Ukrainian Pianist Defiantly Plays Hans Zimmer’s ‘Inception’ Theme as Air Raid Sirens Wail in Tune (Video)

Zimmer later featured the video on his “Hans Zimmer Live” European tour

ukraine pianist inception alex pian
Courtesy of Alex Pian/Instagram

An air-raid klaxon probably wasn’t the accompaniment this Ukrainian pianist would have hoped for – but the effect was undeniably powerful.

Alex Pian, a Lviv-based musician who goes by @alexpian_official on Instagram, posted a video earlier this week of himself playing outside a railway station in war-torn Ukraine.

The tune he chose: “Time,” the darkly dramatic staccato theme that Hans Zimmer composed for “Inception.”

Just as he gets going, air-raid sirens begin to wail in the background.

And depending on how good your ear is, you may notice that the klaxons are flirting with perfect tune (“Time” is in G major, air-raid sirens don’t tend to stay in key). Rather than start over or wait for the sirens to abate, the pianist pounds away at the keys all the more defiantly.

“My inner protest to sirens, bombs, murders, war!” he wrote in the caption.

The effect is chilling:

The moment had an impact on Zimmer, too.

The Oscar-winning composer reportedly stopped his “Hans Zimmer Live” show at London’s O2 Arena to show the one-minute video of Pian’s performance.

Before the performance, Zimmer made a statement that the pianist @alex_pian shared to his account:

“Hello Alex … this is Hans Zimmer. And I am just astonished by your rendition of ‘Time’ in a time of crisis. I am astonished how what you do with the music absolutely lifts the spirit of the Ukrainian people. We are on your side. We will play ‘Time’ for you tonight. We will always play ‘Time’ for you. We will always be there for you.”

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