Gladiator - Soundtrack

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The score to Gladiator is the work of Hans Zimmer with Lisa Gerrard - it is a copy of the actual music used to accompany the film, not one of those insipid "inspired by" albums. Zimmer is currently one of the most sought-after composers in Tinseltown, after producing such scores as those for The Lion King, Crimson Tide and The Thin Red Line - Gerrard is less well known, but co-composed many of the pieces featured on the soundtrack, ...
...to dispose of the hated Gladiator who is replacing him as a symbol of affection in the hearts of his people. The climax of this movement is a wonderful choral accompaniment to the orchestral music.

15) Elysium (2 min 41 secs)
One of Gerrard's vocal pieces, but a lot lighter and more positive than earlier ones, despite it being played around the Gladiator's death scene - as this is his rise to heaven (Elysium to the Romans). ... more

Cast your minds back a couple of years in cinematic history if you will. Do you remember the sandals and toga epic that was the film Gladiator? Russell Crowe kitted up in Roman armour and wielding a rather large sword ring any bells? Yes? Good. The film divided the critics - some said it was excellent, others hated it, and others again said that Spartacus had done the job better. I personally fall into the first category, even to the point of owning video, soundtrack, making-of book and PC wallpaper, so I think it is about time that I turned my attention to one of them. I have chosen the soundtrack as it stands as a magnificent collection of classical music in its own right, and will not date as the film will no doubt do in years to come - or be changed as the wallpaper will inevitably be at some point. This CD is often my background music of choice when writing (both reviews and my real work), so I don't quite know how I have managed to get through so many opinions without getting to it before now! This is only my second ever outing into the music cat - the first being my truly pathetic opening review as a virgin dooyooer - so fingers crossed, and I'll have a good a stab at it as I can manage...

The score to Gladiator is the work of Hans Zimmer with Lisa Gerrard - it is a copy of the actual music used to accompany the film, not one of those insipid "inspired by" albums. Zimmer is currently one of the most sought-after composers in Tinseltown, after producing such scores as those for The Lion King, Crimson Tide and The Thin Red Line - Gerrard is less well known, but co-composed many of the pieces featured on the soundtrack, and provided the highly distinctive and ethereal vocals that I'm sure will have stuck with anyone who has seen the film. Zimmer is an absolute perfectionist when it comes to his work, and you can really see this, not only in the beautiful music this CD contains, but also in the way it fits in with and matches the mood on the film. The music is an attempt to get back to the golden days of the great Hollywood epic, but unlike other Roman masterpieces such as Quo Vadis where a great deal of scholarly research was lavished on producing authentic sounding backing music, Zimmer has instead gone for a more contemporary approach, combining synthesised and traditional classical music to produce the end result. He has even tried to capture the size and breadth of the Roman Empire by incorporating several "ethnic" instruments into it such as the Spanish guitar, the Chinese dulcimer and Armenian duduk to give a cosmopolitan feel to the soundtrack.

In addition to this, Zimmer has cleverly used vocals to support the moods he is trying to produce throughout the film. Gerrard's highly distinctive voice are used by him to be both melancholy and as a signifier of freedom and release in the final tracks on the CD, used in the closing scenes of the film. A men's choir is also added, presumably in echo to the male characters we see on screen while the music is playing - it also sounds very compulsive and rhythmic in a way that almost reminds me of the music used in first of the Lord of the Rings films. The tracks are divided into short excerpts named after the part of the film where they first appear, and are then repeated at appropriate points throughout the narrative to support and enhance the action in the film.

The full listing of tracks is as follows:
1) Progeny (2 min 15 secs)
As the opening track of the CD, this introduces us to the theme music of the central character that is repeated over and over again in many different forms throughout the soundtrack. It starts off very quietly, then becomes a very serious piece of music in mood, as befits an army preparing for war.

2) The Wheat (1 min 3 secs)
In this track - one of the shortest on the album - we hear Lisa Gerrard's incredible voice for the first time, followed by a very militaristic orchestral piece, with brass instrument and a strong bass beat bringing up images of armies marching to war. And if you are wondering why you can't understand a word that she says when singing, then that is because it is in Hebrew, which again lends itself to the cosmopolitan feel of the album.

