Track-by-Track: Soundtrack Discussion and Analysis

[Kitanna]

The Return of the King soundtrack, gasp!

I know I've said very little in this thread, but I do emjoy it and I am glad we have finally reached ROTK, my favorite of all.

The first song starts out with the Shire feel to it, all happy and what not. As though no evil will come to Smeagol and Deagol and then the Ring theme takes over at 1:38. Then the mood changes. The strings no longer have the light happy feel, instead they are heavy and the evil theme comes into play. A very nice mix I think.

[Elladan and Elrohir]

Hey all,

Just want to drop in and say I've been lurking on the thread every once in a while and love the discussion. I love music and I love the soundtracks even though I can't go nearly as indepth as most of you guys can. My favorite soundtrack is FOTR, because it has some of the most memorable (for me) moments, it introduces most of the major themes for the first time, and it features the Shire and Fellowship themes (my two favorites) far more prominently than in the other two, particularly ROTK.

Just a sidenote: It would seem to me that the title "A Storm Is Coming" goes far better with track 2 than with track 1. Track 2 ("Hope and Memory") seems to embody the message musically of "A Storm Is Coming." And, of course, that title doesn't seem to fit with a track mostly concerned with the Smeagol flashback.

OK, back to lurking until I have anything I feel confident enough about to comment on! (Wow, two dangling prepositions in one sentence.)

[Encaitare]

It's nice to hear you've been reading, E&E! Please feel free to share your thoughts with us more often.

[Lathriel]

I really like this track. Some of the things Howard Shore used reminds of elements that you can often find in ballet music. Especially the beginning where a woodwind begins and strings join in.
When you hear the Mordor theme I have a little theory about it. You can hear the Mordor theme but you can also hear the strings frantically playing against it. The Mordor theme resembles the power of the ring and the strings resemble the good part of Gollum despairing at what is happening to him. At least that is how I like to think about it.

Yeah my 500th post!!!!

[The Tennis Ball Kid]

Congrats, Lathriel.

Just a sidenote: It would seem to me that the title "A Storm Is Coming" goes far better with track 2 than with track 1. Track 2 ("Hope and Memory") seems to embody the message musically of "A Storm Is Coming."

I'm not sure what you mean here...could you elaborate?


I don't quite understand "A Storm Is Coming" being the title for this track, given that it is a line in the film (EE only), and has nothing to do with the opening scene.

"Hope And Memory" I'll comment on when we get to that track...



ttbk

[Elladan and Elrohir]

Heh, sorry. What I was trying to say is that I think the title "A Storm is Coming" fits track 2 better, because the music of track 2 embodies the essence of that title. Whenever I hear it, I think, "Now that's what 'A Storm is Coming' sounds like in Howard Shore terms." Hope that's clearer.

In a nutshell, I'm just saying that track 1's title should, IMHO, be given to track 2. For that matter, track 2's title could almost be given to track 1.

Boy, I hope that gets understood.

[The Tennis Ball Kid]

I don't think anyone will mind this slight sidetrack....
link

Shore's Rings Complete Recordings Coming
Source: Reprise Records
September 16, 2005


The complete Oscar and Grammy winning score to "The Fellowship of the Ring," from the epic film trilogy "The Lord of the Rings," will be available in a deluxe four-disc edition from Reprise/WMG Soundtracks on November 22nd, 2005.

This historic release contains over 180 minutes of music on three CDs, comprising the full score of the 2001 film, composed by Howard Shore. "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Complete Recordings" marks the first edition of the three complete recording releases of the film trilogy whose score has been honored with three Academy Awards, four Grammy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. This deluxe set also includes exclusive new artwork, packaging, and extensive liner notes culled from "The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films," to be published in 2006. Enya's song "May It Be," which received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song and which she performed at the Academy Awards ceremony, is contained on "The Complete Recordings" within all-new selection titles that reflect the complete score being released in its entirety for the first time.

Says "The Lord of the Rings" director, Peter Jackson, "No matter how many great performances or exciting visuals we put together for the movie, we found that it was all somewhat two dimensional until we added the emotional heart of Howard Shore's music. Then, and only then, did the film come to life."

Added Paul Broucek, Executive Vice President of Music at New Line Cinema, "Listening to the breathtaking music Howard Shore created is like seeing the movie time and time again. You just close your eyes, open your ears and the whole film unfolds before you. Howard's work is incredibly visual, evocative and narrative."

Composer of over sixty film scores, Howard Shore brought a lifetime of experience to creating the epochal soundtrack for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Shore used Tolkien's texts and drew from multiple periods throughout music history to evoke the book's enchanted worlds. He developed over 80 leitmotifs to describe the cultures of Middle-earth. Collaborating with authors/lyrists Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, he composed choral music including the Tolkien-created languages for the Elves (Quenya and Sindarin), the Dwarves (Khuzdûl), Men (Adûnaic) and the evil cultures of Mordor (Black Speech). The result was a movie music breakthrough that has been followed by such subsequent triumphs by Shore as The Aviator, Gangs of New York, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and "The Return of the King." "The Lord Of The Rings Symphony: Six Movements for Orchestra and Chorus," a two-hour work based on the twelve hours of score composed for the film trilogy, has been performed in over 70 concerts in cities all over the world.

Composed for symphony orchestra and three separate choirs, "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Complete Recordings" highlights two original compositions by the multi-platinum Irish recording artist, Enya, including "Aníron (Theme for Aragorn and Arwen)" and "May It Be." Also featured in the score are solo performances by Elizabeth Fraser, Edward Ross, Mabel Faletolu as well as cast members Ian Holm, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan.

The fourth disc will present "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Complete Recordings" in 5.1 Surround Sound in DVD format. The set will also include exclusive new artwork, packaging, and extensive liner notes: "The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films -- Part I: The Fellowship of the Ring" by author Doug Adams.

"Appropriately enough for the film adaptation of one of fantasy literature's most enduring favorites," wrote the All Music Guide, "Howard Shore's score for Peter Jackson's 'The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring' is traditional and majestic, using sweeping strings, brass and choral sections to create moments of fire-and-brimstone menace as well heroic triumph."

ttbk