Zimception
'Batman Begins', 'The Dark Knight', 'The Dark Knight Rises', 'Man Of Steel', 'Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice', 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2', 'Inception', 'Interstellar', '12 Years A Slave', 'Gladiator', 'The Lion King', 'Pirates Of The Caribbean', 'The Last Samurai', 'The Da Vinci Code', 'Rain Man', 'Thelma & Louise', 'Driving Miss Daisy', 'The Thin Red Line'...'Spanglish'. Classic cinematic composer Hans Zimmer has scored so many massive movies in the Hollywood mainstream. So much so that is literally looks like he's the only man behind the music in every film you watch not called 'Star Wars' (wands up for John Williams). And the legendary cinematic conductor was back with his full band and orchestra last night in Liverpool. The town that the great German behind every other movie soundtrack described as being "where all the best songs were wrote". And echoing more soundscape sentiments in the Liverpool Echo Arena, just across the road from The Beatles Story museum in the awe-inspiring landmark Albert Dock, Zimmer brought us another exhibition as we took a tour through modern movie history with one of the greats of screen and sound.
Opening the proceedings with his fun ditty from 'The Holiday' as his band came into play, you almost expected Tenacious D's Jack Black on his one-man instrument-less Saxophone to join this maestro with all his epic players. And after the full string and horn section were spoiler-alert revealed, Zimmer shined as he showed he could play every instrument including the banjo in a set of epics so epic in itself it needed an interval like theatre. A soaring sonic soundscape with vivid visuals and timeless, 'you almost forgot' classics. From the siren choir singing of Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman's submarine submerged drama 'Crimson Tide', to the 'True Romance' of Quentin Tarantino's Xylophone number which has been used and reused again in adverts today. The late, comic great Garry Shandling lookalike, whose bank must be even bigger than his studio had not the cocky confidence of a legend rolling in royalties, but the honest humility of a man who knows it takes every instrument and every musician to make the music behind movie magic happen. From the panflute of 'Gladiator', taking us back to the fields of gold and stirring singing. To the opening call of 'The Lion King' (sung by the actual man himself as Hans tells us, "you don't get with the Broadway show") which had everyone out for a beer or bathroom break rushing back to their seats with nostalgic youthful glee as if they were about to see a young Simba being raised to the rooftops of the arena bathed in the light of the yellow sun.
But after Zimmering between his 'Da Vinci Code' signatures and those iconic 'Pirates Of The Caribbean' themes, Hans told us it was time to do the "superhero stuff". Or should he say the Nolan era. As after getting electro electric with his 'Amazing Spider-Man' Times Square neon splitting scoring and mixing his strong 'Man Of Steel' mix complete with timely 'Wonder Woman' theme interlopation, he delved into 'The Dark Knight' of all that cut-throat, razor-wire violin violence. From the beginnings of Batman to the last rise of this Dark Knight. Also paying beautiful tribute to the testament of the late, great Heath Ledger's iconic Joker and character of man and thoss who lost their lives in the cinema shootings with the moving 'Aurora' musical tribute. Dedicated to those today too who lose their loves to terroism that even tragically happens in concert venues of late. All from a the ever audience engaging band leader full of Ridley Scott stogie stories, who dedicated his show and proceeds in London to the victims and families of those who lost their lives and livelihoods in Grenfell tower. This magnificent man closed his concert with maybe his more stirring sound yet with the space odyssey organs of the out of this world inspired 'Interstellar' starring Matthew McConaughey. Before coming back with the most epic of encores with the 'Inception' influenced 'BAWS' that left us hanging on for more like Leonardo DiCaprio's spinning thimble that refuses to topple (or does it?). It sounds like Christopher Nolan's 'Dunkirk' is about to be IMAX epic from the speakers. After this we don't know what's next for the hardest working, composed conducter, but after Hans took us through the hands of modern movie time last night we know it's going to be iconic, timeless, legendary and just classic Zimmer. Filmmakers Beethoven in a symphony of sound. TIM DAVID HARVEY.
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