Biography

Photo by Remy Boudet

Since Klaus' large-scale score to "Pirates of the Caribbean" defined the franchise and brought him worldwide mass attention, he continues to write for major motion pictures with top-names like Wolfgang Petersen, Michael Mann, Richard Donner, Francis Lawrence and Harvey Weinstein.

But also, Klaus used the time to define his very own profile independent of glamour and biz. "Some of my favorite works are maybe the more independent films, maybe even the lesser known", he says. His heart beats for telling a beautiful story, caring for the character onscreen, stealing you away for 90 minutes. "If you come out of the theater inspired, feeling your life has changed even slightly, I couldn't have done better", he adds.

Besides the major studios, he has steadily been building relationships with independent filmmakers. Two films with Werner Herzog, five months in China writing for Chen Kaige ("Farewell my Concubine"). Klaus likes to be where the filmmakers are, being one of them. So he moved one of his studios temporarily to Beijing, travelled the provinces, got inspired by ancient songs, instruments and dances. Then to London, writing for John Madden ("Shakespeare in Love").

In addition to his home and main studios in Santa Monica, he maintains personal studios in Europe (Paris) and Asia (Beijing), to be always close to the filmmakers. Klaus is "in love with experimenting, breaking out of the ordinary. Nothing is more boring to me than repeating myself."

China is embracing this approach. The 2008 Beijing Olympics invited him as the only western composer for the closing ceremonies. And the ancient capital Xi'an commissioned him to write the "Terracotta Warriors" opera about emperor Qin, to premiere in 2010 at the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site’s monumental new development.

Further west, with "Le Petit Nicolas" Klaus was trusted a french national icon. The humorous stories around the adventures of the 9 year old boy in the nostalgic 1950's sold 10 million books in over 30 countries. In 2009 it was adapted to film for the first time ever. "I loved centering the storytelling around Nicolas' own experience, revealing our flawed adult interpretation of this world." Heart-warming, tender stories like these are one of Klaus' passions. His inspiration is fueled by contrasting projects. "It's not about music itself", he concludes. "I see myself as a filmmaker. I just happen to write music".