Hans Zimmer
- This topic has 36 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 1 month, 3 weeks ago by
.
-
Posts
-
OK, let’s do it — let’s have a Zimmer topic already! Also appropriate, because of the news that he’s going to score the upcoming HARRY POTTER TV series (slated for a 2027 release), along with a couple of his Bleeding Fingers guys. I couldn’t care less about Harry Potter, but it’s a tantalizing composer assignment. Thoughts?
As for Zimmer in general, it’s no secret that he’s my second favourite film composer of all time. I will wax lyrical over him later, but let’s just test the waters first. I fear the worst on this issue, as I do on most messageboards, but all opinions are valid here!
As for Zimmmer in general, it’s no secret that he’s my second favourite film composer of all time. I will wax lyrical over him later,
You can just copy from other topics 😉 I had an eye on him since I first noticed him with the Buggles, no seriously, with RAIN MAN. I like a lot things by him but feel the best works up to the late 90s. It cooled down with GLADIATOR which is probably one of the “category 2” scores to cite your other topic.
I think RAIN MAN was the way in for a lot of people. Including mine, although I wasn’t aware of it at the time. I noticed the music while watching it in the cinema, I remember that, but this was before I was into film music. I think DAYS OF THUNDER shortly thereafter is my proper way in.
Zimmer was not really in focus before RAIN MAN. I got the soundtrack LP back then which I still have. But I already was into film music at the time and already starting to dig deeper into it as late 80s I discovered a local mail order and that a lot was already out there I didn’t know about.
I need to restrain myself a little, because I intend to have a long Zimmer podcast at some point (much in the style of the Vangelis one), and I don’t want to give away ALL the stories and favourites. Even if it will be in Norwegian, so of limited interest to anyone else. It’s been planned for 5-6 years, but it’s been terribly difficult to book the two other guests.
Anyway, as I alluded to above, I think RAIN MAN was my first meeting with the music of Hans Zimmer, even if I didn’t latch on to his name at the time. However, I do remember latching on to his name with DAYS OF THUNDER, which came out right at the cusp of when my film music awareness was born, in 1990.
He’s always been a top 10 composer to me, but moved a little bit up and down over the years. The reason he’s now at no. 2 is not because I think his work has been so spectacular in the last few years, but rather because of a newfound love of his golden period between 1988 and 2003. Especially the ethnic excursions and the power anthems.
In my research period for the proposed podcast, I’ve made a list of ‘early gems’, ‘runner-ups’ and then a proper ‘top 20’. I might possibly save those selections for later, but I’ve made it pretty clear that BEYOND RANGOON is my favourite of his work; in fact, it’s one of my top 10 favourite film scores of all time. I do wish some people that are critical of his work in later years (in many cases I agree with them!), would spend some more time with the 88-03 period.
I’ve met him a couple of times, at film music festivals, and snapped this cheeky selfie in 2011:
BLACK RAIN and RAIN MAN (note to self: try not to accidentally shorten this to “BLACK RAIN MAN”) were definitely the two scores that put Hans Zimmer on the map for me. RAIN MAN especially found new ways to score that type of road movie.
PS: Oh, cool. I have never met Hans Zimmer personally. (I have met very few film score composers.)
He, he. That would be terribly self-absorbed, I think. Extremely unsympathetic. But we SHOULD do a topic on composer meetings (where I will mostly abstain). We did have one over on Maintitles, which was a lot of fun.
Zimmer apparently plays here in Oslo today. I had forgotten all about it. But I republished a review of the first concert he did here, in 2017, on the main site for the occasion. I attended that one, and the next in 2022 (which was less impressive), but decided to skip this.
I had originally planned to use the opportunity to ask him for an interview, but the whole thing was left by the wayside due to other issues at the moment. Oh well.
Too bad, such an interview would surely be a huge traffic benefit for the site 😉 Seems arte will re-upload the Krakau concert video in a few days:
https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/118188-000-A/the-world-of-hans-zimmer/As ususal that is a shortened 60 min version of the DVD/BlueRay release. Interestingly when it was online last time some months ago the ZDF had a 74 min version of it.
Too bad, such an interview would surely be a huge traffic benefit for the site
Oh, no doubt. And I’ve not given up on it yet. It’s just very bad timing right now, with health issues and other things. One of these days, it will happen!
When Hans Zimmer originally came to the scene, I really like RAIN MAN (catchy score), but didn’t pick up the soundtrack album (which seemed to contain only two tracks). Same with BLACK RAIN. Hans Zimmer was there, his music was effective in the films, but it wasn’t the type of music I sought out apart from the film. (Nowadays, I have both the Quartet and the La-La Land edition of BLACK RAIN.)
