Having scored the previous films in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise, Hans Zimmer is back again to score “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.”
Hans Zimmer is one of the film industry’s most respected and sought-after composers with a career that encompasses more than 100 film and television scores. An Academy Award® winner for his score for “The Lion King,” Zimmer has also received eight additional Oscar® nominations for his work including “Inception,” “Sherlock Holmes,” “Gladiator,” “The Thin Red Line,” “Rain Man,” “As Good as It Gets,” “The Preacher’s Wife” and “The Prince of Egypt.” Other recent credits include “Rango,” “The Dark Knight” and “Batman Begins.” Among his many honors, Zimmer has also won two Golden Globes® and four Grammy Awards®.
This time around, the internationally and critically acclaimed recording artist and live performance sensation Rodrigo y Gabriela have been brought on board to write and collaborate with Zimmer on new material, perform on the score, write an end-credit song and shoot a music video.
With a fervent and growing fan base in both the U.S. and most European countries, Rodrigo y Gabriela are considered the premier guitar-playing duo in the world. They have sold over one million albums, have sold out arenas and headlined festivals worldwide, and in 2010 they were invited to share the stage with Beyoncé for a state dinner at the White House. The collaboration with Hans Zimmer is their first film score—an exciting and defining moment in their career. The duo’s willingness to explore musical expression and to embrace new sounds irrespective of fashion or trends, as well as their point-blank refusal to be pigeonholed in any particular genre, is the very foundation of Rodrigo y Gabriela.
Another interesting musical note for “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” is that Eduardo Cruz, Penélope Cruz’ brother, an up-and-coming composer/songwriter, wrote the piece of music for the highly choreographed Tango scene between Johnny Depp and Penélope Cruz in the film. The scene is sure to be a film highlight, so Eduardo’s contribution will certainly be showcased.
An exciting addition to the great musical talent working on “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” is legendary Jazz great Arturo Sandoval. The Cuban born, four-time Grammy® award–winning trumpet player has signed on as the featured horn player for the score.
The film’s music team has also recruited iconic record producer Peter Asher, who joins the “Pirates 4” music party as a creative music consultant. Asher began his career as an artist in the early ’60s as Peter of Peter and Gordon fame, who had the number one hit “In a World Without Love,” which was written by Paul McCartney. Asher was asked by the Beatles to become head of A&R at Apple Records, where he signed James Taylor, later producing and managing Taylor too. Asher is a three-time Grammy® winner who has also produced Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, 10,000 Maniacs, Cher and Neil Diamond, to name a few. He is one of the greatest acoustic music producers of all time and will bring yet another level of expertise to the “Pirates 4” soundtrack.
With Zimmer’s musical genius, Rodrigo y Gabriela’s contributions and performances, and the rest of the team’s dynamic talents, including Music Supervisors Bob Badami and Melissa Muik, the soundtrack for “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” is sure to become a must-have compilation when released by Walt Disney Records on May 17, 2011.