Joachim Fleischhacker

Composer and keyboarder

Austria

Author

About

Joachim Fleischhacker is a 21 year old composer from Vienna, and keyboarder for the band Perfumed Garden. He started composing music in 2013, and entered the Vienna University for Music and Performing Arts in 2019. He’s studying composition and music theory.

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Interview

What does music mean to you personally?

To me, music is the superpower of the arts: it travels the fastest, it reaches the furthest and touches people the deepest. It doesn't matter what or how you want to express something, try it with music!

Do you agree that music is all about fantasy?

I disagree! Music will be anything, and that means it can also be very realistic, and down to earth. When I sing and play with my family and friends, thats a fantastic experience - but the music is so immediate and real, more like extacy than fantasy! When composing, imagination and association is what turns tones and rhythms into voices and movements. That's where the magic happens for me.

If you were not a professional musician, what would you have been?

A visual artist, or a teacher.

The classical music audience is getting old, are you worried about the future?

I am worried, but also trying to do something about it. It's important to me that classical music loses its image as an elite art form. Music is for everyone, and should not only aim at perfection and glory - that scares people! So humanizing the great composers of the past, and showing that their music is a joy to play for anyone who works on it, is important for me.

What do you envision the role of music to be in the 21st century? Do you see that there is a transformation of this role?

We are witnessing an age of memes - people want to transform content, participate in artistic projects and engage with performers. This is exactly what music has been in the 18th century, and i am hopeful that a golden age of music is coming. It wont be what we expect! I think in the 21. century, artists and audience bear the burden of a vast historical perspective - so much information of music in the past can feel overwhelming. That's why i always look for inspiration in what's popular and new, and never ignore or neglect a style that might seem simple at first. There is everything to learn about the popular music of today, if one's mind is open for it. Being true to my own taste is all that i need to be original!

Do you think we as musicians can do something to attract the younger generation to music concerts? How would you do this?

Take the opinions of the young generations very serious, and respect their taste: then they will be open for something new (or old).

Tell us about your creative process. What is your favourite piece (written by you) and how did you start working on it?

I'm working mostly on the computer, that's where i spent alot of time in my childhood playing games. The infinity possibilities of a digital workflow can be scary, but the speed and convenience that it brings to composing is exactly what i need. I also compose directly at the piano, which can feel like working out a choreography more than writing a script. I don't have a favorite piece of mine, it's often little unfinished bits or melodic fragments that i hold close to my heart, and hope to develop one day - for "Desert Ruin" the initial melodic idea came into my head during class when i was in 12th grade (biology i think). Once the idea starts rolling, it's like solving a crime - you follow the hints!

Can you give some advice for young people who want to discover classical music for themselves?

Listen to Mozart - he's the most fun composer, with the youngest spirit in my opinion. "Ein Musikalischer Spaß" can help if you feel classical music is always too serious!

Do you think about the audience when composing?

Sometimes I want to communicate something to the audience directly, sometimes I want them to figure it out by themselves.

What projects are coming up? Do you experiment in your projects?

I avoid large scale projects until the oppurtunity or inspiration strikes. I am more drawn to miniatures. I am hoping to write for string quartet soon, as that is definitly my favourite canvas! My latest experiment was the "Suite after EDM Genres", in which i try to merge contemporary classical piano sound with electronic dance music. Clashes of "extremes" and playing with expectations is my favourite kind of experiment.