Few composers consistently capture the emotion and the themes of the films in such a tight and evocative score. Whilst Zimmer has had many successes in the new millennium (Inception and Interstellar both strong candidates to feature), his stand-out work comes alongside Lisa Gerrard and their synthesis of themes in Ridley Scott's historical epic, Gladiator. Like many of the scores discussed in this article, Gladiator is at its impassioned best when blending together these themes: of war and the physicality of conflict, and the ethereal musings of the afterlife. The score captures the ambience of ancient Rome and its melting-pot of cultures (including the Moroccan-influenced 'To Zucchabar') but blends these earthly sounds with Gerrard's vocals at the latter end of the score ('Elysium', 'Now We Are Free'), to create a piece that simultaneously evokes Earth and the Afterlife. Zimmer's work on Gladiator did for music scores what Scott's film did for the historical epic - reignite the public attention and interest of such work. The soundtrack sold well (not since Titanic had an album been in such demand), was nominated for an Academy Award (albeit controversially in Zimmer's name along, somewhat discrediting both Gerrard and co-writers Klaus Bedelt's contribution), and has influenced the sound of many subsequent scores including Pirates of the Caribbean and Steve Jablonsky's work on The Island.
