did 13 years ago in 2007.
Back then there was no streaming and it would have been difficult to release this independently.
As a result it remained on the shelf until now.

Thanks to innovative companies like GYROstream in Australia, this is no longer the case.

My thanks to all the talented people listed below who contributed.

Credits:
Recorded and Mixed by Michael Letho.
Live recordings at Mad Cat Studios and Allan Eaton Studios, Melbourne.
Acoustic & Electric Guitars: David Herzog
Electric Bass: Jeremy Alsop
Drums: Dave Beck
Vocals (Worry You of My Mind): Julie O’Hara
Vocals (Terminal Restlessness): South of the River Gospel Choir
Choir arrangement: Annemarie Sharry
Brass arrangement (I just can’t sing): Daryl McKenzie
Vocal samples courtesy of Spectrasonics Vocal Planet

January 2020

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 21:59:56 GMT

January 2020

The Guardian Luke Buckmaster

The Gloaming review – shades of Twin Peaks in fog-swamped crime drama
4 / 5 stars

Ewen Leslie and Emma Booth investigate a grisly murder in Stan’s moody and noirish new genre series

Every once in a while a film or television series comes around with an aesthetic so eye-watering it makes plaudits such as “evocative” or “painterly” seem manifestly inadequate. Occasionally – as is the case with Stan’s eight-part mystery-drama The Gloaming, from creator and writer Vicki Madden – the visual oomph of the production seems to manifest as a kind of viscous residue, sticking to your psyche the way a sweat patch clings to your armpit.

Take a bow, Marden Dean: the show’s gimlet-eyed cinematographer, who also shot Breath, Boys in the Trees and The Infinite Man. The Gloaming is the latest in an emerging trend of Tasmania-based productions that view the island state as a place of terrible beauty, located somewhere south of the mainland and west of hell – following on from Jennifer Kent’s period piece The Nightingale, Foxtel’s gothic drama Lambs of God, and another series helmed by Madden: the terrific, darkly ravishing 2016 disappearance thriller The Kettering Incident.

Like Kettering, The Gloaming is bathed in frosty moonlight and ensconced in fog and haze. It has a Scandi-noirish atmosphere and a plotline drawn from a more defined genre playbook: the police procedural thriller. A twisty narrative involving deaths and disappearances is led – as is customary – by a pair of good-looking detectives who discover the case they are working on Is Personal and may connect to a crime committed many years ago.

We see vision of events related to that crime in a surreal introductory sequence depicting young teenagers Jenny McGinty (Milly Alcock) and Alex O’Connell (Finn Ireland) venturing towards a big old creepy house, past a forest of tall, bony trees and a collection of grimy tombstones. The property’s occupant is less than thrilled to see them and fires a shotgun at Jenny at point-blank range. This moment is depicted in a way that obscures the face of the attacker and the impact of the bullet.
Alex grows up to be a police detective played by Ewan Leslie – delivering another highly effective, twitch-inducing performance following recent appearances in The Cry and Safe Harbour. Alex is directed to partner up with Molly, who is played by Emma Booth: a very commanding presence, here and in the icky 2017 horror-thriller Hounds of Love. The pair haven’t seen each other in a couple of decades and share some kind of a past – although, three episodes in (the first three eps form the extent of this review) it’s not clearly exactly what.

Molly is called in to inspect a corpse at a crime scene early in the first episode, in a creepy and surreal moment, like a David Lynch production, and, like Twin Peaks, involving a body found near water – in this instance, a very cinematic-looking waterfall in the background. This body has not been wrapped in plastic but wrapped in rather gnarlier barbed wire.

The significance of the barbed wire is one of several points of discussion. Many things are unclear, though it’s obvious that – if you’ll pardon the Ghostbustery parlance – there’s something strange in the neighbourhood, with potential links to occult practices. Grace Cochran (Rena Owen), leader of the local church community, looks more than a little suspect. And the mentally unhinged young man Freddie (Matt Testro) is a dark horse: forever one step away, it seems, from taking the story to very twisted places.

The “this time it’s personal” connections that make the case of heightened interest to Molly and Alex, as well as some stilted dialogue, occasionally give The Gloaming a whiff of all-too-familiar dramatic contrivance, antithetical to its otherwise thrilling air of surprise and intrigue. Given the show’s genre framework, you wouldn’t call it strikingly original, but it sure is striking: particularly as a work of atmospheria.

Does Madden write the appearance of mist into her scripts? Did she breathe down the necks of Dean and the directors (Michael Rymer, Greg McLean and Sian Davies), reminding them to fog up the lens? Legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa extensively used wind machines, intensifying the environment and infusing his films with symbolic visuals: the winds of change, the winds of good and bad fortune, the winds signifying chaos and tumult. Madden is doing something similar with mist, here as in The Kettering Incident. Its menacing and mysterious qualities thicken up the frame, covering it with a kind of enigmatic, semi-translucent vapour.
In A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens described a “steaming mist in all the hollows” as a force that “roamed in its forlornness up the hill, like an evil spirit, seeking rest and finding none.” He called it a “clammy and intensely cold mist” that “made its slow way through the air in ripples that visibly followed and overspread one another, as the waves of an unwholesome sea might do.”
Roaming forlornness, an evil spirit, an unwholesome sea: these feel like apt words to describe the brilliant brume of The Gloaming. Certainly better than “evocative” or “painterly”.

December 2019

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 21:59:55 GMT

December 2019

The Gloaming premieres on 01.01.2020 on STAN

October 2019

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 21:59:53 GMT

October 2019

Signed on to score the new 8 part drama series The Gloaming together with my co-composers Brett Aplin and Dmitri Golovko.
Filmed in Tasmania it stars Emma Booth and Ewen Leslie, plus Aaron Pedersen, Rena Owen, Matt Testro and newcomer Josephine Blazier.

Created by Vicki Madden (The Kettering Incident) it is directed by Michael Rymer, Greg McLean and Sian Davies, produced by Madden’s Sweet Potato Films and John Molloy’s 2 Jons.

The series is a co-production with Stan and Disney’s ABC Studios International, developed by Madden’s Sweet Potato Films and John Molloy’s 2 Jons and produced by Madden. Molloy and Fiona McConaghy with Keli Lee, Nick Forward, Jon Adgemis and Michael Gudinski are executive producing.

When an unidentified woman is found brutally murdered, Detective Molly McGee (Emma Booth) must team up with Alex O’Connell (Ewen Leslie), a fellow cop with whom she shares a tragic past to solve the crime. What begins as a routine investigation exposes something more insidious as political corruption and shady business dealings intertwine with sinister crimes and occult practices. To catch the killer, Molly and Alex have to face the ghosts of their past, the unsettled dead that linger in the liminal space between light and dark, life and death — The Gloaming.

October 2019

Received two nominations at this years Screen Music Awards which will be held in Melbourne on the 20th of November at the Forum Theatre.

September 2019

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 21:59:51 GMT

September 2019

Thrilled to be nominated for best soundtrack album at this years ARIA awards.

September 2019

Locusts in Cinemas on October 17th.

September 2019

Upcoming release of the original motion picture soundtrack for The Longest Shot.
Release date 16.9.2019 on all major Streaming platforms.
The score was performed by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and mixed by Christian Scallan @ The Soft Centre

August 2019

petar@mesmeriseco.com (Petar Petrovic) — Sun, 19 Feb 2023 21:59:50 GMT

August 2019

The Longest Shot starts its theatrical release in China on 06.09.2019:

July 2019

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 21:59:48 GMT

July 2019

LOCUSTS (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Burkhard Dallwitz is available now for pre-order on apple music.
The soundtrack will be released (digital) on the 27th of July and will appear on all major Streaming services.
https://music.apple.com/au/album/locusts-original-motion-picture-soundtrack/1471969626

March 2019

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 21:59:46 GMT

March 2019

Signed on as Composer for My Life is Murder

Former Xena star Lucy Lawless will star in a new TEN crime drama, My Life is Murder .
The series to be produced by CJZ will feature Lawless as investigator Alexa Crowe, who cannot help fighting the good fight – whether it is solving murders or combatting the small frustrations of everyday life. Fearless and unapologetic, Alexa’s unique skills and insights into the darker quirks of human nature, allows her to provoke, comfort and push the right buttons as she unravels the truth behind the most baffling of crimes.
Lawless has more recently featured in Ash vs Evil Dead, Salem, Agents of SHIELD and ABC’s The Code .
TEN Head of Drama, Rick Maier, said: “Crimes that confound your average detective are more than an irritant for Alexa Crowe. She is not your average cop. Brilliant, insightful, and completely without filter, Alexa is that rare breed of television hero: She doesn’t give a damn how she solves the crime or who she offends in the process, as long as she gets it done.

The 10 part series will be written by Jane Allen, Peter Gawler and Claire Tonkin, shooting in Melbourne at the end of 2018.

My Life Is Murder is a CJZ production for Network Ten. Principal production investment from Network Ten in association with Screen Australia. Financed with support from Film Victoria. International distribution will be handled by DCD Rights.

January 2019

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 21:59:45 GMT

January 2019

Signed on as composer for Australian feature film Locusts

Written and produced by Angus Watts, and directed by Heath Davis, Locusts is set in a fictional, remote mining town where desperation, drugs and unemployment are rife. Partly inspired by Angus Watts’ experiences growing up in a drought stricken NSW country town, and using Broken Hill as a location, the film has been described as a kind of “modern noir Western”.

Ben Geurens and Nathaniel Dean play estranged brothers Ryan and Tyson Black who are reluctantly reunited in their remote hometown at their father’s funeral. When Ryan crosses paths with a gang of thugs from their father’s shady past, the brothers become entangled in a deadly extortion racket that exposes the dark underbelly of the sleepy town.
“The title is a metaphor for the human propensity to consume the world around us without fear of consequences,” says Watts.
The film co-stars Jessica McNamee, Steve Le Marquand, Justin Rosniak, Andy McPhee, Damian Hill and Alan Dukes.

