A Live Cinematic Experience: the Works of Hans Zimmer

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Photo By Alex Malawski

By: Alex Malawski, Editor

On Friday, August 4th, 2017 famed film composer Hans Zimmer- along with a full piece orchestra, a choir and a band performed live in front of thousands of attendees and movie lovers at the Allstate Arena in Chicago. Zimmer is most known for his scores in films such as The Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception, Pirates of The Caribbean and The Lion King. It was a show unlike anything I have ever seen.

The whole show was so unique, energetic and colorful. Since he is one of my favorite film composers of all time, I was really excited to see his spectacular works live in person. I didn’t really have a particular piece I wanted to hear because I was looking forward to the entire show.

What was even more amazing about this live cinematic experience was the screen behind the performers. That screen showed some kind of theme to the piece being played. This was very interesting.

At the end of a couple scores that were performed, Hans would rile up the crowd even more by talking about his decades of film composing and what it’s like working with a director and collaborating with another film composer. Zimmer collaborated with James Newton Howard for the first two installments of the “Dark Knight” trilogy and Junkie XL for “Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice.”

Zimmer told the audience about how he wasn’t a morning person and that “Alien” director Ridley Scott had called him at 9 a.m. to ask him if he wanted to score a movie called “Gladiator.” I found that story one of the coolest parts about what Zimmer would say to the crowd.

Another story he shared was while he was working on “The Dark Knight,” and was saying that to honor the late Heath Ledger, he would have to go all out and not slow down and give it a somber feel.

You wouldn’t go to a concert like this if you had absolutely no clue who the amazing musical genius is. Either you live under a rock or you don’t get out to the movies as much as you should. He is perhaps, in my opinion, the greatest composer of film in this century. This concert is indeed unlike anything I have ever witnessed. And it is one night that I will never ever forget.