Diego Baldenweg with Nora Baldenweg and Lionel Baldenweg

Diego Baldenweg with Nora Baldenweg and Lionel Baldenweg is the Swiss/Australian composer trio sometimes referred to as the Baldenweg siblings. In the field of advertising they are also firming as Great Garbo (stylised in all caps).

Career

The three siblings Diego Baldenweg, Lionel Baldenweg, and Nora Baldenweg work together as a team: Diego Baldenweg (composer); Nora Baldenweg (co-composer); and Lionel Baldenweg (co-composer). Together they founded the music production company GREAT GARBO in 2004. Since then the siblings have composed and produced the music to over 300 international advertising campaigns for brands such as Carlsberg, Mastercard, Nivea, Sony, Switzerland Tourism and Dove.

They have composed music for many films such as Otfried Preußler's bestselling children's book adaptation The Little Witch starring Karoline Herfurth; the film La femme et le TGV starring Jane Birkin, Til Schweiger's US remake of his German film Head Full of Honey, starring Nick Nolte, Matt Dillon and Emily Mortimer and for Robert Lorenz's In the Land of Saints and Sinners starring Liam Neeson, Kerry Condon, Ciarán Hinds, Colm Meaney and Jack Gleeson.

In 2019 they composed the entire original score to the Australian teenage sci-fi series The Unlisted (ABC/Netflix), created by Justine Flynn and produced by Polly Staniford and Angie Fielder. They also produced, arranged and performed a remake of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall" for the opening theme.

The Baldenweg siblings have worked with orchestras like the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, Macedonian Radio Symphony Orchestra and The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. Other notable collaborations include their work with American conductor David Zinman and the Tonhalle Orchestra for their score to "180°" and with British-Irish violinist Daniel Hope and the Zurich Chamber Orchestra for their score to "The Reformer Zwingli". In 2021 they composed 'Eye to the World - Zurich Film Festival Suite' which was recorded with conductor Paavo Järvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich and since serves as the official music for the Zurich Film Festival.

The Baldenwegs are voting members of the Society of Composers and Lyricists, Alliance for Women Film Composers (Nora), Art Directors Club, Swiss Film Academy, European Film Academy, Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts, Swiss Media Composers Association, Australian Guild of Screen Composers. and the World Soundtrack Academy.

Style

Diego Baldenweg, Lionel Baldenweg, and Nora Baldenweg's musical range moves within classic orchestral, subtle electronics and lyrical/non-lyrical vocals. Their production company logo depicts a "wheelie" garbage bin, and its name puns on Greta Garbo and a Garbo which is an Australian slang term for waste collector.

Recognition

They were the first Swiss composers to be nominated for the World Soundtrack Awards in 2019 (Public Choice) and 2024 (Discovery of the Year and Public Choice) and to be nominated twice for "Score of the Year" at the Movie Music UK Awards in 2019 and 2024.

They were the second Australian composers ever (besides Nick Cave / Warren Ellis) to be nominated for the World Soundtrack Awards (Discovery of the Year and Public Choice) in 2024.

Members

Besides her career in music, Nora Baldenweg simultaneously held positions in fashion publishing as editor-at-large/Paris director (Russh), editor-at-large/Paris director/senior editor (Indie), editor-at-large/fashion features director (Material Girl) and was a contributing writer for Vogue Taiwan, Nylon, Dazed Digital and Wallpaper.

In May 2014 she relaunched the Paris-based magazine Modzik as editor-in-chief. In May 2017 she became editor-in-chief of UK-based magazine Lula. Since 2017 she works as a creative director (fashion) for various brands.

Films (selection)

Television (selection)

Awards and nominations

• 2006 – Winner «Best Music» EDI Awards (Federal Department of Home Affairs) – "KUONI"
• 2006 – Winner «Best Music» EDI Awards (Federal Department of Home Affairs) – "Love Life – Stop Aids (Federal Office of Public Health)"
• 2010 – Winner «Best Film Music» Suisa Prize Locarno International Film Festival – "180°"
• 2011 – Nomination «Best Film Music» Swiss Film Award – "180°"
• 2014 – Shortlist «Best Music» Art Directors Club Switzerland – "SONY"
• 2015 – Shortlist «Best Music» Art Directors Club Switzerland – "SWISS LIFE"
• 2017 – Finalist «Best Short Film Score» Music + Sound Awards (International) - "La Femme et le TGV"
• 2018 – Finalist «Best Feature Film Score» Music + Sound Awards (International) - "The Final Touch / Die letzte Pointe"
• 2018 – Winner «Best Film Music» Swiss Film Award – '
• 2019 – Nomination «Best Score of the Year» World Soundtrack Awards (Public Choice) – "The Reformer Zwingli"
• 2019 – Nomination «Best Original Music in TV» Australian Academy Award – AACTA – "The Unlisted"
• 2020 – Nomination «Score of the Year» and «Best Original Score for a Drama Film» Movie Music UK Awards – "The Reformer Zwingli"
• 2020 – Nomination «Best Original Music in TV» Australian Academy Award – AACTA – "Itch (TV series)"
• 2021 – Winner «ADC Bronze for Best Music» Art Directors Club Switzerland – "Swiss Film Award"
• 2021 – Finalist «Best Original Composition in Branding» Music + Sound Awards (International) - "Swiss Film Award"
• 2021 – Winner «Prix de la Meilleure Musique Originale» Festival International du Film Indépendant de Bordeaux, France – "The Life Underground"
• 2021 – Winner «Composer of the Year - Outstanding Achievements in Film Music» 46th "Prix Walo"
• 2022 – Winner «Gold: Best Supplier Services», Xaver Award for Excellence in Live Communications, Switzerland - Audio Branding: "Swiss Film Award"
• 2022 – Finalist «Best Original Composition in Branding», Music + Sound Awards (International), United Kingdom - Audio Branding: "Zurich Film Festival"
• 2022 – Finalist «Best Original Composition in a Short Film», Music + Sound Awards (International), United Kingdom - Film: "The Life Underground"
• 2022 – Nomination «Best Original Music in TV», Australian Academy Award - AACTA, Australia - TV Series: Born to Spy
• 2022 – Winner «Bronze: Film & Audio Craft - Music and Sound», ADC Europe Awards, Spain - Audio Branding: "Zurich Film Festival"
• 2023 – Finalist «Best Original Composition in Branding», Music + Sound Awards (International), United Kingdom - Champagne Symphony: "KRUG Champagne"
• 2023 – Finalist «Best Artist + Brand Collaboration», Music + Sound Awards (International), United Kingdom - KRUG X BALDENWEG: "KRUG Champagne"
• 2024 – Nomination «Best Original Score for a Thriller/Horror Film» Movie Music UK Awards – "In the Land of Saints and Sinners"
• 2024 – Nomination «Score of the Year» Movie Music UK Awards – "In the Land of Saints and Sinners"
• 2024 – Nomination «Discovery of the Year» World Soundtrack Awards – "In the Land of Saints and Sinners"
• 2024 – Nomination «Public Choice: Score of the Year» World Soundtrack Awards – "In the Land of Saints and Sinners"
• 2024 – Nomination «Best Original Score in an Independent Film» Hollywood Music in Media – "In the Land of Saints and Sinners"
• 2024 – Co-Winner «Best Original Score in 2024» On the Score Awards – "In the Land of Saints and Sinners"
• 2024 – Winner «Best Original Score in a Drama» Movie Music International Awards – "In the Land of Saints and Sinners"