PHOTO BY SHELLY SCHOENESHOEFER
HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF
Hans Zimmer?
by Shelly Schoeneshoefer
Hans Zimmer’ s tour group hit Hamburg like a sonic wave on the twenty-sixth and twentyseventh of October this year, producing a most memorable concert for enthusiastic audiences. Hans Zimmer has shown once again why he is one of the most influential film composers in the world. It was quite a surprise, then, to see this great composer come out to the center of the stage with an apology. Hans Zimmer made it clear that, although he was born in Frankfurt in 1957, his German language skills are not up to par. He further explained that he had attempted but failed at several German educational institutions before he decided to try his luck in England. He surprised us further with compositions that were extremely different from one another and wildly contemporary.
Clearly, he was having as much fun as we were having. He laughed as we heard his nine versions of the theme song to the film Gladiator. He graciously introduced and thanked each one of the various musicians who were on stage with him. He used innovative technology to produce a visual show to match one artistic instillation after another while musicians moved across the stage. We enjoyed music from the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Sherlock Holmes, and The Lion King, just to name a few. At one point, he sat down and told us the emotional story of the idea behind the musical composition for the film
Interstellar. It was enough to bring tears to my eyes when the piece was performed. It is hard to imagine how many musical scores he has written, and if you ever have the opportunity to see him in concert, you certainly will not be disappointed. Not only will you enjoy the concert, but you will meet a true musical genius and hear the inspirational stories behind his music.
CURRENTS 15