James' intended score was of course the way to go, as you said, what was recorded and intended is so often not what ends up in the final product, and James' music of course ended up a batch of sonic confetti three times over.
I have to say, that you got to work with the score in its 5.1 configuration makes me more than a little envious, as that 1998 DTS 5.1 CD and subsequent SACD release was something of a revelation and a fascination, because it showed just how unique the score's mixing and production was with regard to all of the heavy synth usage, two examples being the sparse orchestral presence for the celebratory cues of snare drum, bell, chimes and woodwinds for a cue like "Southampton", and that there was the curious decision to essentially duplicate the synthesized choir in the front channels, to the rear channels, so when the music was mixed down (something I had fun experimenting with over the years), the choir would end up out of phase. Invert one pair of channels and the choir disappears or loses some of the notes. As an audio novice, it was a lot of fun to experiment with sound in that way, and enjoy it in its unique configurations.
It's a shame 5.1 albums are a niche-of-a-niche, because to get to hear those intended versions of 'Southampton' and 'Leaving Port' in surround sound would be a dream come true to say the least. So sad the market isn't there for multichannel music, even digitally.
It was an honor to get to review / analyze the album for the James Horner Film Music website. I even followed it up with an article detailing the (many) re-releases of the original album over the years leading up to it.
Yes, the many John Williams albums over the course of time have been treasures for many, but James Horner's Titanic 4-disc set was and always will be extra special to me. Something I cherish and remain so very grateful for.
Cheers.
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