FIMUCITÉ 19 – Gladiator Live

The Festival Internacional de Música de Cine de Tenerife (FIMUCITÉ), the oldest event of its kind in the world, founded and directed by composer and conductor Diego Navarro, in association with CineConcerts, has announced the performance of Gladiator Live, with the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra and the Tenerife Film Choir, performing the complete score by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard live while Ridley Scott’s Oscar-winning film is projected on the big screen on the occasion of its 25th anniversary. The Auditorio de Tenerife will host two performances of this “live-to-picture” blockbuster, on July 11th and 12th, 2025, as the close of the 19th edition of FIMUCITÉ, which will begin on June 7th with a new concert by the Pop Culture Band, outdoors for the first time, with the support of the Ayuntamiento de Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Gladiator, directed by Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Alien, Thelma & Louise), is one of the most critically acclaimed films in cinema history. Starring Academy Award winner Russell Crowe as a vengeful ex-general who wages war on the son of a corrupt emperor, Gladiator won five Academy Awards in 2000, including Best Picture, as well as the Golden Globe for Best Original Score, by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard. The film also stars Academy Award nominee Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Derek Jacobi, Richard Harris, and Oliver Reed in his final screen performance.

Gladiator Live is FIMUCITÉ’s choice to celebrate, in this 19th edition, the great soundtracks associated with the history, culture and traditions of Italy, as well as its brilliant filmmakers and composers, such as Ennio Morricone (1928-2020), composer of over 500 soundtracks, including The Mission and Cinema Paradiso; Nino Rota (1911-1979), remembered for his collaborations with Federico Fellini, which gave us the scores for La Dolce Vita and Amarcord, and composer of the music for The Godfather, by Francis Ford Coppola; or Nicola Piovani (1946-), winner of the Oscar for Life is Beautiful. Tickets for both performances of Gladiator Live, which will be conducted by Diego Navarro at the Auditorio de Tenerife, are already on sale at the box office and online.

The programme will kick off with the opening outdoor show by the Pop Culture Band, the festival’s resident pop rock group since 2014, directed by Gonzalo de Araoz, and a concert on Thursday 3rd July at the Teatro Leal in La Laguna, which will offer a journey through Italy in cinema, featuring music by great composers from the Mediterranean country and landmark productions that will transport the public to key moments in its history.

In this 19th edition, the Festival Internacional de Música de Cine de Tenerife is supported by the Cabildo de Tenerife and Turismo de Tenerife, the Gobierno de Canarias via Turismo de Canarias and the Instituto Canario de Desarrollo Cultural, and the town councils of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and San Cristóbal de La Laguna. FIMUCITÉ would also like to thank the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra and the Auditorio de Tenerife for their involvement, as well as other public and private collaborators, which this year are joined by the Italian Consulate in Tenerife.

Parallel Activities

The now-traditional summer cinema, a cultural event for the whole family, will take place in the second half of June in collaboration with the Ayuntamiento de Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Distrito Centro-Ifara, with free open-air screenings until capacity is reached. This year, the selection of films will be made up of several titles related to the Festival’s leitmotif: Italy and its cultural legacy and historical impact.

FIMUCITÉ will also feature prominent professional guests from the audiovisual music industry, who will also participate in a new edition of the FIMUCITÉ Film Scoring Academy. Open to the general public, the programme of master classes and round tables that will take place in July will be announced shortly. Attendance is free and can be validated for an academic credit of free choice.