Hans Zimmer
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| Hans Zimmer | ||
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| Background information | ||
| Born | September 12, 1957 (age 49) | |
| Origin |  Frankfurt, Germany |
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| Occupation(s) | Composer, producer | |
| Website | http://www.hanszimmer.com | |
Hans Florian Zimmer (born September 12, 1957) is an Academy Award, Grammy, and Golden Globe award-winning film score composer.
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[edit] Biography
Born in Frankfurt, Zimmer began his musical career playing keyboards and synthesizers with, among others, the bands Ultravox and The Buggles ("Video Killed the Radio Star"). He was also a member of electro-wave band Krisma. In the 1980s, he worked with film composer Stanley Myers. His breakthrough came in 1988, with the score for Rain Man, which was nominated for an Academy Award.
Since then, Zimmer has composed music for many major movies, such as Muppet Treasure Island, Crimson Tide, The Rock, True Romance, Gladiator, Driving Miss Daisy, The Prince of Egypt, Pearl Harbor, The Thin Red Line, Black Hawk Down, Backdraft, The Last Samurai, Batman Begins (with James Newton Howard), The Weather Man, The Da Vinci Code, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and The Holiday[1]. In 1995, he received an Academy Award for Best Original Score for the animated movie The Lion King. He also composed the theme for the boxing show The Contender.
Other composers like Steve Jablonsky, James Dooley, Heitor Pereira and Geoff Zanelli are working in Zimmer's studio Remote Control Productions (formerly known as Media Ventures). Accomplished composers including Harry Gregson-Williams, Mark Mancina, John Powell and Klaus Badelt are also all former members of the studio.
[edit] Work Profile
Zimmer's breakthrough as composer came with his score for Rain Man, for which he earned an Oscar nomination. Collaborating with well known directors, like Ridley Scott, James L. Brooks and Gore Verbinski, Zimmer today counts as one of the most successful film composers in Hollywood.
[edit] Gladiator
Perhaps the first album that brought Zimmer grand commercial success was the soundtrack of Gladiator[citation needed]. Zimmer worked in collaboration with Lisa Gerrard and close friend Klaus Badelt.
Throughout the score Zimmer interspersed variations on Gustav Holst's "Mars: The Bringer of War".
For the ethnic pieces, Zimmer employed virtuso duduk player Djivan Gasparyan, guitarist Heitor Pereira and cellist Tony Pleeth. Lisa Gerard also played Yang-Quin (a type of dulcimer), but is only credited for her vocals on the soundtrack album.
The score was a massive hit, and received praise for it's ethnic/orchestral/synth combinations. Some critics attacked the variations on Holst, but in general the score received positive reviews and when released it sold well.
[edit] Batman Begins
Zimmer's style has changed a bit since 2003 with scores like Batman Begins and The Da Vinci Code developing this slower, dramatic sound[citation needed]. The music in Batman Begins sounds nothing like the previous scores. Much like Chris Nolan, Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard strived to create something different. There are themes interwoven throughout the score, but it may take some a few listens before the themes sink in. The score is in the vein of Zimmer's Black Rain, The Peacemaker, The Thin Red Line, Hannibal, and The Ring. Portions that are unmistakably James Newton Howard resemble his music from Snow Falling on Cedars and The Village[citation needed]. It isn't 100% clear how much of Howard's music makes his way into the mix but the majority of the music seems to be bathed in Zimmer’s style[citation needed].
[edit] King Arthur
Upon his return to action scoring with King Arthur, Hans Zimmer created a fusion of two of his common genres: historical drama and action/adventure. Zimmer walks a fine line between rehashing either the action scores he became well known for in the late 1990s and the more recent historical films he has scored recently, such as Gladiator and The Last Samurai. The result is an action score fused with Celtic and Roman elements to create a soundscape that, even on its own, captures the feel of King Arthur.
[edit] Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
In 2006 Zimmer teamed up with Gore Verbinski for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.
Jack Sparrow opens the disc with Zimmer's new Jack theme, which is based on thematic ideas from the Black Pearl soundtrack, but reflects Jack's quirky nature with a waltz beat. Halfway through, the fast cello theme that opened the first soundtrack comes in an extended and more drawn out form. On the soundtrack, at least, this is the most developed of the original themes and comes back a few times, including a full orchestral treatment at the end of Hello Beastie to conclude the score portion of the album. This first cue features Martin Tillman on the cello and it is a highly varied performance that ranges between quirky, dark, and action-paced.
[edit] Criticisms
Despite his popularity, he has received criticisms. As of 2006, the Gustav Holst Estate has launched a lawsuit against him and Media Ventures for plagarizing "Mars: The Bringer of War". Others made the accusation that the score for "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" reused pieces and themes from "Gladiator" and "The Last Samurai" (although in reality the score was made by Zimmer's associate and friend, Klaus Badelt). Notable comparisons have also been made between his scores for "The Lion King" and "Crimson Tide".
[edit] Gallery
 From left to right: Lisa Gerrard, Ridley Scott and Hans Zimmer (Gladiator) |
 Autograph of Hans Zimmer. |
 Hans and James Newton Howard worked together for the first time on Batman Begins. |
 Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard at premiere of Batman Begins. |
 Cello player Martin Tillman often works with Hans Zimmer. |
 Recording score for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. |
 Hans Zimmer with his daughter Zoe, going for "Young Film Composers" function. |
[edit] Awards and nominations
[edit] Academy Awards
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[edit] Golden Globe Awards
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[edit] Grammy Awards
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[edit] Satellite Awards
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[edit] Filmography (as composer)
[edit] References
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[edit] External links
Categories: Wikipedia articles needing style editing | Articles with unsourced statements since March 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles lacking sources from April 2007 | All articles lacking sources | 1957 births | Batman music | German film score composers | Grammy Award winners | Living people | Mission: Impossible music
