On a crisp evening in Vienna, as the city’s classical music heritage met modern film music magic, one piece stood out above the rest: “Time”, originally composed by Hans Zimmer for Christopher Nolan’s Inception, performed live at the Hollywood in Vienna 2018 gala.
Every year at the prestigious Hollywood in Vienna gala, celebrated film music composers are honored in Vienna’s historic concert hall — the Wiener Konzerthaus. In 2018, the spotlight was on Hans Zimmer, the Oscar-, Golden Globe- and Grammy-winning composer who has defined the sound of many blockbuster films.
Zimmer’s work was conducted by Martin Gellner and brought to life by the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra and Neue Wiener Stimmen choir, blending cinematic emotion with symphonic grandeur. The event celebrated his decades of iconic scores, from Gladiator to The Lion King, but for many fans, Inception’s Time was the emotional peak.
Composed for Inception (2010), Time is more than just a soundtrack cue. It’s an emotional journey — a piece that begins with quiet introspection and gradually swells into a powerful orchestral crescendo. It perfectly mirrors the film’s themes of memory, loss, and the passage of time itself.
At Hollywood in Vienna, that emotional arc was amplified. The orchestra’s rich strings, dramatic brass, and overwhelming harmony transformed Time into something even more transcendent — a moment where the audience could feel the music rising, layer by layer, until every heart in the hall was fully engaged.
Although the piece originated within a movie, the live Vienna performance stands on its own as a testament to Zimmer’s brilliance. This live rendition — later included on the live album The World of Hans Zimmer – A Symphonic Celebration — showcases Time in a full orchestral setting that feels both cinematic and timeless.
The Vienna version differs slightly from the studio soundtrack but keeps every emotional thread intact. Many fans describe hearing the piece live — with strings swelling and brass echoing — as one of the most powerful concert experiences they’ve had.
