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Member since:29.03.2004
Reviews:23
Members who trust:7
I am one of those people who grew up reading JRR Tolkien and his fantastic books. Many people who had read the books were disappointed by both movies and soundtracks; I was not one of them, I liked both equally well. A film without music wouldn’t be the same and vice versa!
The beginning deserved an Oscar, the continuity was partly satisfactory, and the end? The note from the composer reads: "It is good to begin well; it is better to end well ". And that is precisely how things are.
It was the expecting soundtrack in the beginning of the year it vindicated all that the audience was waiting for: the music of Return of King with particular requirements. The music of “The fellowship of the ring” and music of “Two Towers” left mixed impressions, the bet for Shore was very important.
The film was expected to be more epic than the other two, a phantasmagorical closure of an exceptional trilogy. It was essential therefore for the OST to be proportional. And indeed it is! Howard Shore gives us his most mature work, not only in the narrow frames of
trilogy of The Lord of Rings but also from his entire artistic career.
Completing the musical journey in Middle Earth, the composer continues using the same roughly tactic as the one that followed “Two Towers” with regard to the creation of new subjects. In “Two Towers” we had the subject of Rohan. Here we have the subject of Gondor, that had been used for first time in the Extended version of ”The Fellowship of the Ring”, during Boromir’s speech to the council that had become in order decide the composition of the Fellowship.
"Minas Tirith" (#3) is a magnificent song, as in the next one "The White Tree", where the music is developed more. It is one of the best subjects of trilogy and unfortunately nothing like that is found somewhere else in the CD trilogy. In the film, the music of "The White Tree" (#4) accompanies Gandalf when he arrives in Minas Tirith.
The songs "The Black Gate Opens" (# 15) and "The Grey Havens" (# 18) are very entertaining and their main subject is Sam. "The Black Gate Opens" is the song that is heard in the film when Sam takes the decision to carry the exhausted Frodo. The songs emphasises Sam’s determination to help and support Frodo. The corresponding scenes were very touching and this is owed mainly Howard Shore’s music.
The music needed to be very “flexible”; from the beginning of the movie until the very end. The music overall gives a depth in the cinematography. There are some parts of the movie (like the part where Aragorn shouts “For Frodo!” and goes after the Uruk-Hai) that unfortunately aren’t included in any of the CDs!
The bonding of the film and the music created a feast for eyes and ears and the use of chorus in the last OST is better than the previous two. The song "The End of All Things" (#16) is an exceptional one. It constitutes the musical purgation, musical triumph; good against the villain. The corresponding scenes of the film could be characterized as best in the history of cinema and the music had played a great part into making Lord of the Rings the magnificent movie that it is.
Compared to the Two Towers, the differences are perceptible, as the total result: in the Return of King the repetitions are not intense (as in the Two Towers), whilst the audibility soundtrack is better possible, contrary to the two soundtracks in the trilogy.
I found my self slowly falling in love to this soundtrack, it is so tempting... The musical assessment leaves excellent impressions. Shore’s work is absolutely brilliant! The music was suitable for a cinematographic epic like Lord of the Rings, in a closure that overflowed from sentiments, magnificence and tragedy.
Choosing Annie Lennox to sing “Into The West” was a great selection! Other participants in the soundtrack include the soprano Renee Fleming and the Irish flute musician Sir James Galway. It also includes the fabulous Aragorn of "Lord of the Rings", Viggo Mortensen.
An elegant glorious soundtrack that is a must for any Tolkien fan.
~~~Track List~~~:
1. A Storm Is Coming 2. Hope And Memory 3. Minas Tirith-Feat. Ben Del Maestro 4. The White Tree 5. The Steward Of Gondor-Feat. B.Boyd 6. Minas Morgul 7. The Ride Of The Rohirrim 8. Twilight And Shadow-Feat. Renee Fleming 9. Cirith Ungol 10. Anduril 11. Shelob's Lair 12. Ash And Smoke 13. The Fields Of The Pelennor 14. Hope Fails 15. The Black Gate Opens - Feat. Sir James Galway 16. The End Of All Things - Feat. Renee Fleming 17. The Return Of The King - Feat. Sir James Galway, Viggo Mortensen & Renee Fleming 18. The Grey Havens - Feat. Sir James Galway 19. Into The West - Performed By Annie Lennox
~~~Prices~~~:
£8.99 Delivered from play.com £6.99 Delivered from cdwow £9.99 Not Delivered from amazon … (Why?!!! … )
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P.S. I (and many others) are still waiting for a complete score for all three films in a nice posh collectors box to include it in our Christmas present list!
Thank you for reading this review!
Fenia
Pictures of Lord Of The Rings - Original Soundtrack
Front Cover
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: Atmospheric and very evocative of the film - matches the vast, sweeping scenery and the darker moments well Disadvantages: A few iffy singing moments, some of the tracks end rather abruptly, not enough flow between tracks
Sep 15th, 2004
exceptional by (9%):
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