3) The Battle (10 min 2 secs)
This is the music for the early battle scene, where we see Russell Crowe lead his soldiers to victory against the barbarians of unconquered Germany. The guitar is used to surprisingly good effect to build up the pace of the music, and the tempo slowing increases as the battle gets underway to produce a magnificent crescendo of wonderful battle music. It is possible to detect strains of Holst's "Mars, the bringer of war", but they are not quite as prominent as in track 13.

4) Earth (3 min 2 secs)
A slower, reflective piece, for after the battle, featuring a trumpet solo by Maurice Murphy at its core.

5) Sorrow (1 min 26 secs)
A very ethereal vocal piece by Gerrard, and most befitting of the title chosen for this track, as the vocals are very reminiscent of a lament.

6) To Zucchabar (3 min 16 secs)
A more exotic piece, and I am sure it features one of the "ethnic" instruments in the opening solo, but I am damned if I can tell which one it is! Still, the blend of old traditional instrument with modern synthesised music works surprisingly well.

7) Patricide (4 min 8 secs)
This one sounds more like "proper" classical music if you see what I mean, as it is all down to the orchestra to create the solemn occasion of the old Emperor being murdered by his son. Despite my love of classical music, this is my least favourite track, as it does not manage to match the rest of the music for style and novelty, although it does fit in with the film scenes well enough.

8) The Emperor is Dead (1 min 21 secs)
A simple guitar solo to lament for the passing of the Emperor.

9) The Might of Rome (5 min 18 secs)
A bit of plagiarism is going on here, as Zimmer bases this track on Wagner's "Siegfried's Funeral March" - don't think we didn't notice, Hans!

10) Strength and Honour (2 min 10 secs)
A quieter and quite understated orchestral piece.

11) Reunion (1 min 14 secs)
A vocal piece that builds up and flows perfectly into track 12...

12) Slaves to Rome (1min 0 secs)
...so you might think they were all one movement! This and the previous track may only be short but are catchy and do incorporate the now familiar theme of the Gladiator.

13) Barbarian Horde (10 min 33 secs)
The longest track on the CD. This piece borrows heavily from the insistent battle themes in Holst's "Mars, the bringer of war", making it instantly recognisable to anyone with even the faintest of interest in classical music. This actually serves the score very well, as the Mars is so good at conjuring up images of battle and war that it provides the perfect basis for the piece - why bother writing another from scratch when you have a classic as good as this to play with?

14) Am I not Merciful? (6 min 33 secs)
A contrast to the "wall of sound" in the previous track, this one uses both synthesised music and the cello to create very strained, tense music, that builds up into a sombre, full orchestral piece. It was written to fit in around the scenes of the new Emperor declaring his greatness and merciful nature, whilst simultaneously plotting to dispose of the hated Gladiator who is replacing him as a symbol of affection in the hearts of his people. The climax of this movement is a wonderful choral accompaniment to the orchestral music.

15) Elysium (2 min 41 secs)
One of Gerrard's vocal pieces, but a lot lighter and more positive than earlier ones, despite it being played around the Gladiator's death scene - as this is his rise to heaven (Elysium to the Romans).

16) Honor Him (1 min 20 secs)
Triumphant orchestral music, led by the brass section, which signals the victory of the Gladiator over the Emperor, despite his death.

17) Now we are Free (4 min 14 secs)
This is very similar to the previous track, and when listening to it, it can be hard to detect where one stops and the other begins. Lisa Gerrard uses her amazing voice again, this time in a very uplifting, spiritual and free style that is in direct contrast to the moods she creates earlier on in the CD.

Overall, I think this is a wonderful album, although a little short in total length - I would have liked more of this unusual take on classical orchestral music. Whatever you thought of the film, this album will appeal to anyone with a taste for classical music, especially for the more epic pieces. Easily the best film soundtrack I own, and I will no doubt type along to its strains for a long time to come. It is stylish, lavish, entertaining, atmospheric and diverse and easy befitting of the epic Roman saga it was written for, with the synthesised parts blending together perfectly with the vocals and the traditional instruments. Some people may like to argue that this is not Zimmer's best work, but I don't think the rating of this in comparison with his earlier scores takes anything from this being a collection of some very good musical pieces. Simply magnificent!

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Details:
The album costs £11.99 new or £8.50 second hand from Amazon.

www.gladiator-thefilm.com
www.universalclassics.com

 

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