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 soundtrack I own
Hit: 5 Stars
While I would give a 5 rating to all of the Lord of the Rings soundtracks, if I could, I would give Return of the King a 10. This is, without a doubt, the best film soundtrack I have ever heard. Howard Shore has fulfilled my two main requirements for a good soundtrack; a) It reminds you of the film b) It can stand on it's own.
Even after just a few listenings of it, and one viewing of the film, I can instantly recall scenes from the movie after hearing certain tracks. From the sweeping landscapes reminiscent of "Hope and Memory," to the sense of urgency during "Ride of the Rohirim." The second part of this CD is that, even having never seen the film, you could enjoy this soundtrack. Many soundtracks I enjoy because they have a title theme that is familiar or that was used a lot during the trailers and it reminds me of the movie. However, "Return of the King" is so powerful that almost all of the tracks could be performed independently of the film and I would enjoy them. I love the "pirates of the Caribbean" soundtrack, but I doubt I would like it as much if I hadn't seen the film. Shore's soundtrack also has two vocal pieces. "Into the West" by Annie Lennox took a few listens to get used to, but now it is one of my favorite tracks. "The Steward of Gondor" features a somewhat awkward vocal performance by Billy Boyd as Pippin, but it also grew on me.
This score is so powerful I almost enjoy it more than the film. Even if you're not a fan of film soundtracks, I would encourage anyone who is a fan of the films to pick up the soundtracks for "The Two Towers," and definitely this one.
Free Music Review: A moving and memorable soundtrack
Hit: 5 Stars
Let's face it: there are few movies in which the music is noted. We occassionally hum Star Wars or Titanic under our breaths, but that's basically it. Not only is LotR a spectacular movie trilogy, its score is oustanding and definitely will be remembered for years to come. It's at the top of the ranks in movie music.The Return of the King soundtrack incorporates many of the tunes we love from FotR and TTT, yet Shore manages to alter them slightly, use different instruments (Sir James Galaway is amazing on the flute), play them in a different key...so you pay attention to the details. And there are the new things he adds - the powerful Gondor theme, the dark tunes of "Shelob's Lair", and much more.
One other thing I enjoyed was the fact that Viggo Mortensen and Billy Boyd contributed to this soundtrack. Although both parts were rather short, they were each exquisitely beautiful. It's nice to know that not only do they give splendid performances onscreen, they can also lend a tune to the soundtrack.
Annie Lennox's "Into the West" is strange to the ears at first - what is a guitar doing in Middle-Earth? But the lyrics and tune are so beautiful that soon the instrumentals are forgotten. It's not gushy mushy like "May It Be", nor creepy like "Gollum's Song" (although that song does fit Gollum extremely well). "Into the West" is, in my opinion, a perfect way to end the soundtrack and trilogy.
Overall, this CD is brilliant and you will find yourself playing it over and over again. Howard Shore is an absolute genius. Just hear for yourself.
Free Music Review: Lovely
Hit: 5 Stars
This is a brilliant piece of work by Howard Shore. The music is beautiful and truly helped ROTK be all that it could be. The visual splendor of the movie is matched by the majesty of the music; put them together and you have beauty that can move you to tears.There aren't words to describe the emotional resonance of the Gondor theme. Listen to it while you see the city of Minas Tirith on screen, and it is unforgettable. There were also other memorable moments on the soundtrack, particularly the battle on Pelennor Fields and the songs featuring Pippin (Billy Boyd) and Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen). And as an opera enthusiast, I am of course greatly pleased to have Renee Fleming in a few of the tracks!
I am an avid LOTR fan, but Peter Jackson's movies have shown me again and again how pale my imagination truly is. I was never able to imagine how the songs in Tolkien's books added anything to the story...UNTIL I watched Boyd and Mortensen sing. If you had told me before that Aragorn sings at his coronation I would have rolled my eyes. But it was an amazing moment where you once again realize the impact that music can have on the storytelling in a movie! (Mortensen composed the tune by himself, by the way.)
This said, there is one jarring and unfortunate part of the soundtrack. After the sublime score for the rest of the movie, "Into the West" featuring Annie Lennox a is harsh and jolting return to our own world. For beauty, it sticks out like an orc in Lothlorien and leaves you missing Enya's song in FOTR!
Free Music Review: A truly great score
Hit: 5 Stars
Howard Shore's score for the final installment of Lord of the Rings is a delight for the ears. It truly matches the great scale of the battles and dramatic moments that unfold on the screen. Shore's ROTK score picks up where The Two Towers left off by expanding on the kingdom fanfare that he created for the Two Towers with Towers' tracks like "The Riders of Rohan" and "The King of the Golden Hall".What is most prominent in the ROTK score is the use of a heavy drumline who's involvement in the score keeps growing as we come closer to the colossal "final battle"
Indeed the entire score is a build up for the Battle of Pelennor where the epic battle of Gondor is played out stridently with horns, and a choir. Sadly the CD is missing most of this. You will have to journey to your local theater for a complete appreciation for all of Shore's musical efforts.
It's a great CD even if most the of tracks are incredibly short. My neighbor(also a lover of classical music) was clearing fallen branches in his yard when he heard me playing track 4 "The White Tree" which which starts slowly and builds to a rousingly powerful crescendo of horns and rushing strings. He came to my door and asked what I was playing. I told him it was the ROTK soundtrack. Do you know that this man left the mess of branches in his yard and jumped in his car and headed off to the nearest music store! Fans of great epic scores won't be dissapointed.
Free Music Review: Music Have Never Sounded This Good; Beautiful pieces!
Hit: 5 Stars
This soundtrack is simply amazing. From start to finish, I was enthralled by the beautiful sounds of Middle-Earth that Howard Shore has created.A Storm Is Coming is a combination of several past sounds with new music incorporated into one beautiful introduction. Hope And Memory is one of my favourites; in fact its my ultimate favourite! This part was when Gandalf and Peregrin Took ride to Minas Tirith. A touching piece. Minas Tirith theme is another awesome track with loud and bold sounds of the horn. With the voice of Ben del Mestro adds more color and beauty to the city of Minas Tirith.
The Steward Of Gondor is a wonderful piece with the voice of Billy Boyd (when Gondor's army march to the city of Osgilliath to retake it under the order of Lord Denethor). It sounds so sad in the end.
Another of my favorites is Twilight And Shadow. I must confess that ALL compositions by Howard for the Elf kind is always soothing and filled with so much emotions. This song is so sad when Arwen is leaving to the West and sees the vision of her son with Aragorn. Her determination to be with the latter is so strong that she went back to Rivendell. The music suits the scene so well.
The rest of the pieces are beautiful as well and I can't describe all cos it'll be super long. All I can say is that this soundtrack is a classic and will be one of those songs that will be familiar to you 10 years down the road.
Kudos to Howard Shore. Amazing work of perfection.