Annie Lennox, Howard Shore - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
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Free Music Notes for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Free Music Review: The Best of the Trilogy
Hit: 5 Stars
Being a huge fan of Howard Shore's "Lord of the Rings" music, I went out and bought "The Return of the King" soundtrack on the first day. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but, after listening to it a few times, I quickly realized how fantastic it was.RotK is very different from the first two discs. I would never have thought Howard Shore could outdo himself once again, but I believe RotK far surpasses its predecessors. A few themes carry over from the previous soundtracks (i.e. the Rohan and Rivendell themes). Others sound vaguely familiar, but overall Shore has given RotK a completely different feel. By incorporating recognizable themes with new ones, he has given the soundtrack even more emotional pull as it gently reminds us of past events.
The pacing on this CD, as on "The Two Towers," is much more even than on "Fellowship." Time (72 minutes to be exact) just flies by when I listen to it, as the exciting, slow, and beautiful tracks are all spread out more or less.
Also worth mentioning is the closing song, "Into the West." It is my favorite of the three closing songs. Annie Lennox sings it very nicely, but I believe its true power lies in the words. They masterfully reflect the bittersweet nature of the story's ending.
Standout Tracks:
"Minas Tirith"~ very upbeat brass features and fantastic choral work by the London Voices and Ben del Maestro
"The White Tree"~ my favorite track; I love the strings in the background during the signal beacon lighting sequence
"Shelob's Lair"~ very effective and creepy
"The Fields of the Pelennor"~ more amazing choral work paired with brass
"The Black Gate Opens"~ great tin whistle solo by Sir James Galway; ends with the "Into the West" theme
"Into the West"~ I love how the words portray the ending; fun to sing along to
Bottom Line: A true joy to listen to and must-have for any LotR fan! You won't regret buying this one. EVER!!!!
Free Music Review: The Perfect Ending Chapter of the Trilogy
Hit: 5 Stars
I adore all three soundtracks for Lord of the Rings trilogy, but the one for Return of the King is undoubtedly cr¨¨me de la cr¨¨me. It is a highly emotional compilation that encompasses many of the most memorable themes we have loved during these three years. Not only does it stand out on its own accord by introducing new themes such as the magnificent theme of Gondor (Minas Tirith and White Tree), the heroic theme of The Steward of Gondor and the heart-breaking Billy's song, and the solemn Aragorn's Coronation, it also revisited the Hobbit theme, the Uruk-hai theme, the Rohan theme, and the Rivendell theme, thus making this score the perfect ending chapter. It brings us through an emotional roller-coaster ride, and gives us flashbacks of the various scenes in the movie, from the epic to the tender, from the hopeful to the melancholy, from the heroic to the idyllic. Unlike many songs or music that I get tired of after repeated listening, this soundtrack gets better each time, and there is not a single track to skip.My favorites are:
3. Minas Tirith (featuring Ben del Maestro): brings out the sweeping landscape of Gondor and the splendor of the White City, my 3rd favorite track (the Rohan theme in The Two Towers is my favorite)
5. The Steward of Gondor (featuring Billy Boyd): exquisite song; Billy¡¯s voice brings tears to my eyes every time.
6. Minas Morgul: ominous and unrelenting.
7. The Ride of the Rohirrium: an overall uplifting, exciting, and heroic them, blended with a brief reprise of the Hobbit theme in the middle.
8. Twilight and Shadow (featuring Renee Fleming): breathtakingly gorgeous and tender, this is my 2nd favorite track.
13. The Fields of the Pelennor: magnificent
17. The Return of the King: calm and hopeful tune with Viggo's solemn voice, perfect!
19. Into the West: great song, but way out of Annie¡¯s vocal range. (probably the only thing I slightly dislike about this soundtrack - they got the wrong person to sing this, IMO!)
Free Music Review: Howard Shore outdoes himself
Hit: 5 Stars
I purchased the soundtrack yesterday, and I must say that it lived up to - even surpassed - all of my hopes for the music. The music for Return of the King is easily better than that of The Two Towers and Fellowship of the Ring.Here are a few highlights:
(5) "The Steward of Gondor" is amazing. The instrumental opening is hauntingly beautiful, and captures the coldness of Denethor's halls in Minas Tirith. Billy Boyd's vocals here are also wonderful, as Pippin sings of his uncertainties and fears about the road ahead.
(8) "Twilight and Shadow" is easily my favorite song on the soundtrack. With Renée Fleming's gorgeous soprano voice as the highlight, this song brings Rivendell back into our minds. Undoubtedly portraying Arwen's sadness at being separated from Aragorn, the orchestration and vocals combine to produce a beautifully melancholy song.
