The uptight composer who learnt to get over himself

Vertigo? He stepped up to the edge. 'Lion King' too corny? Just play it. As for proposing from the stage... Hans Zimmer tells Roisin O'Connor how he managed to overcome his fear

- Roisin O'Connor

Hans Zimmer used to have vertigo but has overcome it to the point that he was able to perform from the helipad of the Burj AI Arab, one of the tallest hotels in the world. The revered composer, 67, features in the jaw-dropping scene for his new documentary, Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamond in the Desert, which opened this week to a limited release in select global cinemas.

Directed by Paul Dugdale with Jerry Bruckheimer serving as executive producer, the film captures a live performance by Zimmer and his orchestra of some of his best-known works, including the scores to films such as Gladiator, Dune, The Lion King, Interstellar and Pirates of the Caribbean.

Interspersed with footage of the concert at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai are dramatic performances such as the one at the Burj Al Arab, along with interviews with some of the German musician’s close collaborators, from directors Denis Villeneuve and Christopher Nolan to actors Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya.

“I think I have the best band in the world right now,” Zimmer told The Independent’s new podcast, Roisin O’Connor’s Good Vibrations. “We were in the Middle East and Denis [Villeneuve] was shooting Dune around the corner, so we thought… you know, why not?” He said it was important to be able to capture the sheer scale of his tour operation, which now includes “15 articulated lorries and 13 buses”, so that fans can enjoy it “all over the world”.