“Conductor Franz Bader” & Exclusive Interview” Augsburg
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Schlagzeilen – Headlines of “Conductor Franz Bader” & Exclusive Interview” Augsburg
Franz Bader
Interview with Mr. Bader – Orchestral Conductor and Arranger
Hello Mr. Bader
Hello Mrs. Panhans
Thank you very much four comming here to visit me.
Interviewer: You’ve had an impressive journey with orchestral music, especially in bringing video game and film music
to the stage. How did it all start?
Mr. Bader: It began when I was conducting a youth orchestra, and some of the young musicians asked if we could play
music from video games. I told them, “Sure, if you can get me the sheet music.” But then I realized—it doesn’t exist.
I contacted publishers, searched the internet, but nothing was available. So, I told them, “I’m sorry, I can’t find any material,
but I’ll try writing to the studios.”
Interviewer: Did the studios respond?
Mr. Bader: I reached out to about 30 studios that produced these video games. From those, only two responded,
and both said, “We can’t provide such material.” That was quite disappointing.
Interviewer: So, what did you do then?
Mr. Bader: Since I’ve always arranged music for young musicians, I thought, let’s give it a try. I picked a simple piece
from a game, listened to the recordings, and wrote it down myself. Eventually, one piece was finished,
and we said: “Let’s do a concert.”
Interviewer: Which game was it?
Mr. Bader: One of the first was “Angry Birds.” I’m sure you know it—little pigs and birds shooting at each other.
We performed it in a concert, and it was a huge success!
Interviewer: That’s fantastic!
How did it continue?
Mr. Bader: I got the taste for it and arranged more pieces. During the holidays, I had more time,
and after the break, I already had three pieces arranged. I asked the orchestra if they’d be interested in doing
a whole concert just with video game music. They were thrilled. Of course, I had to convince the board members,
who were a bit older, but I explained the concept.
Interviewer: Did you collaborate with other musicians?
Mr. Bader: Yes, a student from the orchestra was in a university choir in Augsburg and asked
his conductor if they’d be interested. The choir director was open to trying new things.
After their first rehearsal, he called me and said, “I’ve never seen such enthusiasm and participation
in my 15 years of directing this choir.”
Interviewer: So the first big concert happened at the University of Augsburg?
Mr. Bader: Yes, and it was sold out even before the official ticket sale started because the students
were already swapping tickets amongst themselves. That’s how it all started. Later, I arranged concerts
with my youth orchestra and then thought, if it works so well, why not with professional orchestras?
I took the risk, hired a symphony orchestra, and organized concerts in Leipzig, Dresden, and Augsburg.
Interviewer: And then came the collaboration with a concert promoter?
Mr. Bader: Exactly. A concert promoter noticed what we were doing and invited me to his office in Munich.
Around that time, a certain American streaming service—JBO—was airing the 4th or 5th season of a very
popular series, which was creating a huge hype.
Interviewer: Did you use that series’ music for concerts?
Mr. Bader: I tried, but the music was so slow-paced that I thought audiences might fall asleep.
However, I later discovered that a German conductor in the US was doing a concert tour with that music,
but with big Japanese Taiko drums added. That gave it a lot of energy. I incorporated that idea and put
together a concert program. The promoter liked it, and within a month, we had our first
concert booked at the Meistersingerhalle in Nuremberg.
Interviewer: How did it go?
Mr. Bader: During the intermission of that very first concert, the promoter came to me and said,
“This works! Next year we’ll do dozens of concerts.” That’s how it took off. Over time, it expanded
to many more concerts—until the pandemic hit, which was a major setback.
Only now, three to four years later, is it slowly picking up again.
Interviewer: Game of Thrones—is that your personal favorite?
Mr. Bader: Not necessarily. It was just the first step. I’ve only seen bits of the series where music
was involved, but the music itself is fantastic and has great potential.
Interviewer: Do you also perform Disney music?
Mr. Bader: Yes, absolutely. For that, I work with two soloists—a male and a female vocalist.