November 2018

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 21:59:43 GMT

November 2018

Signed on for Ms Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries with co-composers Brett Aplin and Dimitri Golovko

From the creators of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries , the modern Ms Fisher is every bit the embodiment of style, glamour and adventure in this all-new crime drama.
It’s 1964 and when the famous Aunt she never knew goes missing over the highlands of New Guinea, the gorgeously reckless Peregrine Fisher inherits a windfall and must prove herself brilliant enough to become a world class Private Detective in her own right. Directionless and doomed to a series of unsatisfying jobs, fate has hit Peregrine’s re-set button and rocketed her into a career as a fearless investigator, supported by a coterie of remarkable and rebellious women known as the Adventuresses.

Ms Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries stars Geraldine Hakewill, Joel Jackson, Catherine McClements & Toby Truslove.

Produced by Fiona Eagger, Deb Cox and Beth Dry, Ms Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries is an Every Cloud production for Channel Seven in association with all3media international who is also the global partner on the series.

October 2018

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 21:59:42 GMT

October 2018

July 2018

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 21:59:40 GMT

July 2018

Signed on to compose the score for the Netflix/ABC drama series Pine Gap.

A new international political thriller centred around the joint US / Australia joint defence facility, Pine Gap , is to be produced by Screentime for both ABC and Netflix.
The 6 part production, created by showrunner Greg Haddrick and co-writer Felicity Packard, exposes the stress inflicted on nations and individuals when ultimate loyalty is under threat, and true motives endanger the famously strong American / Australian joint military alliance through conflicting interests, personal ideals … and one tragic mistake.
The series will be produced by Lisa Scott and Felicity Packard, and executive produced by Screentime’s Bob Campbell, Rory Callaghan and Greg Haddrick, and ABC’s Sally Riley and Kym Goldsworthy.
Filming will take place in South Australia and the Northern Territory in 2018, with pre-production to commence in Adelaide in November.
Haddrick also isn’t expecting any access for filming, with the base to be re-created, including with CGI, in South Australia. Pine Gap follows Glitch as the second primetime co-production for ABC and Netflix. Tipped for a late 2018 debut, it is expected to premiere simultaneously on both platforms, with Netflix enjoying global rights excluding Australia and SVOD rights (including Australia).
“Netflix wanted to make sure that it was clear to an American audience what this place was, and what it did. Most people in America, and indeed (many) in Australia, have no idea that it exists at all,” says Haddrick.
“So it feels like an Australian story for Australians and an American story for Americans.”
Pine Gap is financed by Netflix and ABC, in association with the South Australian Film Corporation. Additional financial support is provided by a grant from Screen Territory.
Executive Chairman of Screentime Bob Campbell said, “Screentime is delighted that Netflix and the ABC have come together to commission this production that has been in development by the Screentime drama team for a number of years.”
“Greg Haddrick is a magnificent voice in television in Australia and around the world,” said Elizabeth Bradley, Netflix Vice President of Content. “We can’t wait for Greg to bring Pine Gap ‘s story of secrecy and deceit to Netflix members around the world.”
The ABC’s Director of Television David Anderson said: “ Pine Gap is shrouded in intrigue for many Australians. It’s the perfect anchor, and a timely subject, for an Australian drama that can resonate both locally and with a global audience. This partnership enables a high-end Australian drama to be produced for all Australians, and for locally produced content to be delivered to an international audience. We look forward to working with all our partners on this new venture.”

February 2018

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 21:59:39 GMT

February 2018

Composing the score to the animated film Sohrab and Rustum by Animator Lee Whitmore.
The hand drawn film is based on the poem by Matthew Arnold.

January 2018

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 21:59:37 GMT

January 2018

SBS drama SUNSHINE wins the 2017 AACTA award for best tele feature or mini series.

October 2017

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 21:59:35 GMT

October 2017

Signed on to score the 2 part TV mini-series Underbelly Files: Chopper

Nine has announced the full cast on Underbelly Files: Chopper with Aaron Jeffery currently filming the title role in Melbourne.
Joining Jeffery as Mark Brandon Read, are Michael Caton his father, Keith, Todd Lasance as Chopper’s nemesis Syd Collins, and Ella Scott Lynch as his second wife, Margaret.
Also featuring are Zoe Ventoura as Chopper’s first wife Mary Ann, plus Jane Allsop, Reef Ireland, Alex Tsitsopoulos and Anna Bamford, with original Underbelly stars Vince Colosimo and Kevin Harrington returning as Alphonse Gangitano and Lewis Moran, plus Debra Byrne reprising her 2014 portrayal of Judy Moran.
Nine Drama execs Andy Ryan and Jo Rooney said: “As a hardened gangster and loving family man, ‘Chopper’ Read was one of Australia’s most complex and compelling crooks. Prepare to be shocked and entertained as Aaron Jeffery brings a whole new dimension to the Chopper legend, supported by many of Australia’s finest actors.”
Screentime CEO Bob Campbell said, “With this new take on the Mark ‘Chopper’ Read story Screentime is delighted to be reuniting our ‘A team’ for a mesmerising mini-series which will bring the fourth instalment of Underbelly: Files to Nine for 2018, in classic style,”

September 2017

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 21:59:34 GMT

September 2017

August 2017

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 21:59:32 GMT

August 2017

May 2017

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 21:59:30 GMT

May 2017

Signed on to score the new 4 Part SBS TV Mini-Series Sunshine .

SBS has announced key cast for its upcoming new drama, Sunshine , a crime thriller set in Melbourne’s South Sudanese community.
Anthony LaPaglia ( Balibo, Lantana, Without a Trace ) and NZ actress Melanie Lynskey ( Two and a Half Men, Togetherness, Heavenly Creatures ) will be joined by Kim Gyngell ( Rake, Jack Irish ), Tiarnie Coupland ( Love Child ), Vince Colosimo ( Jack Irish, Janet King, Underbelly ), Leah Vandenberg ( The Wrong Girl ), Paul Ireland ( Jack Irish, Never Tear Us Apart: The INXS Story, Underbelly ) and Trudy Hellier ( Winners and Losers, The Doctor Blake Mysteries, The Time of Our Lives ).
They will be joined by “fresh and exciting new faces, including an outstanding South Sudanese Australian cast being seen for the very first time on Australian TV.”
Sunshine follows the life of an aspiring South Sudanese-Australian basketball player who is on the cusp of being picked up by US scouts for the US College league, but who is caught up in a police investigation involving a teenage girl from one of Melbourne’s affluent suburbs.
Anthony LaPaglia will play a basketball coach whilst Melanie Lynskey plays a lawyer.
Written by Matt Cameron ( Jack Irish, Secret City ) and Elise McCredie ( Nowhere Boys ), the Essential Media ( The Principal, Rake, Jack Irish ) production will be directed by Daina Reid ( The Secret River, The Wrong Girl, Never Tear Us Apart: The INXS Story ).
SBS Director of Television and Online Content, Marshall Heald said: “Sunshine is set to be a powerful, bold, and uniquely SBS drama, with a crime mystery at its heart. SBS has a strong history of delivering exceptional drama with impactful storytelling. Our recent success withsus, The Family Law and Deep Water demonstrates our continued commitment to telling stories with purpose. We’re also pleased to be working with Essential Media yet again, after great success with The Principal.
“I’m thrilled the show has attracted internationally acclaimed talent like Anthony LaPaglia and Melanie Lynskey, and I’m especially proud that the drama will showcase young, fresh and diverse local talent, something SBS is incredibly passionate about.”
Essential’s Ian Collie and Carver’s Anna McLeish and Sarah Shaw said: “After producing The Principal for SBS, we are thrilled to be returning with another exciting drama, which has attracted a compelling mix of local and international talent alongside newcomers from the South Sudanese community in Australia, highlighting the opportunities as well as challenges for this relatively new migrant group to the Land of Sunshine .”

February 2017

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 21:59:29 GMT

February 2017

Signed on to score the Chinese/Australian co-production feature film The Longest Shot (Working Title: Dogfight).

Paul Currie's Lightstream Pictures has partnered with Chinese Producers Homber Yin and Alicia Yao Bing for Saints Entertainment's The Longest Shot - an intriguing tale of gangsters, business leaders and Government officials vying for power and control over the French Concession territory.
Set in 1930s Shanghai amid an era of decadence and corruption, The Longest Shot is an intriguing tale which sees gangsters, business leaders and Government officials vying for power and control over the French Concession territory.
Iconic Melbourne locations including Parliament House, the Block Arcade, Regent Theatre, Melbourne Comedy Theatre, Montsalvat, Ripponlea, The Old Sunbury Hospital and Melbourne city streets were utilised to replicate the deco style architecture of Shanghai's infamous French Concession with Melbourne proving to be the perfect visual backdrop.
Director Xu Shunli, who cowrote the screenplay with Qiu Xinyu, spent more than a year meticulously planning the costumes, design and locations so that elements of both countries would blend flawlessly, to deliver a lush, dramatic and visually stunning film.
Filmed in Mandarin, English, French and Russian for Chinese speaking audiences, the cast includes the highly acclaimed Chinese actor Wang Zhiwen alongside an ensemble of Chinese and International talent including Yu Nan, Zu Yajun, Lee Li-Chun and Kao Kuo-Hsin, along with Sabien Lucciarini, Christopher Downs and Koniukhov Konstantin.

September 2016

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 21:59:27 GMT

September 2016

Wolf Creek International reviews:

what'sontv: Peter Fuller, August 27, 2016

Beautifully shot, with a phenomenal soundtrack, and a standout performance from Fry as the hunted who becomes the hunter, this is one to watch.

