Throughout his career, Hans Zimmer has become known as one of the greatest composers within film, scoring everything from action-packed blockbusters, a handful of TV shows, and everything in between. In recent years, Zimmer brought his iconic scores on the road, most recently touring through Europe. As it may be difficult for many to catch him live, Zimmer is bringing his concert to experience to fans, this time in the form of an album entitled Hans Zimmer LIVE, which is now available for streaming. A physical copy of the album will be available on CD April 14, and on vinyl April 28.
The over 2-hour long album features re-imagined tracks from some of Zimmer's most recognizable scores, including from Academy Award-winning projects The Lion King and Dune. Fans of Christopher Nolan, whom Zimmer frequently collaborates with, can tune into tracks from Inception, The Dark Knight, Interstellar, and Dunkirk. Additionally, the live album includes music from Gladiator, Wonder Woman, Man of Steel, and more. Per Sony Classical, the new arrangements meld "atmospheric classical arrangements, electronic elements and the powerful sound of a rock band."
In a statement, Zimmer shared how he chose which songs to include as part of the live performance, wanting a mix of familiar and lesser known songs.
"I tried to pick pieces of music that people adore, and then I tried to pick pieces of music that might be a little bit more obscure that we as the band love playing. And I think we finally got it right. Capturing these moments in time, with this extraordinary band of musicians playing at their very, very best, is the reason this record exists. It exists because I love the musicians, I love the musicianship, I love the audience and what happens when we bring these two diverse families together."
The Musicians Behind the Music
To bring the songs to life for a live audience, Zimmer enlisted his longtime collaborators at The Disruptive Collective, a group featuring a varied blend of musicians. The group consists of singers and composers Lisa Gerrard (Gladiator), Lebo M. (The Lion King), and Loire Cotler (X-Men: Dark Phoenix), along with cellist Tina Guo (Wonder Woman), musical band director Nick Glennie-Smith, and Zimmer on various instruments.
Solo vocalists include Refi, Rusanda Panfili, Molly Rogers, and Leah Zeger. Additional soloists include Andrew Kawczynski (synthesizer, percussion), Pedro Eustache (woodwinds), Guthrie Govan (guitars), Andy Pask (upright bass), Aicha Djidjelli (drums), Steven Doar (percussion, keyboards), Juan Garcia Herreros (electric bass), Nile Marr (guitars), Holly Madge (drumkit), and Aleksandra Šuklar (percussion).
Hans Zimmer Live is available now, while physical copies of the album will be available on CD April 14, and on vinyl April 28. Listen to one of the live tracks from Inception below: