Titus is the original soundtrack to the 1999 motion picture Titus. Elliot Goldenthal wrote the score for the film, an adaptation of Shakespeare's first, and bloodiest, tragedy Titus Andronicus; written and directed by Julie Taymor, Goldenthal's long-time friend and partner. The only non-Goldenthal piece is an old Italian song called "Vivere" performed by Italian singer Carlo Buti.
The Score Like all of Goldenthal's other work the score is extremely experimental, blending orchestral, jazz, rock, and electronica styles and complementing Taymor's unique and off-beat adaptation of the Shakespearean play. In keeping with many other Goldenthal scores the orchestra used was the British London Metropolitan Orchestra. The score also contains samples from earlier Goldenthal scores, including a reworked version of "Wreckage and Rape" from the soundtrack to Alien 3, which plays during the dinner table fight scene.
The score, according to Goldenthal himself, sums up his film scoring career up to that point; "This score is a culmination of my style. It sums up the type of work I've been doing for the past ten years."SoundtrackNet : Interview – Elliot Goldenthal
He explains it saying,
Track listing "Victorius Titus" – 2:58 "Procession & Obsequis" – 3:00 "Revenge Wheel" – 0:54 "Tribute & Suffrage" – 4:17 "Arrows of the Gods" – 1:33 "An Offering" – 2:04 "Crossroads" – 3:24 "Vortex" – 1:34 "Swing Rave" – 1:53 "Ill-Fated Plot" – 2:20 "Pickled Heads" – 5:05 "Tamora's Pastorale" – 1:13 "Titus' Vow" – 3:43 "Mad Ole Titus" – 2:27 "Philimelagram" – 1:46 "Pressing Judgement" – 3:32 From A Time to Kill "Aaron's Plea" – 2:01 "Coronation" – 1:54 "Apian Stomp" – 1:32 "Adagio" – 2:25 "Finale" – 8:34 "Vivere" – 3:33 By Carlo Buti
300 score controversy The score for the 2007 film 300, composed by Tyler Bates became the subject of much criticism regarding the somewhat liberal use of other composers' orchestrations (at times note for note) including pieces from Goldenthal's Titus score; in particular "Victorius Titus" and "Finale".Review: 300 (2007)SoundtrackNet : 300 Soundtrack Warner Bros. Pictures released a statement clarifying the matter with regards to the similarities to Goldenthal's work:
Audio As mentioned above, the score blends several styles of music; below are some examples of this including the two tracks concerned in the controversy with the "300" score. The imposing, martial opening cue used in the credits as Titus and his legions enter the arena. The romantic and slow paced piece used at the end of the film that slowly rises to a dramatic crescendo. An example of the jazz fusion used in the party scene at the Imperial Palace.
Crew/Credit Teese Gohl - Producer Joel Iwataki - Engineer Joel Iwataki - Mixing Richard Martinez - Electronic Music Producer Stephen McLaughlin - Engineer Stephen McLaughlin - Orchestration Vladimir Meller - Mastering Jonathan Sheffer - Conductor Elliot Goldenthal - Producer Elliot Goldenthal - Liner Notes Elliot Goldenthal - Orchestration Vic Fraser - Music Preparation Curtis Roush - Music Editor Julian Broad - Cover Photo Robert Elhai - Orchestration Lawrence Manchester - Engineer Lawrence Manchester - Music Editor Steven Mercurio - Conductor Julie Taymor - Liner Notes Andy Brown - Orchestra Contractor London Metropolitan Orchestra - Orchestra Page Hamilton, Mark Stewart, Andrew Hawkins, David Reid, Eric Hubel - "Guitar Orchestra" Deaf Elk Carlo Buti - "Vivere" Daryl Kell - Music Editorhttp://www.legacyrecordings.com/Elliot-Goldenthal/Titus-Original-Motion-Picture-Soundtrack.aspx
References
External links
Review of the score at 'Movie-Wave'.net Interview with Goldenthal about the score Page on Goldenthal's web page.