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CD
Set amid the splendor and the barbarity of Rome, A.D. 180, Ridley Scott's "Gladiator" is the first major sword-'n'-sandals epic since Stanley Kubrick's Spartacus (1960). Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer (The Lion King, The Thin Red Line) and Dead Can Dance vocalist Lisa Gerrard collaborated on Gladiator's stunning, Golden Globe Award-winning score, full of rousing symphonics and ensnaring melodies. Gerrard contributes throaty, wordless vocals as violins, brass, and percussion build to crescendos as exciting as the film's fight scenes. Grand but not bombastic, this is a richly textured score that will reward repeated listenings. While Gladiator's orchestral heft is occasionally broken by lighter, Mediterranean-style rhythms -- Heitor Perreira's guitar playing and reeds from Peter Gabriel collaborator Djivan Gasparyan stand out -- the score's overarching feel is as vast and unforgiving as the Roman arena and as pulse-quickening and steely as the men who fought there. Andrew Velez, Barnes & Noble