The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
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Free Music Notes for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Free Music Review: Outstanding. Worth a place and recognition in Hall of Fame.
Hit: 5 Stars
...This soundtrack CD is worth writing about. That is it, as simple as that.
I don't know how many times I'd been listenning to this daily, and not sure how many times already for today alone.
I understand that someone who listenned to FotR might be disappointed about this soundtrack. However, please also understand that the theme for these two stories are different (as they were in the original books). Considering the theme and tone of the Two Towers, the music composed for it was outstanding, and astronishing.
It would be difficult for me to answer, if I was asked which track(s) I like best, as I like most, if not all, of them.
Here are some that I'd like to say what I think of:
"Forth Eorlingas" is a very grand theme, which open quietly but gradually gain the power through the middle, and its ending is dramatic.
"Hornburg" protrays well the image and grandness the Hornburg of the fortress Helm's Deep, which (according to the book) was describe as "as was built by the hands of giant".
"Isengard Unleashed" is a very dynamic theme. It combines a lot of things, a lot of elements, with some twist of feeling toward the end as the fate of Isengard's force is changing.
"The White Rider" is another good theme, with great opening and ending.
This doesn't mean that I don't equally like the rest. I, as mentioned before, like all of them.
Also, don't miss the OST of FotR, which also contains many nice pieces of music, like "The Black Rider", "A Knife in the Dark", "Bridge of Khazad Dum", etc.
Nevertheless, The Two Towers OST stands well on its own feet. It can be listened well, even you never seen the film, as it captured the imaganition and feeling well.
Definitely worth a recognition in the Hall of Fame.
Free Music Review: Beautiful music
Hit: 5 Stars
As he did with the sound track for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Howard Shore has created a masterpiece in this sound track. Even without relating the music to the movie, it is extremely beautiful and rich. The music almost appears to have a texture of its own which draws the listener in, causing him/her to fall in love with some mystical world.Shore has created a variety of different sounds from the classic, triumphant Lord of the Rings theme, to the majestic theme of Rohan, to the dark pits of Smeagol, Saruman, and Sauron. This affords for a great variety of sound throughout the entire soundtrack, so it is very difficult for one to become bored listening to this music.
After seeing the movie, however, the listener gains an exponentially greater appreciation for what Shore did when composing the music. Not only does each group have its own them, but each theme perfectly fits each group. The Rohan theme, for example, is not only majestic but seems very Celtic and even "earthy" which exemplifies the people of Rohan. Even the themes of evil are crafted in such a way that they express the differences between the evil figures (e.g. the themes of Sauron and Saruman). Sauron's theme is extremely dark and overpowering, almost sounding as though it is filled with fury. However, Saruman's theme reflects more his cold, calculating, mechanical nature. So, indeed, you can truly "feel" the differences between the themes and, hence, the different figures in the movie because of Shore's mastery of musical composition.
So indeed, Howard Shore has created an excellent score for use with The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. I highly recommend it to all!
Free Music Review: Immaculate, Impeccable, Flawless!
Hit: 5 Stars
This is the second soundtrack to the mega-successful box office hit, The Lord Of The Rings. Howard Shore managed to handle this heavy task and transform it into an a amazing work of perfection.
There are more new themes introduced in this soundtrack. Rohan's theme is calm, soothing (with the string instrument) and grand at times (the horns). It really created the identity of the city. It is one of my favorite themes, second only to the Elves themes. I absolutely loved the opening anthem Foundations Of Stone, with the disturbing sounds of the choir (if you can recall its the part when Gandalf fought with the Balrog of Morgoth). The songs are not in the order in the film but its a great opus. The mood and emotions of the film are expressed perfectly and its unbelievable how the music flows in the film.
As I mentioned in my ROTK review, I loved music for the Elf kind. Evenstar is very emotional and it moved me so much! Arwen's grief is portrayed beautifully. See how the music connects alot with the film! Music of Gandalf (The White Rider, Forth Eorlingas) is magical and enchanting. Ben Del Maestro is a beautiful vocalist. My other favorites would have to be The Hornburg, The King Of The Golden Hall, Helms Deep and Riders Of Rohan. The fierce anthems (Isengard Unleashed) fits well with the film. Gollum's Song is very haunting but its majestic at the same time.
You need to watch the film and listen many times to the cd to really appreciate it. Howard Shore is an amazing composer, made him a well-known composer. I don't understand why this soundtrack wasn't even nominated for Best Score in the Oscars. But it won a Grammy, so it shows!
Free Music Review: Fantastic in the truest sense
Hit: 5 Stars
I must admit it: I am not a big fan of movie music. Aside from the occasional bit of John Williams, I rarely listen to movie soundtracks, as they're mostly humdrum repeats of the same clichéd themes.Howard Shore, on the other hand, has managed to produce a work (two, if one counts the movies as separate pieces) more in line with classical masterpieces than pop fads. I have rarely heard music as equally stirring and moving as this.
Continuing in the admirable tradition of Fellowship's soundtrack, Howard Shore assigns each culture a theme and plays off of these throughout the score. My favourite of these is #6: The King of the Golden Hall. It features the Rohan Theme prominently, which with its Norwegian Hardanger fiddle perfectly captures the essence of the horse-people.
My personal favourite on the CD is definitely #8: Evenstar. This is especially brilliant, with all the choral richness and complexity of a Thomas Tallis composition and all the emotional poignancy of the story it complements. Isabel Bayrakdarian is a gifted singer and gives this piece its remarkable due.
The one track that I disliked first time around was #19: Gollum's Song. It struck my ear as discordant and rather grating, with Emiliana Torrini's high-pitched, rather nasal voice. However, the more I listened to it, the more I liked it. It captures the desperation of Gollum's state; his anger and bitterness is quite palpable in the music and lyrics and make for an excellent exposition of Gollum's character.
This is music at its best, with the power to touch your imagination and your heart. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
~Reviewed by Megan Stoner
Free Music Review: Outstanding Music
Hit: 5 Stars
Many reviews already exist for this masterfull score, but I add mine at this date after viewing the documentary on the creation of the score on the Extended Edition of the Two Towers DVD. This is an extraordinary piece of musical work. The first score rightly won the Academy Award. This score takes the themes from the first film and weaves them in, using them as foundations for any even bigger and more impressive score for the second film. Not only does the music tightly bind the second movie to the first, but it also elaborates the cultural and emotional geography of the second film with entirely new themes and amazing vocal pieces which are deeply affecting and moving. I like this whole score, but I am especially moved by the themes created for Rohan and for Eowyn. The use of the Hardinger fiddle wonderous. The music that narrates the triumphant end of the Battle of Helms Deep and the music that accompanies the destruction of Isengard are also very effective and powerful. All this said, where was the Academy last year? Howard Shore did something few composers can, he reinvented an award winning score and rather than coasting with the old material, he created even more powerful music erected on the foundation of his initial work. The second score extends and exceeds the first. Yet he was not even nominated. I don't even remember what music was honored. This score, however, will be in my library and come to me at meaningful emotional moments for years to come. It does not disappoint. The Academy had better be awake for the Return of the King, because I fully expect Howard Shore to continue his amazing composition to the end.