Starburst Magazine: Andrew Pollard, September 28, 2016

In this mini-series, we’ve been given something that is truly stunning to view; the desolate, vacuous feel of the outback being a pleasure to take in, with the delightful cinematography and direction likely to leave you feeling as if you’re actually coming down with heatstroke. Added to this, the score from Burkhard Dallwitz only furthers the feeling of desperation and desolation that drips over Wolf Creek like a dirty, sweaty rag. But at its core, Wolf Creek is about the storytelling and the performances.

MyMBUZZ: Iain Hepburn, September 6, 2016

Burkhard Dallwitz’s score is sparse, but when it is used, it’s hugely effective.

August 2016

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 21:59:25 GMT

August 2016

All North and Latin American rights to Stan’s Wolf Creek have been licensed to Lionsgate.
The announcement follows last month's news that Fox UK had picked up the British rights to the original six-part series, based on the 2005 movie of the same name.

Stan CEO Mike Sneesby said Wolf Creek was a “premium Australian drama made for a global audience”.
“The Lionsgate deal is one of the biggest international distribution deals for an Australian show. By generating significant licensing revenues for our Stan Original Series we are able to reinvest into the local production industry,” said Sneesby.

Wolf Creek has been Stan’s most successful premiere so far, with the series exceeding 500,000 views within days of its launch.
Stan’s chief content officer Nick Forward told IF last month that international interest in Wolf Creek was initially piqued when distributor Banijay Group took it in April to MIPTV, the television buyers' market in Cannes.

Wolf Creek is a Screentime (a Banijay Group company) production in association with Emu Creek Pictures.
International sales are being handled by Zodiak Rights, the distribution arm of Banijay Group, with the Lionsgate deal brokered by Zodiak Rights’ Andreas Lemos, VP of sales and acquisitions

August 2016

THE MUSIC TRUST

THE SECRET RIVER. FILM MUSIC BY BURKHARD DALLWITZ

Erkki Veltheim, Lizzy Welsh, Ceridwen Davies, Charlotte Jacke, Jon Heilbron, Yinuo Mu, John Barrett, Rebecca Simpson, David Herzog, Burkhard Dallwitz, The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jan Chalupecky. TV miniseries of the novel by Kate Grenville
Film Music
ABC Classics 481 1824
Reviewed by Mandy Stefanakis , September 1st, 2015

The Secret River is a two-part television series based on the novel of the same name by Australian author Kate Grenville. It provides a devastating account of the brutality of life for first white settlers in Sydney and along the Hawkesbury River, and for the Aboriginal people whose land was overrun and whose people were killed in the process of this emphatic desire for land ownership. Indeed the difference between cultures portrayed is much about the difference between living with one’s natural surrounds and fighting against them, a lesson we still often fail to grasp.

Australian composer, Burkhard Dallwitz is used to the ‘fighting against’ scenario in his screen scoring having written the soundtrack for Underbelly. He also wrote the music for the menacing Truman Show collaborating with Philip Glass and picking up a swag of awards including a Golden Globe. Dallwitz is used to writing edgy, highly rhythmic scores. His approach to The Secret River is quite different.
Here the music is often sparse and still. However in the overture ‘Our Hawkesbury’, the melody and lush strings with Irish flute and bodhrán-like drumming capture the Celtic stamp of ownership the new arrivals desire. It is appropriately majestic and expansive, in many ways suggesting the ending in addition to the beginning. The final scene is of the new settler couple we have followed throughout surveying their English-like property with its clipped grass, ornamental fountain and circular driveway. It is such an incongruous image given the beauty of the surrounding eucalypts and scrub and the horror of the carnage we have witnessed that has made this stately home a possibility. And then one thinks of one’s home in the burbs.
It is with the protagonists’ interactions with the Aboriginal people who dwell around the Hawkesbury that the music changes. Dallwitz uses steely harmonics and sonorities with short melodic riffs to great effect. He employs piano, violin and cellos drawing on natural harmonics and drones in the music’s vertical organisation. The music is both warm and unsettling and perfectly captures the ambivalent relationship between original and new inhabitants who initially try hard to coexist.

Dallwitz loves new tone colours and his ‘The Promise’, reflecting an assurance given by the husband to his wife that they will return to England in five years if things don’t work out, uses an old Tom Waitsesque piano to highlight the wife’s unrealistic longing for ‘home’. He brings back this sound quite frequently. In the gathering held at the couple’s initially scant setting, the pipes, piano, military drum, bodhrán and violin keep the new families warm as they dance around the campfire.
There are times when Dallwitz combines the busyness of the new settlers planting crops, setting up home against long, metallic drones of the surrounding environment and this is most effective.
In the build-up to the climactic massacre, in, for example, ‘My Place’, Dallwitz develops an unsettled feel again through held metallic harmonics, clashing strings and a deep, deep drone. The harmonic sustenance rises into the surrounding space. It permeates everywhere. ‘The Massacre’ is an exaggeration of all these themes, everything moves slowly, resolutely and the piano provides a feeling of utter grief edging up from a major melodic third to the fifth against its minor tonality in the left hand.
Since the ‘hero’ has, at times, shown warmth and caring to the Aboriginal people, it is greed, ultimately, the need for more and for it to be ‘mine’ that is irreconcilable. The son is an observer of the aftermath, the carrier of his father’s ‘secret’ and he will never forget or forgive. And so in ‘I See you Dickie’, Dallwitz indicates the length of time that he and his father will carry this burden. Again, it is pure mourning, pure loss.

How does Archie Roach and Shane Howard’s final duet in A Secret River help ameliorate this tragedy? It doesn’t. But they write and make music together as they have done for a lifetime now. And here Howard is the husband, wishing he could turn back time, while Roach watches nature allow more flowers to bloom in the aftermath of the slaughter of Aboriginal people.New Paragraph

March 2016

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 21:59:24 GMT

March 2016

Signed on to score Wolf Creek The Television Series.

Wolf Creek, a six-part drama series, is a psychological thriller set in the world that fans of the films will recognise – but this time things are different. At first the pattern is familiar: Mick Taylor targets an American tourist family to terrorise and destroy. But the tables are turned when 19-year-old Eve survives the massacre and starts to rebuild her shattered existence by embarking on a mission of revenge.

Australian Lucy Fry, known to international audiences for Vampire Academy andMako: Island of Secrets, will star in the lead role of Eve. Currently based in Los Angeles, Fry will be seen in a string of US film and TV roles next year, including the highly anticipated TV adaptation of Stephen King’s 11/22/63 alongside James Franco and the thriller 6 Miranda Drive directed by Greg McLean. She also stars in the upcoming Australian feature film Now Add Honey with Portia De Rossi.
John Jarratt (Wolf Creek 1 & 2, The Last Outlaw, Picnic at Hanging Rock) will reprise his role as Mick Taylor, alongside an outstanding cast including Dustin Clare (Strike Back, Anzac Girls, Spartacus: War of the Damned), Deborah Mailman (Offspring, Redfern Now, The Sapphires), Miranda Tapsell (Love Child, Redfern Now, The Sapphires), Jessica Tovey (Wonderland, Dance Academy, Home & Away), Jake Ryan (Wentworth, Fat Tony & Co, Underbelly: Razor) and Richard Cawthorne (Catching Milat, Fat Tony & Co., Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms).

Nick Forward, Stan’s Content and Product Director, said: “Wolf Creekis a truly world-class production featuring international-calibre talent and helmed by two of Australia’s finest directors, Greg McLean and Tony Tilse. We can’t wait to bring this new Stan Original series exclusively to our subscribers next year.”

Creator and Executive Producer, Greg McLean, said: “I am thrilled to be collaborating with Stan and the Screentime team to bring Wolf Creek to audiences around the world. I’m excited to work with such a talented group of individuals and delve deeper into the dangerous world and character of Mick Taylor, once again portrayed by John Jarratt.”

Wolf Creek is a Screentime (a Banijay Group company) production in association with Emu Creek Pictures, financed with the assistance of Screen Australia and the South Australian Film Corporation. International sales are being handled by Banijay International. Peter Gawler and Felicity Packard are the writers on the series, which is directed by Tony Tilse and Greg McLean, and produced by Peter Gawler and Elisa Argenzio. The executive producers are Greg Haddrick and Greg McLean with Jo Rooney, Andy Ryan, Nick Forward and Rob Gibson.

Emmanuelle Namiech, Managing Director, Banijay International, said: “Wolf Creek is a unique event- scripted series with high-quality talent in front of and behind the camera. We are proud to launch our drama strategy with this successful franchise.”
Graeme Mason, CEO of Screen Australia, added: “This is an incredibly exciting time to be in TV and we commend Stan for committing to such a high production value, completely Australian-made series. Screen Australia support underpins 50 per cent of all narrative Australian TV content and we are delighted that Wolf Creek represents our first made-for-streaming commercial commission. Wolf Creek is a must-see for 2016.”

The series will be shot in South Australia, featuring striking Outback landscapes.

South Australian Minister for the Arts, Mr Jack Snelling, said: “We are delighted to again secure the local production for Wolf Creek. South Australia has outstanding locations, talented cast and crew, and a government committed to supporting local production and creating jobs in the screen production industry.”

The 6 x 1-hour series will premiere exclusively on Stan in mid-2016, with all episodes made available at once, making Wolf Creek a binge-watch TV event that will thrill viewers in Australia and around the world.

November 2015

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 21:59:22 GMT

November 2015

Received the 2015 Screen Music Award for Best Music for a Mini-series or Tele movie for THE SECRET RIVER .

Congratulations to Shane Howard and Archie Roach who also received a Screen Music Award for their song
'A Secret River' in the category of Best Song written for the screen.

