I just got back from another fun little flash trip to London on which I went to see Hans Zimmer live in concert at the Hammersmith Apollo on Saturday night. For those of you who don't know who Hans Zimmer is, read Wikipedia here.
I believe a score can really make a film. A good score can even have me believe that I've completely fallen in love with a film, sometimes only realising later that, in fact, it really was the music that touched me and not so much the somewhat average film itself. 'Pearl Harbor' is an excellent example of this, btw, I'm sure many of you can agree with me on this one. I know it sounds corny, but I love playing film scores real loud when I'm at home, to really feel the music, to close my eyes and replay the films in my head. But attending a concert where some of the best film music ever made is actually played live is a sensation of a whole different level.
Hans Zimmer is responsible for some of the most epic scores out there. 'Dark Knight', 'The Lion King', 'Pirates of the Caribbean' and 'Gladiator' are just a few of the titles on the list of films he's worked on and that he played this evening. The gig's setlist did not include 'Inception', which seemed odd to me as well as disappointing because 'Time' has to be my alltime favourite Hans Zimmer piece. Of course it turned out that this would actually be the encore of the concert. What an absolute breathtakingly beautiful tune to end an evening with. If you're not sure which one it is that I'm talking about, listen this one (again) here.
Another highlight of the gig was a surprise appearance by Pharrell, who Hans Zimmer has worked with on several occasions. They performed 'Happy' (which after all these months is actually still a favourite of mine), and a song from the film 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2', which I can't remember the title of. Another one of Hans Zimmer's "friends" that joined him on stage to play on several tracks was The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr. - All in all, a very memorable evening.
image by me (via Instagram)
