Composer Hans Zimmer it is loved by a good number of moviegoers thanks to its soundtracks and, perhaps to the same extent, loathed by many others. The former like the power of their scores, and the latter abhor what they see as insistent music. In any case, they may agree upon learning that, at a recent concert, he had a gesture of solidarity with the Ukraine under attack by the Russia of Vladimir Putin.
German is at the beginning of his tour of the old continent of this 2022, the Hans Zimmer Live, for the third time after those he did in 2014 and 2019 with an orchestra, a choir and a band of 130 members in total. It began on the 22nd with performances in the United Kingdom, three days on the London stage of The O2 Arenapopularly known as The Dome, and another at the AO Arena in Manchester, and wants to tour fifteen other countries until April 30.
But last day 23 decided to interrupt the musical function to show the public of the british city a video that gives goosebumps. she has recorded it John Stanmeyerphotojournalist from Time and National Geographic and winner of the Robert Capa Gold Medal in 1999 and the Word Press Photo 2014 by shocking images, those of the assassination of Bernardino Guterres in Dili, the capital of East Timor, and that of African emigrants looking for the Somali line with their cell phones in Djibouti.
The Ukrainian pianist who did not stop playing
Is about a Ukrainian pianist named Álex, who plays with your instrument the theme “Time” of the soundtrack that Hans Zimmer composed for Origin (inception), Christopher Nolan’s (2010) most captivating film about dreams within dreams and the manipulation of ideas, in the middle of the street, while the sirens are heard sounding the alarm over air strikes by Russian warplanes on Lviv.
“When the bomb sirens started, the police asked everyone to enter the train station,” John Stanmeyer reported on his Instagram account from Ukraine. “Alex wouldn’t stop, playing his loudest piano in the face of the air raid warning. His friend joined in with the most relaxing pink nails. A simple, overwhelming one-minute passion against fear, against war…”
“I would love to share Alex’s full performance with you,” continues the photographer. “It went on and on, never leaving. [Pero] the application of [aviso de] airstrike also lit up on the phone, stopping the camera.” A real pity that he couldn’t record everything that the pianist and his partner with the pink nails took out of the keys and the inner strings of the upright piano.
But the fact that John Stanmeyer has not been able to capture it in its entirety does not prevent, fortunately, that seeing it gives real chills due to the emotion that causes us when it means that it is heard. music, the most visceral art that exists of those that people have devised, on means, medium of the violence and the destruction announced by a bombing that decent people can only oppose with indignation.
Hans Zimmer’s gesture of solidarity
After John Stanmeyer spread the video on Instagram, Alex himself uploaded it to his own account, with these words between exclamation points: “My internal protest against the sirens, the bombs, the murders, the war!”followed by some very fiery verses by the Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko (1814-1861), who suffered reprisals for joining revolutionary movements.
Later, the Ukrainian pianist posted another video, but this time from the German artist: “Hello, Alex; i’m hans zimmer”, says the Oscar-winning author of fantastic soundtracks like those of Hannibal (2001), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006), Sherlock Holmes (2009) or interstellar (2014), “and I am admired for your way of taking advantage of time in times of crisis”.
“I am amazed at what you do with music so that the spirit of the Ukrainian people is absolutely lived”, continues Hans Zimmer with a striking scarf around his neck in the colors of the flag of the country to which the young pianist belongs. “We are on your side. We will play for you tonight. We will always make time for you, we will always be there for you. Thanks”.
music unites
“I am very grateful to Hans Zimmer for supporting Ukraine in this terrible war that Russia started against our people,” Álex wrote on Instagram. “His daughter Zoë Zimmer saw my video, which became extremely popular within a few days, and she showed it to her father. She wrote me words of support and, last night, Hans Zimmer showed this video in Londonrit’s at the O2 Arena in front of 15,000 people and he also personally shot a support video for me.”
“I am very grateful to the Zimmer family for drawing attention to the war in my country,” the Ukrainian also says. “I am pleased that I have made a great contribution as a source of information, so that as many people as possible know the truth and protest against this aggressive and criminal Russia.” And he finishes: “music unites”. Something indisputable by all accounts. You just have to know about this story about a famous composer and a pianist in the middle of the war in Ukraine.