APRA Press release:

The two-part television series based on Kate Grenville's best-selling novel also delivered an award on the night to multi-award-winning screen composer Burkhard Dallwitz for Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie. Burkhard’s composition movingly tells both of the beauty of the Hawkesbury's landscape and the savagery at the heart of The Secret River tale.
The collaboration of musicians Shane Howard and Archie Roach AM drew a well-deserved award for Best Original Song Composed for the Screen for A Secret River for The Secret River.

November 2015

Nominated for the 2015 AACTA Award for Best Original Music Score in Television for THE SECRET RIVER.
THE SECRET RIVER has received a total of 8 AACTA nominations.
The awards will be announced in Sydney on the 30th of November.

AACTA Press Release "…Golden Globe winning composer Burkhard Dallwitz is nominated for the memorable score in THE SECRET RIVER Part 1 (ABC)" New Paragraph

October 2015

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 21:59:20 GMT

October 2015

Received a nomination at this years Screen Music Awards in the category of Best Music for a Mini-series or Tele-movie for my score for THE SECRET RIVER.
Shane Howard and Archie Roach also received a nomination in the category of Best Song written for the Screen for their original song 'A Secret River' also for THE SECRET RIVER.
The 2015 APRA/AGSC Screen Music Awards will be held on November 12th at the Melbourne Recital Centre.

June 2015

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 21:59:18 GMT

The Secret River

OST CD $24.99

Pre-order now! Available 26/06/2015.

https://shop.abc.net.au/products/secret-river-the-ost-cd

June 2015

Kate Grenville’s Secret River gets the TV treatment on ABC

June 13, 2015 The Weekend Australian, Graeme Blundell, First Watch

Seven years in the making, the television adaptation of Kate Grenville’s best selling and highly celebrated colonial-era “first- contact” novel The Secret River has arrived, and does it full justice. It’s an epic tragedy in which a good man is compelled by forces he cannot control to participate in a crime in which terrible things happen. The tragedy is the inevitable result of what Grenville calls the “total misunderstanding and mutual lack of comprehension, particularly regarding relationship to land”, between the Aboriginal people and the early settlers.

The Booker-nominated novel has been adapted into this seriously good television miniseries by two of Australia’s most talented screenwriters, Jan Sardi (Oscar nominated for Shine) and Mac Gudgeon (Killing Time), and directed by the accomplished Daina Reid (Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo) across two enthralling episodes. It’s a searching exploration of character and the shadow cast by the fear, violence and the individual isolation of the early settlers.

It will leave you moved, if uncomfortable, and like producer Stephen Luby, you might find an urgency to tell the story to as many people as possible if they don’t see it. “I wanted others to experience the insight and empathy that it had evoked in me,” he says of reading the novel in 2006. “An illumination not of historical facts and social issues, but into the profound feelings and pressure faced by all ‘the players’, both indigenous and white, in the early days of European settlement in this country, and which still e choes among us today.”

Beginning in 1805, it follows poverty-stricken Thames waterman William Thornhill (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), who begins a life sentence in the penal colony of NSW assigned to his brave if obdurate wife, Sal (Sarah Snook). He finds work as an oarsman on Sydney Harbour while Sal establishes a rum stall, eking out a living in grog, the true currency of the colony.

Australia is no fair princess of a place but born and bred as an ill-favoured by- blow of the squalor and criminality of 18th-century industrial England and the poverty of Ireland. It’s a system dominated by the savagery of the lash, brutalising the community of officers, clergy, officials and settlers, and life for Will and Sal begins as a barren jail in a harsh, strange land.

Six years later, Will is pardoned and as an “emancipist” (a convict given an absolute or conditional pardon, or whose sentence had expired and who could then could own land and assert themselves in the same way as the free) becomes entranced with the idea of actually owning something for himself and his family. For him Australia becomes a miraculous home of great expectations; Sal, though, dreams only of a return to London.

Discovering the rock-and-forest-hidden mouth to the secret river of the title (the Hawkesbury in fact, its course hidden from the first explorers) in the company of another ex-waterman, the soft-voiced bear of a man Thomas Blackwood (Lachy Hulme), he is entranced with the possibility of owning land of his own. He spies a plot he calls Thornhill’s Point, turning to the land to stake a claim for equality in the emerging new social order.

But after the family has sailed north from Sydney, it’s clear that shaping the environment, changing the face of the land, is fraught with difficulties. His attempts to cajole the local Aboriginal people, the Dharug, are clumsy and he seems incapable of understanding how whites might live with blacks. “If you take a little, you have to give a little,” his friend Blackwood constantly impresses upon him. He is equally uncomfortable with the divisive racism of the other settlers along the river.

The production is distinguished by an almost musical interweaving of themes, carried by Burkhard Dallwitz’s great score, all strings, piano, flutes and whistles. It’s as though Reid and her writers have refused to pedestrianly transpose whatever was transposable from the novel but have found daring cinematic equivalents. Bruce Young’s photography is a luscious scenic tapestry of muted colour and light, often verging on the abstract. His cameras capture both the hollowness and openness of space, the oppressive immovableness of the landscape, as well as the illusion of freedom offered by the river.

Reid and her estimable collaborators (the production design of the distinguished veteran Herbert Pinter is especially impressive) gets the spell of the bush just right, that matrix of sentiments and ideals, that almost religious mystique that would in time become a symbol of a distinctive national character.

The struggle with the recalcitrant land has rarely been dramatised with such resonance: the loneliness of bush life and the way the early settlers who came to change and subdue the land were themselves changed by it in the end, and compelled to submit to its demands.

And the sense of the Aborigine as spiritual superior is palpable through the series, majestically conveyed in the mesmerising performance of Trevor Jamieson as Gumang, or Grey Beard, the most senior elder of the Dharug tribe, all meaning invested in sacred land. All the performances are splendid. Jackson- Cohen’s Will is a man of shy, courteous modesty and he allows us to maintain our empathy for him even when we know of the heinous events that must unfold around him. Snook is an inspired actress; she can turn her face into a dozen different ones: beautiful, pain-riddled, ethereal and earth-motherish.

Hulme flaunts his virtuosity once more with his Blackwood, an enigmatic and surprising figure who has found redemption in a new land, a performance of muted sadness and grace.

And the writer and musician Tim Minchin is brilliant as the bitter and vengeful Smasher Sullivan, driven by his profound hatred of the Hawkesbury Aborigines, wonderfully and disturbingly malevolent. I was reminded of something Mark Twain said about this country, that it does not read like history but like the most beautiful lies: “It is full of surprises, adventures, and incongruities, and contradictions, and incredibilities; but they are all true; they all happened.”

Television previews: The Secret River transcends novel

June 3, 2015 SMH Melinda Houston TV critic

THE SECRET RIVER

New series ★★★★☆ (4.5 out of 5 stars)

Sunday, June 14, 8.30pm, ABC

It has been a long time since Australian television has attempted a big Australian origins story, but it's been worth the wait. It's also one of those cases (like The Slap) where the television adaptation manages to transcend what was already fabulous source material. Things start out ugly – as they do in Kate Grenville's novel – but one of the really lovely things about the screen version is its terrific light and shade. The hardships of first settlement are certainly powerfully evoked, but they're not dwelt on. And we get an equally visceral sense of its excitement and promise. Some scenes in this first instalment (I'm sure not by accident) are straight from the Heidelberg School, as much art as they are television. Indeed, the production values generally are superb. But like everything here, they're also perfectly balanced, never overwhelming or distracting from the story. Then there's the cast. There are certainly plenty of recognisable names but it's the intelligence of the casting that impresses. It's not about pretty faces or marquee names. Every actor absolutely fits the character: Sarah Snook's Sal, positively alight with energy; Trevor Jamieson's statesmanlike Greybeard; the little-known Oliver Jackson-Cohen, passionate and vulnerable as Will; and of course Tim Minchin's mischievously psychopathic Smasher. (And don't worry, Tim. We don't get to see your willy.) Perhaps what's most satisfying, though, is the way all these elements are brought together. Translating a rich, detailed novel – where the writing is as important as the story – is a slightly frightening task but everyone here has paid as much attention to their part in the process as Grenville has to her prose. The result is something that's not strictly factual – but that's an advantage. You're never wondering which bits are "true". Instead we have something that convincingly captures the reality of the period with nuance, a clear-eyed intelligence, and real emotional depth.

The Secret River

☆☆☆☆☆ (4.5 out of 5 stars)

June 11th, 2015 By David Knox

With its spectacular setting on the Hawkesbury River, one could happily turn down the sound on The Secret River and enjoy the landscape scenery: the river, the bush, aerial shots -this is picture postcard stuff.

But then you would be missing the story, crafted by writer Kate Grenville in her book of the same name and adapted here by the formidable duo of Jan Sardi (Shine, Love’s Brother, Mao’s Last Dancer) and Mac Gudgeon ( Waterfront, The Petrov Affair, Killing Time ). It is a story that strikes at the heart of our collective conscience: the dispossession of land from Indigenous Australians by early settlers.

While Part I is predominantly set-up, Part II is packs a punch.

British actor Oliver Jackson-Cohen as convict William Thornhill arrives in penal New South Wales and is lucky enough to be assigned to his wife, free settler Sal (Sarah Snook). With their two sons and baby, the family struggles with the harsh surrounds: a rundown, makeshift town, drunkards, corporal punishment, snakes. “It’s no place for kids to be growing up.”

Will works hard as an oarsman transporting supplies on Sydney Harbour and befriending ex-waterman turned free settler Thomas Blackwood (Lachy Hulme). After six years he earns his emancipation which is all the freedom he needs to pursue Blackwood’s idea of a relocation up the Hawkesbury River. There, a new beginning may await them, if they are prepared to leave civilisation behind.

On his first visit to the Hawkesbury, Will is captivated by the Australian setting, despite odd encounters with naked oyster farmer Smasher Sullivan (Tim Minchin) and the haunting, distant fires of Aboriginal tribes. Blackwood assures, it is possible to co-exist. “Give a little, take a little, otherwise you’re dead as a flea,” he advises.

