Gladiator

Decca Records

Music Composed by Hans Zimmer, Lisa Gerrard, Klaus Badelt, and Djivan Gasparyan

Conducted by Gavin Greenaway

Orchestrated by Bruce Fowler, Yvonne S. Moriarty, Walt Fowler, Ladd McIntosh, Elizabeth Finch, and Jack Smalley

Produced by Hans Zimmer, Klaus Badelt, Ridley Scott, and Pietro Scalia

Performed by The Lyndhurst Orchestra 

Release Date: 2000

     This film looks like it could be an all out winner. With Ridley Scott at the helm, Russell Crowe in the lead, and the gladiator spectacles of ancient Rome being the setting, how could you get any better? For some people the answer would be to drop Zimmer and get someone who can compose a real Roman epic score.

     Before I continue, let me make one thing clear: I like this score and I think Zimmer did a good job. However, there has been a lot of flak that has been directed to this music from film score fans, all of which are valid concerns. It really depends on one's expectations for this score. Are you expecting an epic orchestral volley, or something different? It is Hans Zimmer and Media Ventures after all, not Miklos Rozsa or Alex North. The score basically follows the standard Zimmer sound, with a resemblance to his work on The Rock. In fact, the style of this music can best be described as blending of The Rock, The Prince of Egypt, and The Thin Red Line (and possibly more Zimmer stuff which I haven't heard yet). Of course, there is that dash of Holst's The Planets which has been thrown in for good measure. I have heard some complaints regarding this one. Yes, it is there, and yes, it is almost exactly the same...sometimes. Zimmer actually does some interesting twists with the sequence that he borrows (or rips-off depending on how you see it). The only time it is identical to Holst's original is when it is performed with brass. There are other instruments that get in on that piece of music and it sounds pretty interesting. This piece is mostly in the action tracks, most notably three and thirteen, and if you stop to remember that Mars (that's the planet theme from Holst that is utilized) is the Roman god of war, then it actually makes sense that Zimmer would use that in those tracks. It is still puzzling, however, that no credit is given in the linear notes.

     The term "wallpaper" has been brought out when referring to music from Media Ventures and in all honesty that is an apt description for certain sections of the music. If it's not an action cue, it can get pretty bland at times. The vocals provided by Lisa Gerrard (and perhaps Zimmer himself in track seventeen? Maybe so, maybe no, eh?) do help in keeping the more subdued music from becoming a total bore, but a full choral blast doesn't take place until the fourteenth track, which is really the only track that makes use of a full choir. Gerrard is quite good at her vocals, but I really miss the exotic quality that Ofra Haza delivered for The Prince of Egypt.

     The music is sequenced beautifully between tracks, and unless you paid attention, you'd never guess that you'd just listened to the whole CD and not just one track. I don't know how that affects the whole chronological flow of the music since I haven't seen the film yet, but it is still a wonderful job in making the music flow along in an album format. 

     If you're a big fan of Zimmer and Co. then you'll probably get a nice kick out of this score (unless you really hate derivative scores). Otherwise, you might want to drop all expectations about this one at the door before checking it out. You might just find yourself pleasantly surprised. ***1/2

Track Listing

1 -  Progeny (2:13)

2 - The Wheat (1:03)

3 - The Battle (10:02)

4 - Earth (3:01)

5 - Sorrow (1:26)

6 - To Zucchabar (3:16)

7 - Patricide (4:08)

8 - The Emperor is Dead (1:21)

9 - The Might of Rome (5:18)

10 - Strength of Rome (2:09)

11 - Reunion (1:14)

12 - Slaves to Rome (1:00)

13 - Barbarian Horde (10:33)

14 - Am I Not Merciful? (6:33)

15 - Elysium (2:41)

16 - Honor Him (1:19)

17 - Now We Are Free (4:14)

Total Running Time: 61:31