Peer Raben

Full biography Peer Raben

Peer Raben was a German composer, songwriter, and music producer known for his innovative and evocative film scores, particularly those he created in collaboration with the legendary German filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Raben was born on August 16, 1940, in Munich, Germany, and began his career as a musician in the mid-1960s, working as a keyboardist and guitarist for various rock and pop bands.

In the early 1970s, Raben began collaborating with Fassbinder and quickly gained a reputation for his ability to create stirring and atmospheric music that perfectly complemented the director's provocative and emotionally charged films. Over the course of his career, Raben worked on more than 30 film projects, including some of Fassbinder's most celebrated titles, such as "Ali: Fear Eats the Soul," "The Marriage of Maria Braun," and "Lola."

Raben's compositions were often characterized by their moody, brooding tone and sparse instrumentation, which frequently included haunting melodies played on a solo piano or a solitary guitar. However, he was also capable of crafting more complex and varied scores that incorporated elements of jazz, pop, rock, and classical music, and which effectively captured the complex emotional landscape of the films he worked on.

In addition to his work in film, Raben also released several albums of original music, including the experimental electronic album "Peep" (1979) and the hauntingly beautiful song cycle "Die Ballade von der sexuellen Hörigkeit" (1974), which he recorded with the German vocalist Esther Ofarim. Raben continued to work as a composer and producer until his death from cancer on January 21, 2007, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire and move audiences around the world.