VA - The Best Of Hans Zimmer (2011)

One of the most prolific and influential film composers of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Germany's Hans Zimmer began his music career in London, England, producing and playing synths for a variety of new wave and punk bands in the early '80s. After founding a recording studio with film scorer Stanley Myers, their work on films such as 1985's My Beautiful Laundrette fused the traditional orchestral aesthetic of film composition with state-of-the-art electronics and proved influential on countless soundtracks to follow. Founded in Santa Monica, California in 1989, his film, TV, and game scoring company Media Ventures Entertainment Group later rebranded Remote Control Productions launched the careers of dozens of specialists in the field, among them Harry and Rupert Gregson-Williams, Klaus Badelt, Henry Jackman, and John Powell. With instrumentation that combined symphonic, electronic, folk, and choral elements, Zimmer won the Academy Award in 1995 for his score to Disney's The Lion King. The demand for his artful blend of electronic and orchestral textures only increased in the decades to come. His many collaborations have included his Golden Globe-winning score for 2001's Gladiator with Lisa Gerrard, his Grammy-winning soundtrack to 2009's The Dark Knight with James Newton Howard, and 2017's Blade Runner 2049 with Benjamin Wallfisch (featuring themes by Vangelis).