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The chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority has discussed the plans with Hans Zimmer.
Zimmer recently performed at the Riyadh Season. (Photo Credits: Instagram)
Hollywood’s Oscar-winning music composer Hans Zimmer might soon create or recreate a country’s national anthem and it is none other than Saudi Arabia. As per the latest reports, the country’s chairman of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) Turki Alalshikh met Zimmer and discussed various projects that he could potentially work on including recreating the national anthem by using different instruments.
The Chant of the Saudi Nation, the country’s current anthem was written in 1947 by the Egyptian composer Abd al-Rahman al-Khatib. After decades of its adoption, it seems like the country is ready for a cultural change by bringing in an award-winning composer, best known for his soaring scores in classic films like Inception, Interstellar, Dunkirk, Gladiator, and more.
التقيت اليوم بشخص يعتبر من أعظم الموسيقيين في عصرنا الحاضر…الأسطورة Hans Zimmer …تناقشنا كثيرا في العديد من المشاريع المستقبلية التي أتمنى أن ترى النور قريبا… ومنها إعادة توزيع النشيد الوطني السعودي بآلات مختلفة وأيضا عمل مقطوعة موسيقية بمسمى Arabia مستوحاة من بلدي الغالي… pic.twitter.com/KoI26t4iRl— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) January 20, 2025
Alalshikh also shared a picture with Zimmer on his official X handle, calling him one of the “greatest musicians” of the time. He discussed several musical projects which included a Saudi-inspired musical called Arabia, a concert, and a soundtrack for the upcoming film, The Battle of Yarmouk.
“We discussed a lot about many future projects that I hope will see the light of day soon… including redistributing the Saudi national anthem with different instruments, as well as making a musical piece called Arabia inspired by my dear country, and also making a very large concert with a new idea for the Riyadh season in the coming years… I also presented to him the stage we have reached in the film The Battle of Yarmouk (Khalid bin Al-Walid) and the possibility of his participation in composing the soundtrack for it,” a part of the tweet read.
Alalshikh also noted that they agreed on the broad outlines of the projects and are hoping for a final agreement.
The discussions about a collaboration come at a time when Hans Zimmer recently delivered an enchanting musical performance at the Riyadh Season. Throughout the concert, Zimmer performed a selection of his iconic compositions.
