Track-by-Track: Soundtrack Discussion and Analysis

[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."

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[Elladan and Elrohir]

WOOHOO!!!

Sure, we knew it was probably coming sooner or later, but man, that's awesome! Now, along with saving up to buy the Extended Edition Collector's Gift Sets, I can also start saving up for the Complete Music Soundtracks! Bravo!

[Encaitare]

That full-score box set sounds awesome... I'd better start scrounging for money.

This track is, of course, from the part when Pippin goes off with Gandalf to Minas Tirith, leaving Merry behind. We have strings playing a hobbity tune that I think I recall from FotR, and the clarinet plays a sad variant of the Fellowship theme. The music then grows, beginning to introduce the Minas Tirith theme. This is followed by the Rohan theme on French horn, and a closing mainly on strings. (It's a short track, and pretty straightforward.)

As E&E brought up, the title of the track doesn't really make sense to me. I guess it could correspond with the scene in the EE, in which Merry talks about how he and Pippin used to do everything together. That could be the "memory" and Gandalf taking Pippin away could be the "hope," but it's a stretch.

[Lathriel]

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!! (about the CD set)ok, I better now. I will also have to begin scrounging money together.

Hope and Memory...nice and short. I like how it begins so urgently and then the music slows down for the hobbit theme then it speeds up,only to slow down again for a version of the fellowship theme/Minas Tirith theme. I like how these two themes are woven together into one track.

Maybe it is called Hope because Gandalf and Merry Hope to arrive at Minas Tirith in time and Memory because Merry remembers when he and Pippin were in the Shire and how he had always looked out for Pippin.(He tells Aragorn this in the EE I think)

[The Tennis Ball Kid]

I think the "Hope" comes from the alternate cut of this scene, if you'll recall the theatrical trailer, there was a version of this scene where Merry says "You will see the Shire again"; Shore probably named the track at a point when they were still using it. And the memory part is fairly straight-forward then, pertaining to Merry remembering....


As for the music, it's lovely, one of the few tracks that can actually bring a tear to my eye. You can just feel Merry and Pippin's agony at being seperated.



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[Encaitare]

First we have the Minas Tirith theme on horn, with sustained strings. The music we next hear is reminiscient of the Mordor theme, I think. At 0:54, it gets exciting, with a bolder rendition of the first theme. At 1:15, the choir comes in with this (bold text is what is actually sung):

Revail vyrn dan minuial
ú galad, ú vin anor hen
Cano an dregad
ú natha ored
Gwanwen ost in giliath
Dannen Osgiliath

(Sindarin)


Black wings against a pale morning
There is no more light, not in this sun
Call the retreat
There will be no warning
The citadel of the stars is gone
Osgiliath is fallen

The Minas Tirith/Gondor theme is played more slowly, and then a horn fanfare brings us up to this solo:

Mennen nored dîn [choir: 2.15]
Gwanwen i 'ûr bân
Sílant calad Dûn [solo: 2.02]
Tollen Rochon 'Lân

(Sindarin)

Their race was over;
All courage gone.
A light shone in the west -
The White Rider had come.

I love how the orchestra drops to such a piano that the vocals are the focus of the moment, when Gandalf fends off the Nazgul. It seems that the soaring vocal solo is another theme pertaining to Gandalf -- we hear it when he is on top of Orthanc, just after he falls, and now.

At 2:35, a more triumphant rendition of the theme is played; this is from when Gandalf and Pippin arrive in Minas Tirith, so we're going back in time a little bit from the last part. The track ends just as they come to the White Tree... which is incidentally the name of the next track.

[Lathriel]

I really like the solo from Ben del Maestro in this track.
I also like the Gondor theme, although its too bad Howard Shore didn't try to get some exotic instrument to represent Gondor. But then the classical instruments do seem to fit Gondor. The stately theme certainly fits the Gondorian attitude. You can hear the pride they have for Minas Tirith.

I like the Lyrics, I didn't really know what they meant before. Thanks Enca for providing like usual.