Saudi Arabia is commissioning a new version of its national anthem, by an Oscar-winning composer, Hans Zimmer, in line with the current efforts by the kingdom to reshape its international status. According to Turki Alalshikh, chair of the General Entertainment Authority, Zimmer had agreed to “broad outlines” of the project. He is acclaimed for his scores in movies such as ‘The Lion King’, ‘Dune’, and the ‘Dark Knight’ trilogy.
On X, Alalshikh revealed that talks had covered ‘rearranging the Saudi national anthem with different instruments’ and considering other forms of cultural collaborations. These include a musical inspired by Saudi, a ‘very large concert’, and the film score for ‘The Battle of Yarmuk’. “We agreed on the broad outlines of all these projects, and I hope we will reach a final agreement on them,” Alalshikh said.
The current Saudi anthem is ‘Aash Al-Malik’ (Long Live the King), which was composed in 1947 by Egyptian composer Abdul Rahman Al-Khateeb at the request of King Abdulaziz. According to nationalanthems.info, this musical style called “Arab fanfare” was trendy at that time.
Saudi Arabia, in fact has been undergoing considerable change to drive its economy past oil. Other initiatives include restoring cinemas, legalizing women from driving, opening the country’s doors to welcome non-Muslim tourism since 2018. Meanwhile, other luxury projects such as the futuristic, $500-billion NEOM City and luxury resorts have been made. Cultural, sporting events which include heavyweight bouts and concerts involving international artists among others have featured under Alalshikh leadership.
Critics, however, say these moves are parts of the larger attempt to mask persistent problems. Some issues noted by activists include the restrictive speech freedoms and few rights for women in the kingdom and a high rate of executions that continue to be controversial despite the moves.