Amateur musicians from all over Austria had applied for the role. Before the dress rehearsal on Saturday evening, Zimmer was humble regarding Mozart’s original version: “You might get killed for that,” he joked.
Two-time Oscar winner Zimmer rearranged the anthem and, as he said, made deep changes to Mozart’s music. However, it is no longer certain whether Mozart really wrote the melody for the anthem. According to recent research, it is probably written by Johann Baptist Holzer.
2 exceptionally epic minutes
Nevertheless, it should be two “extraordinarily epic” minutes, that was Zimmer’s idea. “It’s not just an anthem, it’s Mozart,” he emphasized several times. Some countries have bad composers for their national anthems, he said. But not Austria: “I grew up with Mozart. My mother was a Mozart fan. I have a lot of respect for Mozart and that made it a bit difficult.”
The new version was meant to be fun and he wanted people to hear Mozart who would never otherwise hear him. The change from three-quarter to four-quarter time was not easy: “At first you think you’re not allowed to do that. But following I was thrown out of eight schools and I really am a rascal, I dared to do it. I’m not saying I improved Mozart. But it’s an attempt to bring more fun into the anthem.”
New interpretation should fit better
The new interpretation is now intended to better match the technology of the Formula 1 cars and the extraordinary performances of the drivers. The anthem has more electronic and rock elements and should give you goosebumps – at least the dress rehearsal on Saturday evening promised a special sound experience. Zimmer himself will take part in the “super band” as a guitarist: “I play the guitar really badly, but with a lot of enthusiasm,” he admitted.
In addition to Zimmer and Grubinger, a few other professional musicians will also be there: including Aleksey Igudesman and Kevin Schröder, who are part of Hans Zimmer’s “Vienna Mafia,” as he said. Monika Ballwein, Nathan Trent, Anna Buchegger and Thomas Lang will also be there. And a ski star might also stand out from the ranks: Max Franz will be heard on drums.
Hobby musicians from Austria, Germany and Switzerland
The amateur musicians from Austria, Germany and Switzerland have rehearsed the new interpretation using the MyGroove app. Among the musicians and singers is 21-year-old Julia Wachter from Seckau in Styria. She will sing and was made aware of the opportunity to apply by her sister’s fiancé. “I’m also a huge Hans Zimmer fan,” she told media representatives on Saturday before the big performance. She wasn’t nervous at first, “but that will definitely change.”
The greatest challenge for the selected musicians is setting up and dismantling in a short space of time: they will have one minute to pack up their instruments following the anthem. This will be particularly demanding for the six drummers. Several people will help them to dismantle their instruments quickly.