Will convinces Sal to a relocate the family to a parcel of land on the river under a 5 year plan, although she hopes to return the family to London.

“It’s like something out of a dream, Sal,” he tells her.

As he claims the land “before some other bugger does,” Will encounters local Aboriginals passing through. These are curious, if guarded exchanges by both although the children will be far more unfiltered in their expression. As he builds his farm through grit and determination, he will find his sense of ownership challenged in the extreme.

Whilst these characters are fictitious they serve as a microcosm of a larger Australian history, and one that is steeped in blood and shame. Part II of Secret River is a powderkeg of emotion and brutality that makes it unmissable television.

Oliver Jackson-Cohen is outstanding as an outsider coming to grips with his new world. Protective but fair-minded, he is pushed to the limits as a family man. Sarah Snook delivers another fierce performance as a woman who speaks her mind and shows flashes of reconciliation. On occasions I missed some words of dialogue due to their accuracy with accents, notably when under duress.

Meanwhile Lachy Hulme adds gravitas as a mediator between two cultures. Trevor Jamieson as Indigenous elder Greybeard achieves so much with so little dialogue whilst Tim Minchin is suitably unlikeable as the wild, anarchic villain of the story, in all his nakedness. Other roles are played by Sam Johnson, Genevieve Lemon and Rhys Muldoon.

Yet the Hawkesbury River is an allegory of itself: vast, deep, unforgiving. It is evocatively captured by cinematographer Bruce Young, including with drones, and matched with a score by Burkhard Dallwitz.

Secret River is a complex, challenging tale for us as an audience. Part-action, part-social commentary, it has echoes of the colonial miniseries Australia used to produce in the 1970s and -hands down- it’s also the best thing Daina Reid has ever directed. Hold on for Part II.

The Secret River airs 8:30pm Sunday June 14 and 21 on ABC.

April 2015

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 21:59:17 GMT

April 2015

Editing and re-mixing of THE SECRET RIVER score tracks for the soundtrack album which will be released by ABC Classics in 2015.

March 2015

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 21:59:15 GMT

January - February 2015

Recording of the score for THE SECRET RIVER at Oaklands Studios in Melbourne and via 'source connect' in Prague with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. The score was recorded and mixed by Christian Scallan .
Orchestrations and score preparation by: Erkki Veltheim

Violin & Mandolin: Erkki Veltheim
Violin: Lizzy Welsh
Viola: Ceridwen Davies
Cello: Charlotte Jacke
Double Bass: Jon Heilbron
Harp: Yinuo Mu
Flutes & Whistles: John Barrett
Bodhran: Rebecca Simpson
Classical Guitar: David Herzog
Piano and Virtual Instruments: Burkhard Dallwitz

Strings performed by: The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
conducted by: Jan Chalupecký
recorded by: Jan Holzner at Smecky Music Studio, Pragu e
Session Supervision: James Fitzpatrick for Tadlow Music

November 2014

Fri, 31 Oct 2014 21:59:13 GMT

November 2014

Signed on to score the 2 Part ABC Television Mini-Series THE SECRET RIVER produced by Ruby Entertainment.
Currently in post production scoring will take place from November until the end of January 2015.

Based on Kate Grenville’s meticulously researched, Booker nominated bestselling novel of the same title, The Secret River has been adapted into a landmark television mini-series by two of Australia’s most talented and internationally successful screenwriters Jan Sardi (Oscar nominated for Shine)and Mac Gudgeon. Through the deeply personal story of William and Sal Thornhill, early convict colonists in New South Wales, The Secret River dramatises the British colonisation of Australia in microcosm. The dispossession of Indigenous Australians is made comprehensible and ultimately heart-breaking as William Thornhill’s claim over a piece of land he titles ‘Thornhill’s Point’ on the Hawkesbury River brings his family and neighbours into a fight for survival with the traditional custodians of the land they are stealing. William Thornhill is driven by a poverty-fuelled life and a desperate need to provide a safe home for his beloved family in a strange, foreboding land. The Secret River is an epic tragedy in which a good man is compelled by desperation, fear, ambition and love for his family to participate in a crime of inhuman savagery. It allows an audience, two hundred years later, to have a personal insight into the dark heart of this nation’s foundation story. Directed by Daina Reid and produced by Stephen Luby, The Secret River is sure to be a landmark television event.

Cast Starring Oliver Jackson Cohen (Mr Selfridge, Raven, Dracula) and AACTA award winner Sarah Snook (Sisters of War, Not Suitable for Children (with Ryan Kwanten) and the upcoming films Predestination (with Ethan Hawke) and Ghosts. Supported by Tim Minchin, Lachy Hulme, Genevieve Lemon and Trevor Jamieson.

Received the 2014 APRA/AGSC Screen Music Award 'Best Television Theme' for the Title Theme FAT TONY & CO

The awards were held in Sydney on the 12th of November.

October 2014

Tue, 30 Sep 2014 22:59:10 GMT

October 2014

The Title Theme for the TV Series Fat Tony & Co has been nominated in the category of Best Television Theme
in this years Screen Music Awards. The awards will be presented on Wednesday 12 November at the City Recital Hall in Sydney.

September 2014

Mon, 01 Sep 2014 05:23:10 GMT

September 2014

Will be presenting a score composing masterclass at The Big Screen Symposium which takes place in Auckland,
New Zealand on the 27th and 28th of September 2014. For more information click on the link below.

May 2014

Thu, 01 May 2014 05:23:08 GMT

May 2014

2014 St Kilda Film Festival

The Director-Composer Relationship: A Creative Collaboration
Thursday 29 May, 6.30pm

One of the most significant and very interesting relationships in the film world is the one shared by a director and composer. Long time collaborators who have both worked together on Felony, Please Like Me and Noise; Matt Saville and Bryony Marks talk about the secret of their success – what works and what doesn’t. Included in this panel are 2014 SKFF entrants, director Katrina Mathers (The Gallant Captain) and composer Michael Allen (Can You See Them?) who will give us their take on this all-important relationship.

Moderated by Burkhard Dallwitz (The Truman Show, Red Obsession).

Presented by APRA AMCOS

June 2013 - March 2014

Sat, 01 Mar 2014 04:23:07 GMT

June 2013 - March 2014

March 2014

Sony releases the soundtrack to FAT TONY & CO on the 14th of March.

February 2014

FAT TONY & CO premieres on the Nine Network on Sunday the 23rd of February.

First Watch: Graeme Blundell, The Australian

"ONE could hardly call Nine’s Fat Tony & Co restrained, understated or unassuming. This nine-hour series, overlapping with the original Underbelly, tells the real-life story of Australia’s most successful drug dealer, Tony Mokbel. Like Underbelly, it is a corrosive fable of avarice, hubris and violence tracing the rise and fall of a vicious, lethally charming gangster. Its powerful evocation of the sordid world of drug merchants, armed robbers and murderers, while electric to watch, makes Melbourne seem like the most primitive of Darwinian jungles. As one of the pursuing cops said in last week’s feature length opener, “There are no mates in Tony Mokbel’s world.”

As it was with the first Underbelly — still the most effective storytelling of that chronicle — it is still hard to believe that such clear boundaries between criminality and respectability actually existed, and that the transgressive energies of life at the margins were so segregated from mainstream Melbourne. How did these dumb suburban criminals of such medieval ferocity get away with it for so long? In its urgent way, the series does what the best crime fiction does — describes the limits of democracy, the crisis of the judicial system, and the shadowy borders between those who police us and those in the underworld.

The action in the setup episode last week, written by Peter Gawler, who also produces, was skilfully mounted by director Peter Andrikidis and photographed by his long-time collaborator Joe Pickering. It was gracefully choreographed, vividly edited and the burnished photography full of mean-streets visuals worthy of Scorsese’s Goodfellas, vividly setting the style for the series. Fat Tony & Co is mesmerising, not only for the almost brutish displays of Italian and Greek machismo but also the complexity of its convergent style.

Andrikidis’s aesthetic reminded me of Stefano Sollima’s Romanzo Criminale, (on Foxtel’s Showcase), which aesthetically exploits film noir, prison movies, true crime and melodrama; pays homage to The Sopranos; and imaginatively ses the stylistic tropes of the subgenre of early 1970s “tough guy” Italian crime and action movies known as poliziottesco.

As in Goodfellas and Romanzo Criminale the violence is gross, shocking and animalistic but never arbitrary, simply reflecting the corrosive nihilism that infects these characters.

Burkhard Dallwitz’s musical score, eerily echoing Ennio Morricone’s spaghetti westerns for Sergio Leone, works virtually as a Greek chorus. And Gawler again uses the convention of narrator, which will irritate those critics of the Underbellystyle of storytelling who disdain its use — here it’s Stephen Curry’s young cop Jim Coghlan who is integral to the investigation — suggesting it’s a fallback trick for lesser writers, a device to trot out when other more classically visual narrative devices fail.

The narration may be called the informed voiceover: it offers a first-hand view to the inner workings of Mokbel’s psychology, fleshing out his behaviour. It’s cleverly worked here by Curry, his vocal inflections suggesting conversation rather than a written monologue.

I’m locked into the black humour and thrilling visual style of the show. If Gawler and co can be accused of glamorising such despoiled and sociopathic characters, better this than trying to understand them."

January 2014

RED OBSESSION wins the AACTA award for BEST FEATURE LENGTH DOCUMENTARY

October 2014

Receive 2 nominations for the 2013 Screen Music Awards:
Best Music for a Television Series for UNDERBELLY BADNESS
Best Music for a Documentary for RED OBSESSION

Receive an AACTA nomination for RED OBSESSION (best sound for a documentary)

September 2013 – February 2014

Compose the score for the new 9 part TV drama series FAT TONY & CO. Recording and mixing the score will be Chris Scallan @ THE SOFT CENTRE in Melbourne. Musicians will include Achilles Yiangoulli on Bouzouki and Tzoura and Dave Herzog on electric and acoustic guitars.

