''Gladiator II (Music from the Motion Picture)'' is the

soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ( ...

composed and conducted by

Harry Gregson-Williams Harry Gregson-Williams (born 13 December 1961) is a British composer, conductor, orchestrator, and record producer. He has composed music for video games, television and films including the ''Metal Gear'' series, '' Spy Game'', '' Phone Booth' ...

for the 2024 film ''

Gladiator II ''Gladiator II'' is a 2024 historical drama, historical epic film directed and produced by Ridley Scott that is a sequel to Gladiator (2000 film), ''Gladiator'' (2000). Written by David Scarpa based on a story he wrote with Peter Craig, the fi ...

'' by

Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English film director and producer. He directs films in the Science fiction film, science fiction, Crime film, crime, and historical drama, historical epic genres, with an atmospheric and highly co ...

. It was released on 15 November 2024, the same date as the film's theatrical release in the United Kingdom.

Background

was announced as the film's composer on 5 January 2024.

Hans Zimmer Hans Florian Zimmer (; born 12 September 1957) is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, five Grammy Awards, and has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmy Awards and a Tony ...

, who had composed

the score The Score may refer to: Films and television * The Score (1978 film), ''The Score'' (1978 film), a 1978 Swedish film, released in Sweden as ''Lyftet'' * The Score (2001 film), ''The Score'' (2001 film), a 2001 crime drama film starring Robert De Ni ...

to the 2000 film ''

Gladiator A gladiator ( , ) was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their ...

'', chose not to score its sequel, stating, "I've done that world. And I think I did it well. And all I'd do is set myself up for either trying to repeat myself, which I don't want to do, or getting slaughtered by critics who say you didn't do it as well as you did the first time." Gregson-Williams began his career as an assistant to Zimmer, with Zimmer calling him a "phenomenal composer" and stating that ''Gladiator II'' was "in really good hands".

Production

Gregson-Williams wrote 100 minutes of original music for ''Gladiator II''. In addition to conveying the emotional heart of the film, he sought to create a unique and exotic sound that evoked the time period. He discovered Spanish musician , who specializes in ancient instruments, including the Celtic

carnyx The ancient carnyx was a wind instrument used by the Celts during the Iron Age, between and . It was a type of trumpet made of bronze with an elongated S shape, held so that the long straight central portion was vertical and the short mouthpie ...

the Roman cornu and the Greek

aulos An ''aulos'' (plural ''auloi''; , plural ) or ''tibia'' (Latin) was a wind instrument in ancient Greece, often depicted in art and also attested by archaeology. Though the word ''aulos'' is often translated as "flute" or as " double flute", ...

. His score also includes an

electric cello The electric cello is a type of cello that relies on electronic amplification (rather than acoustic resonance) to produce sound. An acoustic cello can be fitted with a bridge or body mounted contact pickup providing an electric signal, or a built- ...

motif for

Denzel Washington Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, producer, and director. Known for his dramatic roles Denzel Washington on screen and stage, on stage and screen, Washington has received List of awards and nominations ...

's character, Macrinus, performed by

Martin Tillman Martin Tillman (born 6 November 1964) is a Swiss cellist and composer. Biography Tillman was born in Zürich, Switzerland, in 1964. He arrived in the US in 1988. He has since performed/composed on numerous films, television shows, commercials and ...

. Gregson-Williams employed a 90-piece orchestra and 100-voice choir for his score. The score was recorded at

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a music recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, London, Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of ...

in early 2024.

Release

The soundtrack was released on 15 November 2024, the same date as the film's theatrical release in the United Kingdom. In addition to

streaming Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downl ...

and

digital download Digital download may refer to: *Downloading, the processing of copying data to a computer from an external source *Digital distribution, a method of downloading software or audio-visual media as opposed to buying it at a traditional point of sale * ...

, it was also released on CD and LP.

Singles

The soundtrack album was preceded by a single release, "Strength and Honor", on 4 October 2024.

Track listing

Charts

Release history

References

{{Harry Gregson-Williams 2020s film soundtrack albums 2024 soundtrack albums Action film soundtracks Decca Records soundtracks Drama film soundtracks Epic film soundtracks Gladiator (2000 film) Harry Gregson-Williams soundtracks