– Aria
This was the epic theme ending the movie Gladiator. the score was written by German producer Hans Zimmer. I listened to this rendition by the Lithuanian group Indigo for years before watching the video. I’m glad I finally saw it.
It is a wonderful choral arrangement that fits the intended mood: an epic return by a General, who is brought down, sold into slavery, then struggles to return and eventually sacrifices himself for justice.
At the end of the choral video, an unidentified man singing from a wheelchair pretty much brings the curtain down.
The words are from a private personal language invented by Australian composer Lisa Gerrard that she has developed since childhood. Their meaning is a mystery, at least to me. They simply lend the beautiful music an authentic flavor.