July 2013 – August 2013

Compose and record the new Title Theme for FAT TONY & CO.

July 2013

Sony releases the soundtrack for UNDERBELLY SQUIZZY on JULY 5th.

UNDERBELLY SQUIZZY premiers on the Nine Network on July 28th

June 2013

Sign on to compose the score to the new 9 part TV drama series FAT TONY & CO for Screentime and the Nine Network.

"From Screentime, the producers of the top rating Underbelly franchise, the nine-part drama Fat Tony & Co will uncover the true story of one of Australia’s most notorious criminals, Tony Mokbel.

On March 19, 2006, Mokbel, said to be Australia’s richest gangster, became Australia’s most wanted man. What followed was an intense manhunt that lasted 18 months and dismantled a drug empire.

A miraculous tip-off to the Australian police revealed that Mokbel was living in Athens, Greece under a false name and documents. But how do you find one man in a population of four million? Fat Tony & Co follows Mokbel from his early beginnings in Melbourne’s underworld to his eventual discovery and arrest in a cafe in Athens.

Other original members of the Underbelly cast set to reprise their roles in the new series include Vince Colosimo as Alphonse Gangitano, Gyton Grantley as Carl Williams, Les Hill as Jason Moran, Madeleine West as Danielle McGuire, Simon Westaway as Mick Gatto, Gerard Kennedy as Graham Kinniburgh, and Kevin Harrington as Lewis Moran.

Fat Tony & Co will also feature Shane Jacobson, Stephen Curry, Debra Byrne, Steve Bastoni, Richard Cawthorne, Simone Kessell, Nicholas Bishop and Hollie Andrew.

Screentime’s Executive Chairman, Des Monaghan, and Head of Drama, Greg Haddrick, will be Executive Producers along with Channel Nine’s joint Heads of Drama, Jo Rooney and Andy Ryan, with Peter Gawler and Elisa Argenzio producing the series. Peter Andrikidis, Andrew Prowse and Karl Zwicky will direct the nine episodes, which will be written by Peter Gawler, Adam Todd, Jeff Truman and Michaeley O’Brien."

March 2012 - April 2013

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 04:23:04 GMT

March 2012 - April 2013

November 2012 – April 2013

Sign on to compose the original score for the new 8 part Television mini-series Underbelly: Squizzy to be produced by Screentime for the Nine network. Composing for the series will start in November 2012 and finish at the end of March 2013. The score will be recorded and mixed by Christian Scallan @ The Soft Centre in Melbourne and feature Dave Herzog on guitars and Ukulele, Erkki Veltheim on Violin and Mandolin and Justin Brady on Harmonica.

Sony Music Australia will be releasing a soundtrack album featuring 9 original score themes.

November 2012

Received the 2012 Screen Music Award for Best Music for a Television Series for Underbelly: Razor.

APRA press release:
BURKHARD DALLWITZ has received the award for Best Music for a Television Series or Serial for Underbelly Razor. Burkhard’s compelling scores for the Underbelly series have been linked in the minds of those who are loyal fans of the series. Another Golden Globe winner, (Burkhard Dallwitz received the Golden Globe in 1999 for his original score for The Truman Show by Peter Weir), his work on Underbelly has struck a chord with judges and has seen him receive four previous Screen Music Awards. Tonight’s honour gives him his fifth Screen Music Award for the Underbelly series.

Article from The Australian: 20.11.2012

(Left) Burkhard Dallwitz and Lisa Gerrard were rewarded for their work at the Screen Music Awards yesterday. Picture: Aaron Francis Source: The Australian
AUSTRALIAN composer Burkhard Dallwitz has no regrets about turning to a life of crime. His five years as the musical mastermind of the Underbelly television series has reaped regular dividends, including four Australian Screen Music Awards. Yesterday Dallwitz, who won a Golden Globe for his score for the feature film The Truman Show in 1999, added another trophy to his collection, taking best music for a television series or serial at the Screen Music Awards in Melbourne for Underbelly: Razor.

"It's always nice to get nominated for one of these awards because they are peer-judged," Dallwitz said. "When you work as a composer you judge other people's work at a very critical level. This is a pat on the back saying what you're doing is OK, or maybe better than OK."
Dallwitz said series such as Underbelly and popular dramas from the US and Britain had lifted the public perception of television as the "poor cousin" of the big screen.
"Underbelly was a game-changer as far as the Australian industry was concerned," Dallwitz said."There was a time when a series completing its first season was considered a success. The quality of television has increased enormously to the point where, when you look at HBO and others, those projects are more interesting than a lot of films."

The Screen Music Awards are presented annually by the Australasian Performing Right Association and the Australian Guild of Screen Composers, and recognise writers for film, television and advertising.
Last night's multiple winner at Melbourne's BMW Edge Theatre was Antony Partos, whose music for ABC drama The Slap took the best television theme and best soundtrack album titles. He also won best music for a miniseries or telemovie for another ABC drama, Mabo.

Also on the winners' podium was Lisa Gerrard, who won feature film score of the year for last year's Australian movie Burning Man. Gerrard, who also has a Golden Globe to her name for the film Gladiator, shares Partos's and Dallwitz's reputation as one of the country's leading composers, although recently she has forsaken that part of her career to tour the globe with her acclaimed band Dead Can Dance.
"You do this work because you are driven by soul and real passion," she said. "Awards like this are a way of showing your family you've achieved something."

October 2012:

Received two nominations for the 2012 Screen Music Awards to be held in Melbourne on the 19th of November.

Best Music for a Television Series or Serial:Underbelly: Razor
Best Soundtrack Album: Underbelly: Razor

Peter Weir & Burkhard Dallwitz talk movie music at Cockatoo

On Saturday October 27 (10 am start) at the inaugural Cockatoo Island Film Festival, screen composer Burkhard Dallwitz and acclaimed Australian filmmaker Peter Weir present an on-stage conversation about film music against the backdrop of their collaboration on Weir’s The Truman Show (1998) and The Way Back (2010), moderated by Andrew L. Urban.
“I was invited to moderate this conversation in the wake of having interviewed Weir on stage at the Cremorne Orpheum at a Q&A following the premiere of The Way Back, and having interviewed Dallwitz about screen composition for APRA,” says Urban. “It’s a coup to get these two highly creative and artistically successful filmmakers together at one time – a scheduling miracle, no doubt. So it’s a rare event and not to be missed.”

Among its many accolades (including three Oscar nominations), The Truman Show won for Best Original Score at the Golden Globes as well as the Chicago Film Critics Association Awards and The Way Back was nominated for two Screen Music Awards.

Dallwitz also has extensive tv credits, ranging from the series CrashBurn to the hit drama series, Underbelly, as well as the Underbelly telemovies.

Weir is an Australian filmmaking icon, having directed films such as Picnic at Hanging Rock, Gallipoli, Dead Poets Society, Witness, Mosquito Coast, Master and Commander and The Last Wave.

September 2012 — October 2012

Sign on to compose the original score together with Sydney composer Amanda Brown for the feature length documentary Red Obsession. The documentary is produced by Warwick Ross and David Roach. Composing will take place from the beginning of September until the middle of October and will be recorded and mixed by Christian Scallan @ The Soft Centre in Melbourne. Red Obsession will have its world premier at the 2013 Berlin International Film Festival. It will also screen in competition at theTribeca Film Festival in New York in April 2013 and the Sydney Film Festival in June 2013.

May 2012 — August 2012

Sign on to compose the original score for the 8 part Television mini-series Underbelly: Badness to be produced by Screentime for the Nine network. Composing will take place from May 2012 until the end of August 2012. The score will be recorded and mixed by Christina Scallan @ The Soft Centre in Melbourne and feature Dave Herzog on guitars and Paul Cartwright on electric bass.

May 2012

Attend the 2012 Song Summit conference in Sydney to participate in a panel discussion with Amanda Brown on composing music for Film and TV

March 2012

Invited to attend the 2012 Aubagne International Film Festival in France for the screening of the European Film Blitzeis directed by Georg Isenmann.

April 2011 - December 2011

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 04:23:03 GMT

April 2011 - December 2011

December 2011

Sony will be releasing a double CD Soundtrack album featuring score themes and songs from the Television Series UNDERBELLY RAZOR in early December.

November 2011

APRA Press Release:"Multiple SCREEN MUSIC AWARDS’ winner BURKHARD DALLWITZ has done it again, this year in the category of BEST MUSIC FOR A MINI-SERIES OR TELEMOVIE for Underbelly Files: Tell Them Lucifer Was Here. Burkhard Dallwitz’ wonderful scores for the acclaimed Underbelly series have seen him win four Screen Music Awards since 2008."

Received 2 nominations at the 2011 Screen Music Awards for THE WAY BACK in the category of 'Feature Film Score of the Year' and for UNDERBELLY FILES: TELL THEM LUCIFER WAS HERE in the category of 'Best Music For A Mini Series or Telemovie'. The awards ceremony will take place in Sydney on the 14th of November.

June - October 2011

Scoring the 13 X 1 hour Television Series UNDERBELLY RAZOR.
The score is being recorded and mixed by Chris Scallan @ The Soft Centre.

Featured musicians include Eki Veltheim on Violin, Dave Herzog on Guitars and Zulya Kamalova on vocals .

UNDERBELLY RAZOR premiers in August on the Nine Network.

HIGHEST RATINGS DRAMA SERIES EVER ON AUSTRALIAN TELEVISION (SOURCE: OZTAM)

Official timeshift figures released today show the premiere episode of Underbelly: Razor had an additional 279,515 viewers, bringing the premiere episode total to 2.794 million viewers.This phenomenal result makes Underbelly: Razor the highest ever drama to have screened since the creation of OzTAM in 2001, eclipsing the old record set by the Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities premiere at 2.582 million viewers.

