Australian actor Cate Blanchett has given insight into her somewhat unconventional music taste, naming Berlin’s Einstürzende Neubauten as her favourite band in a recent interview. The Melbourne-born Academy Award-winner made the admission in a discussion with Los Angeles Philharmonic director Gustavo Dudamel and TÁR director Todd Field.
TÁR, which began screening locally in January, received several Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director (for Field), and Best Actress (for Blanchett). Blanchett portrays orchestra conductor Lydia Tár, who is accused of sexual abuse.
Cate Blanchett on Einstürzende Neubauten: “Silence is sexy”
“Which are your musical heroes, by the way, Cate?” Dudamel asked at the event in front of a live audience. Blanchett replied, “There’s a German band – I actually think they might have disbanded now – called Einstürzende Neubauten.”
Blanchett pronounced the name in perfect German, though was off the mark in suggesting Neubauten are no longer together. The band, led by long-time Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds member Blixa Bargeld, released its latest album, ALLES IN ALLEM, in 2020. A message on their website indicates they are currently working on a follow-up.
“Of course that’s your favourite band,” Field said in response to Blanchett’s seemingly obscure choice. “None of us know that band, and now they’re disbanded, but how special.”
Blanchett named ALLES IN ALLEM as “a great album of theirs,” and mentioned one of Neubauten’s earlier works. “They also have a great album called Silence Is Sexy, which is really good,” she said. “So I’ve been listening to them a little bit, because silence is sexy.”
Dudamel asked if Blanchett had any other musical heroes, and she explained that the human voice affects her more than anything else. “I’m obviously moved by the cello because I think of its approximation to the human voice, and it’s the human voice I’m always so moved by,” she said.
Blanchett said she’s fascinated by Nathalie Stutzmann, conductor, contralto and the new music director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and admires singers Kathleen Ferrier and Joan Sutherland. “I love church music, I love choral music,” she added. “So ‘St. Matthew Passion’ and Bach’s ‘Mass in B minor’.”
Further Reading
Massive Attack Have Warped Cate Blanchett’s Face In Their New Music Video
Nick Cave Labels AI-Generated Songs “A Grotesque Mockery Of What It Is To Be Human”
Slipknot Fan Margot Robbie Politely Schools Cate Blanchett About Metal