At that time, my primary interest in film music were composers such as Jerry Goldsmith and Alex North; I had to check which CDs I spent the little money on I had, and Hans Zimmer just wasn’t a priority.
I really started to appreciate Hans Zimmer more with THE THIN RED LINE, which was a very interesting movie (perhaps Terence Mallick’s best film) with a terrific score.
When Hans Zimmer originally came to the scene, I really like RAIN MAN (catchy score), but didn’t pick up the soundtrack album (which seemed to contain only two tracks). Same with BLACK RAIN. Hans Zimmer was there, his music was effective in the films, but it wasn’t the type of music I sought out apart from the film. (Nowadays, I have both the Quartet and the La-La Land edition of BLACK RAIN.)
Although I was already in Goldsmith/Williams at the time (North came later) I indeed bought both the RAIN MAN (LP) and the BLACK RAIN (CD). albums back but I was also dissapointed by all the songs especially on the RAIN MAN album then (Latter I learned that Zimmer basically re-used the base from A WORLD APART that got him the gig). So far have none of the later expanded releases mostly. I have an “unmentionables” of both and actually the tracks on the album represent the scores not that bad. If both were available as downloads I might buy both but as CDs they have no priority to me due to the prices.
I do consider THE THIN RED LINE one of his most effective scores, too.
THE THIN RED LINE is of course brilliant, but it’s interesting how it seems to be a recurrent favourite for people who are NOT big Zimmer fans. That, and INTERSTELLAR.
I also couldn’t warm up to Thin Red Line or Interstellar. Somehow Zimmer’s melodies (when he has any) sound to me somehow improvised, like he always uses the Keys close to each other on the keyboard und likes using recurring melody figures like you might do when you improvise at the keyboard to a silent movie.
Means, first of all I miss the melodies in his music. And when they are there, then I miss the originality in these melodies.
Can’t help it. It’s just not my thing.Still happy for those who like it.
I think I recommended some older Zimmer scores to you in this thread, Gerate, full of melodies and even orchestral landscapes. Did you ever check out any of those?
I checked out The Thin Red Line after our conversation. And that kind of demotivated me to go further.
I see. Well, if you can stretch yourself to at least one of the others – THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS – I’ll let you have a pass. 😉
THE THIN RED LINE is of course brilliant, but it’s interesting how it seems to be a recurrent favourite for people who are NOT big Zimmer fans. That, and INTERSTELLAR.
Yes, there is a definite before/after moment with THE THIN RED LINE for me, and likewise I think INTERSTELLAR is one of Hans Zimmer’s best scores. I wasn’t too keen on some of his earlier action scores, like BACKDRAFT. I think he’s great at creating SOUNDSCAPES. But as I said, back in those days, I was more interested in classic “classical” composers, like Goldsmith, Morricone, North (there wasn’t much by the latter to collect though), and Williams.
I alway liked BLACK RAIN though, and nowadays I love it.I see. Well, if you can stretch yourself to at least one of the others – THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS – I’ll let you have a pass. 😉
The “Closing titles” is especially nice if I remember correctly. As I mentioned before my favorite period of Zimmer are indeed the early years from RAIN MAN to the advent of the “Power anthem”.
Listened to the first three tracks of the “House of the Spirits” so far. At first glance it is … ok? Brass writing is particularly nice. No melody really hooking me really. In that menuett part at he end of Clara the violins unisono playing the main piano melody gave me unsettling Richard Clayderman/André Rieu vibes. But I will listen to the end later and keep you posted.
It’s rather John Barry in style, I think. A little bit of the broad Morricone, which Zimmer has always expressed affection for.
It’s rather John Barry in style, I think.
Hm. I didn’t hear much Barry in there, particularly hisconcise and memorable tunes.
A little bit of the broad Morricone, which Zimmer has always expressed affection for.
That might be.
I don’t want to be unfair. I guess, it’s a fine and skillful score by a pro. Nothing that really hooks me. But still above the average minimalistic melancholic meandering string soundscapes that accompany so many modern historic family dramas.
I mentioned the brass and these classical piano sprinkles here and there that I find quite nice. Little to nothing of the things that I usually dislike about Zimmer’s music (I only mentioned the Richard Clayderman part).
Still, if this is as good as it gets, it doesn’t get me really on board.
I would take any orchestral Dario Marianelli or Philippe Rombi score over this any time.
