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How could I have missed track 4, "The White Tree", my favorite out of all three scores?
I know we've now moved on to track 5, but I simply must say that, in my opinion, the racing strings leading into the Gondor theme (the sequence with the beacons being lit) is one of my favorite moments in film music. It's a moment where, I think, all elements of the music come together perfectly. The chords are incredible and the orchestration allows the chords to come through splendidly. It sounds to me like there are some fairly distant progressions in the midst of the sequence - as a matter of fact, at certain moments it rather reminds me of Horner's The Wrath of Khan.
As the music moves forward, Shore effects a tremendous build-up of tension. The strings race; the brass becomes more and more insistent; the chords continue to rise and to break through into new tonal territory (or so it sounds to me; I haven't studied the progression). Then we have a tremendously satisfying arrival at the big statement of the Gondor theme. Now, I love Shore's music, but I must say that across the three scores there are many instances of build-ups that lead to nothing, that simply reach their height and stop, or are cut short. Here, however, we have a real arrival and a straightforward, consonant, periodic, and majestic subject. It's a great moment.
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