May 2011

Licensed the music from the first 3 series of UNDERBELLY for usage in the 6 part New Zealand Television Series UNDERBELLY NZ: THE LAND OF THE LONG GREEN CLOUD.

April 2011

Scored the European Short Film BLITZEIS directed by Georg Isenmann and produced by Lang Films Switzerland.

The film premiers at the International Film Festival of Locarno and has been nominated for the 'Pardi di domani' (Leopards of Tomorrow).

Scored a 30 sec TVC for the Ross Partnership. The ad was directed by acclaimed film maker Vincent Ward. Client: Kraft TNCC

December 2010 - March 2011

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 04:23:01 GMT

December 2010 - March 2011

March 2011

Sign on to score "Underbelly: Razor" a 13 x 1 hour series set in Sydney in the 1920's. Scoring will take place between May 2011 – October 2011.

See link for story synopsis and trailer:
http://channelnine.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8214067

February 2011

All the "Underbelly Files" Telemovies are broadcast on the Nine Network over three consecutive Monday nights at 8.30pm.

"The Way Back" opens in Australia on 24th February.

January 2011

"The Way Back" opens on 21st January in the US as well as other European countries (France, Belgium, Spain).
The film receives an Oscar nomination for Best Make-up.

December 2010

Working on the Original Soundtrack album for "The Way Back" to be released by Varese Sarabande Records on January 18, 2011. Remixes, editing and mastering by Christian Scallan @ The Soft Centre recording studios.

"The Way Back" opens on 26th December in the UK.

May 2009 - January 2010

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 04:22:59 GMT

May 2009 - January 2010

January 2010

Intrada is a label producing quality movie and television soundtracks that also features a special series of important limited edition soundtracks. For their “Signature” series, Intrada released a 2-CD set featuring the separate scores of both Burkhard Dallwitz and David Williams for the 2000 Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists science fiction film “Supernova”. The film was directed by Walter Hill, (although he was credited as “Thomas Lee”).
The cast featured James Spader, Angela Bassett, Robert Forster, Lou Diamond Phillips, Peter Facinelli, Robin Tunney and Wilson Cruz.
( see Intrade store for details )

October 2009 – April 2010

Began writing and recording the music for Underbelly (Series 3) “The Golden Mile”. Set in Kings Cross in 1989, “The Golden Mile” follows the characters, the criminals and the police who worked and played together on the most infamous strip in Australia, and leads up to the 1995 Wood Royal Commission into police corruption. It stars Emma Booth & Firass Dirani.
( see Screentime for more information )In October, Underbelly (Series 2) “A Tale of Two Cities” was nominated for “Best Music for a Television Series” at the APRA/AGSC 2009 Screen Music Awards. Also nominated was “False Witness” for “Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie”.

May 2009 – September 2009

Signed up in May to write the score for Peter Weir’s new feature film “The Way Back”. Written and directed by Peter Weir, the film stars Jim Sturgess, Ed Harris, Saoirse Ronan and Colin Farrell. It tells the epic story of seven prisoners who in 1940 escape a Siberian labour camp and walk thousands of miles across Siberia, Mongolia, China and Tibet to freedom in India.

Soloists Slava Grigoryan, Genevieve Lacey, Julie Raines and David Herzog were pre-recorded at Mad Cat Studios in Melbourne. The Sydney Scoring Orchestra was recorded at Trackdown Scoring Stage in Sydney.

The music team included Michael Letho (recording & mixing), Brett Kelly (conducting), Shaun Rigney (orchestration & score preparation) and Emily Rogers Swanson (music editor).
(see Gallery )

July 2008 - April 2009

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 04:22:57 GMT

July 2008 - April 2009

December 2008

Writing and recording the music for "Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities" (series 2). This second series focuses on Australian organized crime in the period 1976 to 1986, and tells the story of "Aussie" Bob Trimbole (Roy Billing), Terry "Mr Asia" Clark (Matthew Newton), and anti drugs campaigner Donald McKay (Andrew McFarlane).
( Read Screentime news on Underbelly )

November 2008

"Underbelly" won two awards at the APRA/AGSC 2008 Screen Music Awards held in Sydney in November. They were for "Best Music for a Television Series" ("Underbelly" Ep.5) and Best Television Theme ("It's a Jungle Out There") (see Gallery ).
The DVD release of "Underbelly" was the highest selling DVD in Australia for 2008. (View Underbelly Review on Screentime )

The opening montage for Network Seven's coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympics also won "Best Opening Montage" at the 2008 Monaco Golden Podium Awards. The score was recorded with a 50-piece orchestra and also featured the Chinese percussion troupe "Red Poppy" (see Gallery ). The Executive Producer was Andy Kay.

False Witness (The Diplomat)

October 2008

Recording took place at Mad Cat Studios for the European feature film "The Interrogation of Harry Wind". (see Gallery ) The score was written largely for a String Quartet and the players were Zoe Black (1st Violin), Susie Ng (2nd Violin), Andrew Jakopanetz (Viola), and Rohan de Korte (Cello). The Orchestrator was Shaun Rigney. The film stars Klaus Maria Brandauer ("Out of Africa", "Mephisto") and Sebastian Koch ("the Lives of Others", "The Black Book") and is due for release in Europe at the end of 2009.

July 2008 - September 2008

Scored the international mini-series "False Witness" produced by Screentime for UKTV. Starring Dougray Scott, Richard Roxburgh, Rachel Blake and Claire Forlani, the espionage thriller was produced by Greg Haddrick and directed by Peter Andrikidis. Loosely based on real events, the story is set in Sydney, London and Tajikistan.
(View False Witness review on Screentime )

August 2007 - June 2008

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 05:22:56 GMT

August 2007 - June 2008

April 2008 – June 2008

Attended the 'Underbelly Music Seminar' in Sydney at Studios 301 with Producer Brenda Pam and Director Tony Tilse. The Seminar was organized by the AGSC and the ADG (see Gallery for photos)

Composing the score for the European Feature Film 'The Interrogation Of Harry Wind'

March 2008

Underbelly Soundtrack is released on the 29th of March and debuts on the V Independent Music Chart at Number 3.

'Underbelly' has been sold throughout the world including the U.K., France, Canada, Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, New Zealand

Producing the music by the Hip Hop Collective 'Group 120' for a 3 Part Documentary Series 'Community Cops' for SBS Television.

February 2008

Editing, mixing and mastering of the Underbelly Title Theme 'It's A Jungle Out There' and the 12 Minute 'Underbelly Suite' for the Underbelly Soundtrack CD to be released by Level Two Music and distributed through Shock Records.

Composed and recorded the '2008 Beijing Olympic Theme' at Trackdown Scoring Stage in Sydney with the Chinese Percussion Group 'Red Poppy' and a 50 piece Orchestra. (see Gallery for all Session photos)

December 2006 - August 2007

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 05:22:54 GMT

December 2006 - August 2007

August 2007

Three tracks from the album 'Terminal Restlessness' are now available for listening from the Audio page.

June 2007

Signed on to compose the score for the Television Mini-Series UNDERBELLY.
Screentime is producing the 13 part mini-series for the Nine Network.
Recording with "South of The River Gospel Choir" at Mad Cat Sound Recording Studios for one of the tracks (The Hours) on the album 'TERMINAL RESTLESSNESS' with arrangements by Musical Director Annemarie Sharry. (see Gallery section for session photos)

Excerpts from the album will be uploaded to the Audio page at the end of July.

May 2007

Signed on to compose the score for the European Feature Film 'THE INTERROGATION OF HARRY WIND" starring Klaus Maria Brandauer (Mephisto, The Russia House, Out Of Africa) and Sebastian Koch ( The Lives of Others, Black Book). The film is now in pre-production and will commence shooting in September. The film will be directed by Pascal Verdosci and produced by Alex Martin.

April 2007

Commenced initial demos for the '2008 BEIJING OLYMPIC THEME' in the form of an Orchestral Suite.
The composition will also feature a percussion ensemble. Details tbc later in the year.

February/March 2007

Continue writing material for the Album 'TERMINAL RESTLESSNESS' with recording taking place at Mad Cat Sound Recording Studios in Melbourne. Sessions featured Julie O'Hara on vocals, Dave Beck on Drums, Jeremy Alsop on Bass and Dave Herzog on Guitars. Recording Engineer was Michael Letho.

January 2007

Compose and record the score to the SBS Documentary 'TWO MUMS AND A DAD'.

December 2006

Compose and record the '2007 AUSTRALIAN OPEN TENNIS THEME' and Incidental Music for the Network Seven Broadcast in January 2007.

February 2006 - October 2006

Sun, 01 Oct 2006 05:22:53 GMT

February 2006 - October 2006

October 2006

Received three nominations in the 2006 APRA/AGSC Screen Music Awards:

THE CATERPILLAR WISH' in the category of Feature Film Score of the Year
'THE CATERPILLAR WISH' in the category of Best Soundtrack Album
'TORINO 2006 WINTER OLYMPICS' in the category of Best Television Theme

The Awards ceremony takes place in Sydney on the 6th of November.

Commenced work on the new Network Seven Sports Theme. First up is the '2006 MELBOURNE CUP THEME'. Recording will take place in Melbourne on the 19th of October at Alan Eaton Studios. This will be followed by the Broadcast Themes for the 2007 Australian Open Tennis Championships and the 2007 AFL Football Season.
Audio Page will be updated with new tracks from ('THE CATERPILLAR WISH', LOVE IN SAIGON' and other projects) by the end of the month.

