Titus (soundtrack)

Infobox Album |
Artist = Elliot Goldenthal
Name = Titus
Type = Soundtrack


Released = Jan 11, 2000
Genre = Classical
Avante garde
Modernist
Jazz fusion
Progressive
Electronica
Length = 61:42
Label = Sony Classical
"SK 89171"
Producer = Matthias Gohl
Last album = "Sphere"
(1998)
This album = "Titus"
(2000)
Next album = ""
(2001)
Reviews =
* Allmusic Rating|4|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:acfixq8kldfe link]
* Soundtracknet Rating|4|5 [http://www.soundtrack.net/albums/database/?id=2213 link]
* Scorereviews.com Rating|5|5 [http://www.scorereviews.com/reviews/review.aspx?id=256 link]
* Movie-Wave.net Rating|5|5 [http://www.movie-wave.net/titles/titus.html link]
* Moviemusicuk.us Rating|5|5 [http://www.moviemusicuk.us/tituscd.htm link]

"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

It is extremely experimental, like all of his other work, and the first piece "Victorius Titus" is reminiscent of "The Imperial March" by John Williams in its imposing, martial nature, and (unlike imperial march) in addition uses an archaic male choir chanting in Latin. The score blends orchestral, jazz, rock and electronica styles and complements 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, 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." [ [http://www.soundtrack.net/features/article/?id=51 SoundtrackNet : Interview - Elliot Goldenthal ] ]

He explains it here:

cquote|"O CRUEL, IRRELIGIOUS PIETY!"

"With this oxymoron - the Goth Queen Tamora's plea to spare her son from being sacrificed at the hands of the Andronici - Shakespeare starts the engine that drives the play - the engine that drives my music. it is fueled by the combustion of opposites: vengeance and forgiveness, purity and defilement, the grotesque and the sublime. But there is another byproduct - for this lamentable tale of woe oddly yields a great deal of irony and humor. In perhaps one of Shakespeare's most absurdist moments (Act III, scene i) the two heads of Titus' wrongly accused sons, and the General's own severed hand, are cruelly returned to him outside his home. At this nightmarish presentation, Titus inexplicably breaks into laughter. He then commands his handless daughter, Lavinia, to take up his severed hand between her teeth and enter the house. Performance after performance, production after production, audiences nervously laugh at this scene, thus falling into Shakespeare's ingenious tr
Rome. On day one, glancing at the Palatine Hills from a 1998 Fiat, we saw the great Circus Maximus with the ruins of privileged patricians' villas perched overhead, and I heard in my mind's ear an archetypal ancient percussion ensemble. In that same moment another car pulled up alongside ours, equipped with a sub woofer - with the pentameters and hexameteres of hip-hop blasting through every window. The music cross-faded as I watched a group of Andean pan flut players in native Bolivian garb hawking their tapes and playing their music which was almost drown out by an Elvis impersonator with a cheap Karaoke setup - replete with cheesy reverb - singing "Jail House Rock" in Neopolitan dialect...well, you get the idea. My mind was put at ease: In Rome - as in this film - it is possible in an instant to embrace æons."|

- "Elliot Goldenthal" [ [http://goldenthal.filmmusic.com/film/titus/index.html Elliot Goldenthal Discography: Titus (2000) ] ]

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"

Uses in other scores

"300" score controversy

The score for the 2007 film "300", composed by Tyler Bates has become 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". [ [http://www.filmscorecenter.de/300_ost.htm Review: 300 (2007) ] ] [ [http://www.soundtrack.net/albums/database/?id=4367 SoundtrackNet : 300 Soundtrack ] ] Warner Bros. Records released a statement clarifying the matter with regards to the similarities to Goldenthals work:cquote|"a number of the music cues for the score of "300" were, without our knowledge or participation, derived from music composed by Academy Award winning composer Elliot Goldenthal for the motion picture "Titus." Warner Bros. Pictures has great respect for Elliot, our longtime collaborator, and is pleased to have amicably resolved this matter."| [ [http://www.300ondvd.com/ Cross-Promotional DVD ] ]

Final Fantasy X-2 sample

For the cue ""Zanarkand Ruins"" in their score for Final Fantasy X-2 Japanese composers Noriko Matsueda and Takahito Eguchi sampled the electronic element at the end of the cue "Titus' Vow" which is used in the orgy scene in the Imperial Palace in "Titus"; in the Final Fantasy game it is used in Zanarkand where, among other things, you have to drive out tourists. Goldenthal had scored the Final Fantasy animated movie "The Spirits Within" in 2001, Final Fantasy X-2 was made in 2003. Below are samples of the tracks for comparison.Listen|filename=Elliot Goldenthal - Titus - Titus' Vow.ogg|title="Titus' Vow"|description=Sample of "Titus' Vow" from the album "Titus".|format=Ogg "The cue from Titus, the electronic element in question is used at the end of a bombastic arrangement."Listen|filename=Noriko Matsueda, Takahito Eguchi - FFX-2 - Zanarkand Ruins.ogg|title="Zanarkand Ruins"|description=Sample of "Zanarkand Ruins" from the album "Final Fantasy X-2".|format=Ogg "The cue from Final Fantasy X-2 for the Zanarkand Ruins."

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.Listen|filename=Elliot Goldenthal - Titus - Victorius Titus.ogg|title="Victorius Titus"|description=Sample of "Victorius Titus" from the album "Titus".|format=Ogg "The imposing, martial opening cue used in the credits as Titus and his legions enter the arena."Listen|filename=Elliot Goldenthal - Titus - Finale.ogg|title="Finale"|description=Sample of "Finale" from the album "Titus".|format=Ogg "The romantic and slow paced piece used at the end of the film that slowly rises to a dramatic crescendo."Listen|filename=Elliot Goldenthal - Titus - Swing Rave.ogg|title="Swing Rave"|description=Sample of "Swing Rave" from the album "Titus".|format=Ogg "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 Editor
[http://www.legacyrecordings.com/Elliot-Goldenthal/Titus-Original-Motion-Picture-Soundtrack.aspx]

References

External links

*
* [http://movie-wave.net/titles/titus.html Review of the score at 'Movie-Wave'.net]
* [http://www.soundtrack.net/features/article/?id=51 Interview with Goldenthal about the score]
* [http://goldenthal.filmmusic.com/film/titus/index.html Page on Goldenthal's web page.]