It’s not necessarily ‘as good as it gets’ (which, by the way, is another breezy, mostly acoustic Zimmer score worth checking out), but one that is largely orchestral and one that is pretty far removed from the contemporary “wall-of-sound” thing he’s done in the last two decades.
But thanks for checking it out; I know it takes a lot out of you! 😉
I think Zimmer is better at soundscapes and walls of sound than he is at classical orchestral compositions; the scores by Hans Zimmer I like are more those with a contemporary, rock/pop sound, or those that are atmospheric, intricately developed soundscapes like DUNE.
Take DUNE, which I really enjoy. It’s completely different from the type of film score John Williams, say for STAR WARS (which I also enjoy) does. “Classical” film scores like, say, Williams STAR WARS are neo‑romantic symphonic scores, they draw on the “classic”, usually late‑Romantic orchestral language, with clear melodies, harmonic richness, and leitmotifs. That’s not what Zimmer is good at, and he’s much better when he goes into a different direction. While a score like DUNE has a lot of themes, Zimmer’s music often avoids traditional melody, focusing instead on drones, pulses, and electronic and acoustic textures. In scores like STAR WARS, the orchestra is a hero; in scores like DUNE, it’s a landscape. I think both types of scores work very well, depending on the context of the movie. The more “classical” type of scores tend to clarify narrative structure, character identity, and emotional arcs, they may amplify certain dramatic points. Scores like DUNE are more immersive in that they “engulf” you, they are more “elemental”, they are more atmospheric. Williams music in STAR WARS is operatic and specific, whereas Zimmer’s music is atmospheric, it’s the “weather” in the movie. (Of course, that’s just a general differentiation an not meant as a cut and dry distinction or rule.)But thanks for checking it out; I know it takes a lot out of you!
Right. Probably now I will get a tinitus, too.
Take DUNE, which I really enjoy. It’s completely different from the type of film score John Williams, say for STAR WARS (which I also enjoy) does. “Classical” film scores like, say, Williams STAR WARS are neo‑romantic symphonic scores, they draw on the “classic”, usually late‑Romantic orchestral language, with clear melodies, harmonic richness, and leitmotifs. That’s not what Zimmer is good at, and he’s much better when he goes into a different direction. While a score like DUNE has a lot of themes, Zimmer’s music often avoids traditional melody, focusing instead on drones, pulses, and electronic and acoustic textures. In scores like STAR WARS, the orchestra is a hero; in scores like DUNE, it’s a landscape. I think both types of scores work very well, depending on the context of the movie. The more “classical” type of scores tend to clarify narrative structure, character identity, and emotional arcs, they may amplify certain dramatic points. Scores like DUNE are more immersive in that they “engulf” you, they are more “elemental”, they are more atmospheric. Williams music in STAR WARS is operatic and specific, whereas Zimmer’s music is atmospheric, it’s the “weather” in the movie. (Of course, that’s just a general differentiation an not meant as a cut and dry distinction or rule.)
I disagree on that assesment on almost every aspect of your statements. For example that Williams’ Star Wars score is not atmospheric. It is also melodic and operatic and musically interesting.
Maybe we can agree that Zimmer’s Dune is in comparison “only atmospheric” because it misses all the other aspects of good film music that Williams provides in addition. If that limitation in Zimmer’s music is what you mean by “elemental”, then we are together again.Zimmer is clearly not on the classic technical level like Williams but who is 😉 He just comes more from pop certainly. I can find the more experimental/atmospheric approach absolutely valid in general. I can even find music and rhythm in noises although that is certainly not for every day listen. I have my problems with DUNE as well especially in the movie itself as I think I mentioned somewhere earlier on this topic.
I disagree on that assesment on almost every aspect of your statements. For example that Williams’ Star Wars score is not atmospheric. It is also melodic and operatic
That’s actually what I said, so I am not sure what you disagree with? Of course Williams’ STAR WARS is also atmospheric, just like Zimmer’s DUNE is also melodic. The difference is a matter of degree, of emphasis.
Maybe we can agree that Zimmer’s Dune is in comparison “only atmospheric” because it misses all the other aspects of good film music that Williams provides in addition.
My assessment was basically that Williams’ music is more classical and operatic, whereas Zimmer’s music is more atmospheric and elemental, that’s the differentiation I made. I purposely avoided any value judgement of “good or bad” or “interesting/uninteresting”, because that is obviously subjective.
Absolute top score (sic) to Zimmer from this reviewer:
https://www.musikknyheter.no/konserter/101055/Hans-Zimmer-p%C3%A5-Unity-Arena.html
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.