Over 2 hours of production music condensed down to 12 and 1/2 minutes
A wholly new construction, a re-synthesis, not a cast recording.
A distillation of the show’s most volatile moments.
Inspired loosely by E.T.A. Hoffmann’s tale, the album follows Nathaniel’s descent into obsession and madness using sound the way choreography uses the body: to collapse, escalate, distort, fracture.
The music fuses
Late-Romantic Epic Kitsch
Mainroom & Hip-Hop
Jagged Hyperpop
Synthwave/Horror/
Live band and vocal performance pulled from the original production
TRACKLIST
1 OPEN WIDE
2 SUMMON ME
3 LOOK WHAT YOU DID
4 ALL EYES ON ME
5 CRASH OUT
6 CHAINED TO THE BODY
Artistic Notes
The album mirrors the logic of Nathanel’s nightmares: obsession, dark magic, ecstatic collapse.
Genres are filtered through the lens of these nightmares
Movement was central to the creation of the material — dancers shaped timing, tension, and pacing.
The production’s staging and physical vocabulary informed the album’s structure more than traditional compositional arcs.
Refuses purity, embraces collision, excess, and emotional saturation.
Origin & Context
Premiere: Staatstheater Cottbus, Winter 2024
Production Team: Directed by Philipp Rosendahl, Choreography & Co-Direction by Alessia Ruffolo, Original Composition by Marshall and Kellen McDaniel, Stage and Lighting By Mara Madeleine Pieler, Costumes by Johann Brigitte Schima, Dramaturgy by Fransizka Benack
Development: 1 year pre-production, built during rehearsals, workshops with dancers, and many late-night production sessions in Cottbus.
This album represents the version of Der Sandmann that could not exist onstage — the internal, amplified, distorted world living inside the performance.
Listen + Materials
Album Listening Link (Private/Unlisted): https://s.disco.ac/nixfbwhwjxbo
McDaniel Brothers Press Photos: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/o28nlx7ltfqsyevmrymzo/AJs5hoiXM17D6jy4LcxDFwU?rlkey=1b68a4x6jqcfyvqa1mryki2ls&dl=0
Production Photos: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/b94r69n24dtv2htqif7mu/AL1hXDggiM5Fm6rSlMTqN24?rlkey=vuf7n5ccgws2ge01scofu8s3c&dl=0
Short video clip: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/80cm586zuiute42d7hhbu/Der-Sandmann-Theatrical-Trailer.mp4?rlkey=5w687m91uqwonb55m3u80zfqk&dl=0
The McDaniel Brothers
The McDaniel Brothers are a composer/producer combining their classical roots with a deep love for all things Genre. Raised in a Californian outdoor theater and later in the conservatories of Europe, they create work that’s theatrical, abrasive, and emotionally maximalist. Their projects often merge live musicians, electronics, movement, and amplified storytelling, blurring the borders between stage work, concert, and ritual.
Contact
Email: marshmcdan@gmail.com kellenmcdaniel@gmail.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3VQBZX01M7O1B9Wcr6a2B8?si=AysUlibUTvyCrZjx33SX0A
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themcdanielbrothers/
Website: https://www.mcdanielbrothers.com/
Location: Den Haag, The Netherlands