September 2006

Signed on to score the documentary 'TWO MUMS AND A DAD' for Singing Nomad Productions. The documentary for SBS television will be produced by Sally Ingleton and directed by Miranda Wills. Composing will commence in December with a final mix scheduled for the end of January 2007.

The Documentary 'WELCOME 2 MY DEAF WORLD' received a nomination for Best Documentary at this years AFI Film and Television Awards.

July/August 2006

Composing songs and instrumentals for an album of original music currently titled 'TERMINAL RESTLESSNESS'

Guitar overdubs are being recorded by David Herzog at Supersonic Studios in Melbourne. Additional vocal and instrumental overdubs will be recorded at various stages until the end of the year.

Signed on to score the animated film 'CHAINSAW' by AFI award winning Animator Dennis Tupicoff. The film is being produced by Melbourne based Jungle Pictures. The film goes into production in September with music pre-production scheduled for November 2006 and the final score to be completed by April 2007.

June 2006

The film 'THE CATERPILLAR WISH' premiers on the 5th of June and opens nationally on June 8th. The Original Soundtrack Album for the Film is being released by Shock Records on the 22 of June. (see 'Discography' for details)

May 2006

Meeting with director Pascal Verdosci and producer Alex Martin in Zurich to discuss collaboration on their new film 'THE INTERROGATION OF HARRY WIND' (Das Verhoer des Harry Wind) based on the novel of the same name by Walter Matthias Diggelmann. The film is currently scheduled to start production in 2007.

February/March 2006

Licensed a composition to Paramount Classics for the world wide Trailer to 'ASK THE DUST' a new film written and directed by Robert Towne, produced by Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner and starring Salma Hayek, Collin Farrel and Donald Sutherland. The Film opens in the U.S. on the 10th of March.

'WELCOME 2 MY DEAF WORLD' had its premiere at the 'Real Life On Film" Documentary Festival in Melbourne and was voted 'Most Popular Documentary'.

Edited and remixed music for two Cinema Trailers for the Film 'THE CATERPILLAR WISH' which will be released nationally by Palace Films on the 15th of June ( www.thecaterpillarwish.com ).

A Soundtrack Album is in the works and will be released through Shock Records.

'EINE LIEBE IN SAIGON' (Love In Saigon) a 2 Part Mini-Series will have it's premiere screening on German Broadcaster SAT 1 on the 11th and 12th of April in prime-time.

October 2004 - November 2005

Tue, 01 Nov 2005 04:22:51 GMT

October 2004 - November 2005

November 2005

Attend the "final mix" playback of "The Caterpillar Wish" in Adelaide. The film is mixed by Pete Smith at Boom Sound in Adelaide with Sound Design by Pete Best (Best FX). The Film is scheduled to be released in Australia by Palace Films in 2006.

Commence composing the Channel Seven Theme for the "2006 Winter Olympic Games" to be held in Torino/Italy. Recording and mixing will take place in December.

October 2005

Recording of the score for "The Caterpillar Wish" is taking place at Supersonic Recordings in Melbourne and includes sessions with John Barrett (Alto Flute, Bass Flute, Clarinet) Janice Wong (Cello) Ben Robertson (Double Bass) Dave Beck (Drums) David Herzog (Guitars) Chris Lazzaro (Mandolin) and Dominic McAlinden (Bodhran).
See " Gallery Section " for session photos. The music is recorded and mixed by Michael Letho.

August/September 2005

Commence composing the music score for the Australian Feature Film "The Caterpillar Wish"

July 2005

Signed on to compose the score for the Australian Feature Film 'Caterpillar Wish'. Directed by Sandra Sciberras and produced by Kate Whitbread 'Caterpillar Wish' is an evocative drama which explores the themes of belonging, loss and the need to connect - all through the eyes of 15 year old Emily. The film stars Wendy Hughes, Susie Porter, Victoria Thaine and Philip Quast.

'Caterpillar Wish' is currently shooting in Robe, South Australia.

June 2005

Composed the music for the T.V. Documentary 'WELCOME 2 MY DEAF WORLD' (a.k.a. Deaf School). S.B.S. Television will screen the documentary later this year.

May 2005

Preliminary discussions to compose the score for a new Australian Feature Film that is about to start pre-production. (More news on this project in the coming months)

April 2005

Signed on to compose the score for the 1 hour T.V. Documentary 'Deaf School' which follows the lives of three ordinary teenagers who live in the extraordinary world of the deaf. The Documentary comes from international award winning company 'Singing Nomads Productions' and is produced by Sally Ingleton and directed by Helen Gaynor. Composing will commence towards the end of May for 4 weeks.

February/March 2005

Continue composing the score for the Mini-Series 'A Love In Saigon' with recording and final mixing taking place in Melbourne at the end of March beginning of April. The mini-series is likely to premier at the Munich Film Festival at the end of June before screening on German broadcaster SAT1 in September/October.

January 2005

Commence composing the score for 'A Love In Saigon' with recording for 'Part 1' taking place at Salt Studios at the end of January including 'Erhu' Virtuoso Shen Pangeng.

December 2004

Commence music pre-production on the 2 Part Mini-Series 'A Love In Saigon'. Complete work on various T.V. Commercials.

November 2004

Won the 2004 APRA-AGSC Screen Music Award "Best Music For A Television Series" for CrashBurn.

The premiere of 'Anja's Angel' takes place on the 26th of November in Emmen/Switzerland

October 2004

Commence composing the score for 'Anja's Angel' with recording and mixing taking place in early November.

Received 2 nominations at the 2004 APRA-AGSC Screen Music Awards.

'Best Music for a Television Series or Serial' (Crashburn) and 'Best Television Theme' (Crashburn). The awards will be announced in Sydney on Monday 1 November.

August 2003 - August 2004

Thu, 08 Jan 2004 04:22:48 GMT

August 2003 - August 2004

August 2004

Travelled to Vietnam to meet up with the Producer and Director of 'Love in Saigon'. Spent a couple of interesting days on the set in Saigon as the Mini-Series wrapped shooting.

Broadcasts of the Athens Olympic theme commence on Network Seven and SBS.

June 2004

Signed on to compose the original score for the German T.V. Mini Series "A LOVE IN SAIGON" (2x90 Min.) to be directed by Uwe Janson and produced by AllMedia Pictures for German Broadcaster SAT 1. Production started in South Africa on the 25th of May and concludes in Vietnam at the end of July.

Commenced pre-records and composition of music themes for "ANJA'S ANGEL"

May 2004

Signed on to compose the original score for the European Film "ANJA'S ANGEL" by first time Swiss writer/director Pascal Verdosci. The film is produced by Rudolf Santschi for Triluna Film AG and starts production in Switzerland on June 14th.

March 2004

Digital transfer/edit and re-mastering of the original music score for the 1996 Australian Sci-fi Feature Film " Zone 39" due to the reassignment of all copyrights to the composer.
Licensing and publishing inquiries are welcome.

February 2004

Completion of Athens 2004 Olympic Theme.

Final Mixes were completed by Engineer Michael Letho at his new Studio Facility in Melbourne. Recordings took place in December 2003 in Sydney and Melbourne and involved a total of 138 musicians. A 51 piece Orchestra including members of the Sydney Symphony were conducted by Daryl McKenzie and recorded at Studios 301.

40 members of the Australian Girls Choir and 40 “changed voices” of the National Boys Choir as well as a boy soprano were conducted by Mark Puddy and recorded at Allan Eaton Studio. Six solo musicians including John Barrett on (Duduk), David Herzog (acoustic and electric guitars), Darryn Farrugia (Drums), Jeremy Alsop (Bass), Elvis Aljus (percussion) and Chris Lazzaro (mandolin) were recorded at Salt Studios.

January 2004

Robert Bell is working on a trance version of the Athens 2004 Olympic theme at his Studio in Fitzroy.

December 2003

German TV crew films interview/story for the TV show “Hallo Deutschland” to be broadcast on the German ZDF Television Network in 2004. Produced and directed by Uli Schmidt.
Commence recordings for Athens 2004 Olympic theme.

September 2003

Radio interviews to promote the Soundtrack CD for the TV Series CrashBurn currently screening on the Ten Network.
ABC Radio 774: “The Afternoon Show with Lynne Haultain”
RRR Radio 102.7: “Love your work with Fiona Parker”
3CR Radio: “Media Moves Cinema Scene”

August 2003

CrashBurn starts screening on Monday Nights at 8.30pm on the Ten Network.
CrashBurn is a 13X1hour Drama Series created by Andrew Knight and Deb Cox.
Liberation Records releases the Soundtrack CD for CrashBurn.
Commence composing Athens 2004 Olympic Theme.

Burkhard Dallwitz Soundtracks - Home

February 2026

'The Goddess' Silent Film/Live Score Performance 20th February at Fed Square 8pm

February 2025

February 2025

﻿

February 2025

February 2025

December 2024

December 2024

September 2024

September 2024

May 2024

May 2024

My original soundtrack to the animated film “Travels On My Donkey’ (2024) by Lee Whitmore will be released on all streaming platforms on Friday June 7th.

March 2024

New Analogue Hardware - Prophet 6

December 2023

December 2023

September 2023

21st September 2023

September 2023

20th September 2023

September 2023

13th September 2023

August 2023

August 2023

June 2023

June 2023

March 2023

March 2023

August 2022

August 2022

March 2022

March 2022

January 2022

January 2022

December 2021

December 2021

October 2021

October 2021

September 2021

september 2021

June 2021

June 2021

March 2021

March 2021

March 2021

January 2021

January 2021

August 2020

August 2020

June 2020

J une 2020

April 2020

April 2020

April 2020

January 2020

January 2020

December 2019

December 2019

October 2019

October 2019

October 2019

September 2019

September 2019

September 2019

September 2019

August 2019

August 2019

July 2019

July 2019

March 2019

March 2019

January 2019

January 2019

November 2018

November 2018

October 2018

October 2018

August 2016