​​Re:imagining the world as we know it is the main theme for BMW’s presence at this year’s IAA Mobility Summit, including an exclusive world-class music experience in downtown Munich. Entire worlds built for virtual exploration, massive projection-mapping shows, and in-depth looks at how the future of mobility can be re-imagined: this year, the BMW Group thinks anew and questions the status quo in search of a better future. 

BMW kicked off RE:IMAGINE MUSIC around the IAA Summit with an exclusive live event featuring world-renowned composer, Hans Zimmer. Zimmer performed a breathtaking set with a full band and orchestra in a first-of-its-kind concert at the famous Brunnenhof Courtyard at the Munich Residence. The palace from 1508 now houses a museum, which created a unique and beautiful setting for this immersive, experiential concert. 

Zimmer has been a BMW collaborator since their 2017 Road to Coachella campaign, and in 2019 he became the official composer for BMW IconicSounds Electric, an ongoing initiative that is shaping the sound of future electric BMWs.

At the IAA, consumers got to experience the newest collaboration between Zimmer and BMW within the BMW i Vision Circular. Sustainability and circularity have been an important topic for Zimmer and is the centerpiece of the Circular Vision Vehicle. Hans said he has always been inspired by the concept of items having endless life spans and getting better with age. Here he used samples of instruments from another lifetime focused on creating evergreen sounds that would stand the test of time combining previous stems and samples to create something new. The Vision Circular Vehicle is made from 100% recyclable materials and 100% recyclable itself.

Zimmer was joined on stage by his worldwide eclectic band, including Rusanda Panfili, Tina Guo, Steven Doar, Guthrie Govan, Juan G. Herreros, Holly Madge, Aicha Djidjelli, Aleksandra Suklar, Martin Gellner, Lebo M. Morake, and Yandiswa Quwe. He was also joined by the Munich Symphony Orchestra. The 30 musicians, alongside Zimmer, played over an hour and half of his greatest hits including pieces from Inception, Da Vinci Code, Wonder Woman, Man of Steel, Interstellar, and Pirates of the Caribbean. Guests were treated to an encore surprise when Lebo M., who performed on both Lion King soundtracks, joined Zimmer on stage to perform the massively popular “Circle of Life” from The Lion King.

The audience was fully immersed within the courtyard with the help of specially designed speaker and light setups on its surrounding walls. The show design allowed not only for the highest-quality immersive sound inside an enclosed courtyard environment, but also a truly immersive light show programmed to the music. The result was a once-in-a-lifetime concert experience that blended art, lighting, and sound together for an emotional evening in the courtyard of an iconic palace in central Munich. 

Zimmer created an experience that honored the collective commitment to electric sustainability with an emphasis on showing what can be gained through electric mobility. Many of his musicians, including Tina Guo on cello and Rusanda Panfili on violin, played electric versions of their instruments to help display BMW and Zimmer's passion and excitement surrounding the endless possibilities the electric world can bring us all. 

The event was produced and organized by BMW’s experiential agency Mirrored Media, which manages the IconicSounds Electric project with BMW and Zimmer. Mirrored worked alongside RCI Global and local agencies including Pacific Entertainment, Semmel Concerts, and Tomek Productions to make this once-in-a-lifetime show possible. 

Zimmer has collaborated with BMW since 2017 when he helped launch the inaugural "Road to Coachella" program. Zimmer has long been interested in the sounds of our cities and the world around us. Zimmer often states that with the introduction of electric vehicles, not since the industrial revolution have we had an opportunity like this to change the sounds of our world. In 2019, he became the official composer for BMW IconicSounds Electric, a groundbreaking initiative that is shaping the sound for future electric BMWs.

Zimmer joined BMW in Munich at #NextGen for the debut of the first vehicle to feature their sounds, the Vision M Next. Shortly after, BMW announced that every electric vehicle would soon feature start/stop sounds scored by Zimmer and the team. Since then, Zimmer and Vitale have been extremely busy creating sounds for each of the electric vision and concept vehicles, scoring soundscapes for events like CES, scoring BMW content like the i4 and iX brand movies, and more. They even worked with the BMW M team on the first electrified BMW M. Next year, the i4 and iX will be the first vehicles to hit the road with full suites of sound by Hans Zimmer. 

Zimmer recently finished Warner Bros. and Legendary’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s science-fiction epic Dune. Slated to be released October 22, the soundtrack will accompany Insight Editions' 'The Art and Soul of Dune,' a making-of book written by Dune executive producer Tanya Lapointe.

Zimmer has two upcoming touring shows, including Hans Zimmer Live and the World of Hans Zimmer, both of which will be touring Europe next year.