We do songs like “Beauty and the Beast,” “Frozen,” and put together beautiful Disney programs.
Interviewer: You were in the Brunnenhof in August, right? With a John Williams and Hans Zimmer program?
Mr. Bader: Yes, that’s correct.
Interviewer: It rained quite heavily that evening.
Mr. Bader: Thankfully, we were under a roof. Instruments can’t handle rain, but the audience sat there bravely
in their rain ponchos until the very end.
Interviewer: The atmosphere was grand. I was there, took recordings, and wrote about it. What you delivered
with the orchestra that evening was sensational.
Mr. Bader: Thank you!
Interviewer: Was it very loud under the stage roof when the rain was pouring down?
Mr. Bader: You could hear it, but I’m so focused on other things that I hardly notice it.
Interviewer: What’s your favorite genre?
Mr. Bader: Orchestral music in general—classical symphonies by Bruckner, Mahler, Beethoven.
The orchestral sound captivates me, and video game and film music use this instrumentarium in a wonderful way.
Many films become truly iconic because of their music. A good example is Star Wars.
The composer was nominated for an Oscar over 50 times. Without that music, the spaceship wouldn’t fly.
Interviewer: Did you grow up in a musical family?
Mr. Bader: Yes and no. Music was always played in the family, but not professionally.
My mother played guitar and accordion, my grandfather
played the cello, and my great-grandfather played the zither. I grew up in a boarding school because my parents
ran a business. There was a wind orchestra at the school, and that’s how I got into music.
Interviewer: Did you ever consider another profession?
Mr. Bader: Possibly. Plan B was architecture. After my Abitur, I qualified for architecture studies but also wanted
to pursue music. I did my military service in a music corps, which was pleasant. Afterward, I thought, if I start architecture,
I might not be able to return to music. So, I decided to try music first, and if it didn’t work, I could always switch
to architecture. But I stayed with music.
Interviewer: We’re all very glad you did! With how many orchestras have you worked?
Mr. Bader: It varies. The promoter hires the orchestras, often from Prague. The ensembles change,
but over the years, you meet familiar faces who have been there from the beginning. It’s a typical fluctuation.
Interviewer: Have you ever toured internationally?
Mr. Bader: No, not really. The farthest I’ve gone is Austria.
Interviewer: Still, that’s wonderful!
Mr. Bader: It depends on the promoters. Shipping an orchestra overseas is incredibly expensive.
Flights, accommodations for 50 people—it’s not feasible with ticket sales alone. City and state orchestras
are subsidized, but private entrepreneurs have to cover 100% of the costs, plus profit.
Interviewer: That’s a major economic challenge.
Mr. Bader: Exactly. Post-pandemic, it’s tough because the gap between ticket prices and what people
can afford is growing wider.
Interviewer: Do you have children?
Mr. Bader: Yes, two daughters. One of them became a singer.
Interviewer: That’s wonderful. Has she ever performed with you?
Mr. Bader: Yes, when she was 16, we did our first concert together at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig with
video game music.
Interviewer: Do you get stage fright before a concert?
Mr. Bader: As a conductor, not really. It’s more a feeling of joyful anticipation. You walk in, the orchestra looks to you,
the audience waits—it’s a nice situation.
Interviewer: Do you have a pre-concert ritual?
Mr. Bader: About an hour before, I lie down for 20 minutes to recharge. Travel, rehearsals—it’s all quite exhausting,
so that short rest helps a lot.
Interviewer: What has been your greatest musical event?
Mr. Bader: All these orchestral concerts are grand in their own way. Imagine 50-60 musicians, sometimes with a choir
of 100 or more people. It’s an impressive sight. Of course, venues like the Brunnenhof have limitations, so there we were
around 55 musicians without a choir.
Interviewer: That’s amazing! I didn’t know there were so many people on stage!
Mr. Bader: Sometimes, yes. It depends on the venue and the program.
Interviewer: Thank you, Mr. Bader, for sharing your story with us.
Mr. Bader: My pleasure!
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