Heinz Kiessling

Born in 1926, German composer Heinz Kiessling is best remembered for his work as a TV and film composer. Kiessling began his musical career at the Nuremberg Conservatory, where he studied the piano as well as composition and conducting. His career started in earnest in 1949, when he began touring and performing concerts around the world. It was during this time that he started and led his own orchestra and began working on recorded pieces for television. Kiessling, along with pianist Werner Tautz, began their own big-band label called RIAS Big Band. Through this, he worked with a vast array of musical legends such as Chet Baker, Caterina Valente, Luis Bonfá, and many more, but it was only when he composed the theme for popular German TV show Die Peter Alexandra that he achieved recognition. This led to work on numerous TV and film projects. During his long and rewarding career, he composed nearly 1,200 pieces, which led him to become one of the most successful and popular German composers of all time. His diverse and intriguing work was soon discovered by curious crate-diggers and library music enthusiasts worldwide. Kiessling died in December 2003.
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