The Collection Grows

[Estelyn Telcontar]

At the recent weekend get-together of the German Tolkien Society, I bought the complete LotR recordings by the Tolkien Ensemble.



I'd heard about the various albums so often that I decided to risk buying the complete four CD album - though I'd never heard any of it! It's a fantastic collectible, in a slipcase with a booklet that is actually a full book, complete with the texts and illustrations by - Queen Margrethe of Denmark!! I wasn't aware of the fact that she is a long-time Tolkien fan, and apparently Tolkien himself was familiar with her LotR art and approved of it. It is similar to some of his own.

I have no idea where else this album has been released - the booklet is in both English and German. I haven't gotten around to hearing all four CDs yet, but I've enjoyed them tremendously so far. Not all of the tunes are identical to my own ideas of Middle-earth music, but the singing and the instrumental arrangements are excellent.

There is another long-time Tolkien fan involved - Christopher Lee both sings and narrates on these recordings.