(16) "The End of All Things" is a choral masterpiece. This time, however, it is peril rather than sadness that drives this song. Once again graced by Renée Fleming's vocals, the track paints a dark portrait of the brink of Middle-earth's doom.
(17) "The Return of the King" takes you on a journey through Middle-earth, from FOTR's opening in the Shire to the closing of TTT in Rohan and Gondor. Aragorn's incantation-like vocals are probably the highlight of the track.
(18-19) "The Grey Havens" and "Into the West" are perfectly joined together, bringing The Lord of the Rings to its tear-inducing conclusion. The music provides the backdrop to what will undoubtedly be the most poignant scene of the trilogy. Annie Lennox, a somewhat unorthodox choice for this soundtrack, proves her incredible versatility with "Into the West."
The soundtrack is amazing. I cannot wait until December 9, when the Limited Edition comes out and we will get a look behind the scenes of this musical masterpiece.
Free Music Review: I don't cry easily; this soundtrack breaks my heart
Hit: 5 Stars
Okay, so I am a neo-crone nerd old enough to be a youngish grandma, the midlife result of a bookish kid who read and re-read Tolkein and his literary descendents. You know how some folks cry at the merest hint of sentiment, even a freaking television commercial? That is NOT me. My husband, my boss, my assistant, sensible types all, cry more readily than I. Howard Shore makes me cry. I have owned this soundtrack since the day it was released, and listened to it extensively before seeing the movie the first time (I recommend this, unless you truly do not know the story. I have no idea how one experiences the film without having read the book; I do not know whether to pity or envy you, hmmmm...) Each time I hear parts of this CD, it chokes me up. Of course, having seen the movie deepens the listen more. And vice versa, which is why I am going to see it again this weekend. (I will be that very cool woman with salt and pepper braid and dusky voice who so intrigues you)
Marvelous soundtrack that grows on you with repeated listening and several viewings. Highlights include Minas Tirith, The White Tree, Twilight and Shadow, the Black Gate Opens, the End of Things, Return of the King...well, I really can't separate bits out; it is a symphony.
"The End of Things" is getting far too little notice in these customer reviews. It is a really remarkable choral-heavy short epictale. I want the lyrics. And a translation; I was not THAT much of a geekgirl that I wrote my poetry in Quenya. I did, however, embroider Greek and Latin words on my jeans. Yes, this is how we kept busy in that wild, webless past. Also marijuana (that you would not recognize today; my, what a few decades of covert botany can do!). And we invented garage bands and ren-faires. I sang with poor resemblages of folkrock, deathmetal and artrock bands (mostly the same guys), and did community theatre in the summer. Proto-nerd and proud.
Free Music Review: Extraordinary conclusion to an extraordinary trilogy!
Hit: 5 Stars
After hearing Howard Shore's stunning conclusion to Perter Jackson's epic Lord of the Rings trilogy, I can only state one thing: Excellent. Excellent doesn't really do justice to the magnificence of Shore's work. Like another classic trilogy score (Williams from Return of the Jedi), Shore presents a much more mature version of work. All our favorite themes are there: The Fellowship theme has now evolved into a wistful yet powerful fanfare for Aragorn. The Shire theme makes a return as does the Hobbit theme, both played magnificently by James Galway. Also returning is the Mordor theme, it's menacing notes now grown into a malevolent force. The Rohan theme also makes a brief reappearance, while the elvish theme comes to a full circle, representing Aragorn as he gets his sword in the track Andruil. The beginning of the cd is much more playful than that of the Two Towers, but it swiftly transforms into a majestic fanfare for Minas Tirith and Gondor which is among the greatest moments on the cd. Once again Enya does not sing on this cd, but in a suprisingly powerful decision, Billy Boyd aka Pippin does appear, singing briefly for Lord Denethor, capturing the rift between the Steward and Faramir. In track 17, The Return of the King, Shore takes a listener on a journey of all his developed themes for our heroes. Absent from this cd is Sauruman's theme, the reason being because he is defeated in the Two Towers. Also absent is the treeish theme for the Ents and Treebeard, but the absence of these themes is not at all detrimental to the cd. As for the song at the end by Annie Lennox, it is a vast improvement over Gollum's song, but Enya's May It Be from the Fellowship soundtrack is still the best of the three. OVerall, the first soundtrack truly is the best among fantastic cd's followed closely by The Return of the King, then Two Towers. However, they are all exceptional and this is no exception.