Fools of Fortune

Fools of Fortune

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Milan Records (01/01/1970)

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Liner Notes

Hans Zimmer is at once a world class music composer and a pioneer in the use of digital synthesisers integrated with advanced computer technology. He was born near Frankfurt in Germany, attended his first classical concert at the age of three and started playing the family piano. The piano teacher ran out of patience after two weeks and Hans taught himself.

He became increasingly interested in electronic music and in 1979 moved to London, started writing jingles for "Air Edel Associates" and simultaneously teamed up with Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes to produce the worldwide hit "Video killed the Radio Star" and the subsequent album "The Age of Plastic". In 1980, Hans pioneered the use of computers live on stage while working with Warren Cann of Ultravox. He enjoyed a brief spell of stardom in Italy with the avant garde band Frisma before returning to London to develop his next project with Warren Cann. Together they booked the London planetarium for a serie of shows and staged a spectacular event using five fairlights to great acclaim.

Shortly after his Hans met and began working with Stanley Myers. Realising the importance of incorporating synthesisers and computers for contemporary film scores they set up Lillie Yard Studio with the most sophisticated musical equipment available today.

Hans' musical talent is singular. In the world of the fairlight CMI, the synthesisers and the mixing desk, he is in his element but it is the medium film and the industry's peculiar demands which best employ his expertise. Since 1984 he has worked out of Lillie Yard concentrating on scores for film and television, initially writing music with Stanley Myers : for Jerzy Skolimovski's "Moonlighting", "Success is the Best Revenge" & "The Lightship", Nic Roeg's "Insignificance" & "Castaway", Gavin Millar's "Dreamchild" and Omega Pictures "The Wind" & "Zero Boy's" : Hans and Stanley co-wrote the score for Stephen Frear's "My Beautiful Laundrette".

Hans composed the music for Working Title's Production of "Vardo" in 1986. In 1987, he was commissioned to write "Terminal Exposure" for Omega Pictures, "Elphida" and Chris Menges' "A World Apart" for Working Title Films : he worked with Sakimoto and produced the soundtrack for Bertolucci's "The last Emperor".

In 1988, Hans composed the music for Philip Saville's "The Fruit Machine" for Granada Films : Lech Majesky's "The Prisoner of Rio" for Multi-Media AG : Bernard Rose's "The Paper House" for Working Title Films and Andrew Birkin's "Burning Secret" for Vestron Pictures Inc. Teaming up again with Philip Saville hr wrote the music for the recently acclaimed mini-series "First Born" for the BBC and was then commissioned to score Barry Levinson's "Rain Man" for MGM/UA in Los Angeles.