Hans Zimmer He presents himself enthusiastically before journalists in the Press Room of the Holy See. “How could I say no to this proposal for a concert in the Vatican for poor people,” he justifies his presence. This Saturday afternoon he will raise the baton to conduct a spectacular concert in which he will share the music from his soundtracks with 8,000 people, almost half of whom receive social assistance. “With the poor we do not share what is left over but the best we have,” Matteo Bruni, spokesman for Pope Francis, summarized the idea of the show.
For the composer, it is not exactly a meeting of solidarity but rather a lesson in humanity for a society that cannot reach an agreement. «In a concert, the important thing is not what you play but learning to listen to each other. We live in a world without empathy, with harsh political situationsand it is difficult to remember the ability to help others. “Music reminds us what makes us men, human,” explains the maestro.
On the other hand, he assures that he has not met any musician “who has not started his career from a situation other than poverty. He has always made music thanks to the help of others. We must not forget the past and the people who have helped us.
During the meeting in the Vatican, instead of showing off his twelve Oscar nominationssince he rose to fame in 1988 with ‘Rain Man’, to ‘Dune’ in 2022, through ‘The Lion King’, ‘The Prince of Egypt’, ‘Gladiator’, ‘Origin’ or ‘Interstellar‘, reveals the common thread of their soundtracks, whether ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ or ‘Dunkirk’. Asked about the religious influence in his compositions, he assures that musically speaking, since he was little he grew up with “Bach, Mozart, Mahler…and the Beatles.” “I think they go beyond what man can do, especially Bach,” he acknowledges. Then he confides that in his works “there is a subtext, something very personal, a secret that I will not reveal, but that makes them always come from the heart.” But he immediately regrets it and says, “well I’m going to reveal it».
«I was in England, I was young, I was 18 years old and we played in tremendous places. It was a period in which, from an economic point of view, the country’s situation was difficult. In Bradford I saw a woman in her 40s with two small children, probably without a husband. They were two very small children and she gave the idea of being a person who was struggling to feed them. So, I felt the need to give something meaningful to his life. That’s why every time I have to compose I think of this woman, who I call Doris, and I say to myself, ‘I must do something for her, because her life is very hard.‘, and that motivates me.
Look at poverty
«I often meet people who beg and I think that the key is not the money you give them but how you look them in the eyes, how you treat them like people. I have always thought that our mission is to look in the eyes,” he adds. At 67 years old, he confesses that the objective of this concert in Rome is «improve the lives of underprivileged people who will listen to you». «We are doing something big. We don’t waste time arguing about how to help the poor, we move forward. “We will do our best, with great humility,” he promises.
It will be the fifth edition of the ‘Concert with the Poor’. Daniel Oren, Speranza Scappucci, Ennio Morricone and Nicola Piovani participated in previous editions. Along with Hans Zimmer, the conductor and composer Marco Frisina and the composer Dario Vero will participate in the concert. They will be accompanied by the “Nova Opera Orchestra”, composed of 70 musicians from all over Europe, and the Choir of the Diocese of Rome, which this year celebrates its 40th anniversary.
«It is not only doing something for the poor, but giving them beauty. They are our guests of honor. It is a gesture of affection towards them. Music is not simply entertainment, professional or artistic successbut essentially a gesture of love that has the ability to unite different people and elevate everyone,” says Marco Frisina.
For this reason, of the 8,000 seats, the Vatican has reserved 3,000 for “needy brothers of all languages and religions, who will be the ‘guests of honor’ of the event.” In addition, the Vatican will also invite you to dinner.
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