Customer Reviews

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

5 star:		(322)
4 star:		(49)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

Howard Shore was certainly a somewhat unconventional choice for the score of "The Lord of the Rings". However, it has become obvious now that he was an excellent choice and that he was definitely up to the task.

There are many unconventional tracks on this soundtrack. One of the most unconventional pieces is probably "The Bridge of Khazad-Dum" where Shore uses a male choir to great effect, building the proper tension for this scene, which is most likely going to be a centerpiece of the movie. Another very interesting cut is "Lothlorien", which has an "arabian" feel to it and which features haunting vocals in Quenya and Sindarin (two of Tolkien's invented languages) by Elizabeth Fraser. A favorite of mine is "A Knife in the Dark", which jumps from dark choir voices and pounding percussion directly to the beautiful and innocent voice of young Edward Ross, an amazing musical moment which can send shivers down the listener's spine. Edward Ross' vocals fit just as well into "The Breaking of the Fellowship", a mostly sad piece, setting the proper mood for the end of the movie.

Even with these somewhat uncommon tracks, the soundtrack is never overbearing, and there are many atmospheric pieces which are needed to set the proper tone for a movie without distracting from the actual movie events. There are several excellent re-occuring themes, which give the soundtrack a certain consistency without becoming boring.

Howard Shore also uses some celtic elements, especially on the light-hearted "Concerning Hobbits". In other places, he uses elvish lyrics or has the choir relentlessly chant verses in the Black Speech for the darker scenes, thus drawing upon the great reservoir of Tolkien's world.

This soundtrack is of course being heavily promoted through Enya's appearance on two songs. "May it Be" is perhaps not Enya's most catchy tune, but it certainly shouldn't be catchy, as it is intended to be played over the movie credits just after the Breaking of the Fellowship, one of the saddest moments of the whole story. An uptempo tune a la "Orinoco Flows" would be out of place here. Enya's "Aniron", which is weaved into "The Council of Elrond" is perhaps a bit more interesting and showcases Enya's otherworldly voice very well.

This is certainly a great score for anyone who likes good soundtracks which go a little bit beyond the usual "soundtrack mainstream". Of course, it is also a must for any Tolkien fan, as it is obvious that the music, even as a stand-alone effort without the movie, is inspired by Tolkien's writings and mirrors their mood very well.

Tolkien wrote a literary masterpiece. I read it more than 30 years ago and was impressed then. As a movie it was fantastic, one of the rare movies from a book that is faithful and true to the mind's eye. Every LOTR fan that I know felt that the movie was a masterpiece. The score is perfect for the movie. It is not trite. It was not a commercialized effort to write as many tunes as possible so that a soundtrack would be a best seller. The soundtrack was meant for the movie and it did an aweome job. As far as albums go, it may be repetitive. It may not have tunes that are easily whistled or hummed. It is unlikely to have a hit theme song that will be played on the radio. However, as a movie soundtrack, it was superb for the very reason that it enhanced the movie and was an integral part of the whole. That explains why it does not stand as well on its own. I enjoy the album, not because it has great songs, but because it exudes the sense of LOTR. It is a tone poem of sorts. It exudes a mood. There is darkness, but there is also hope. There is fear, but there is courage. If you liked the movie and enjoyed the score, you will like the album. If you are looking for a standard movie soundtrack written with record sales in mind, then this is not an album that listens well as a stand alone. It must be understood in the context of the story and the movie. Also, be aware that the same album came out with multiple covers. Mine has Arwen on the front, but there were also versions with Frodo, or Sam or others from the story. The album inside is the same.

Reportedly, Howard Shore campaigned for this -- the opportunity of a lifetime to score the seminal THE LORD OF THE RINGS film series. His efforts do not disappoint here, as the motion picture soundtrack captures all of the magic, mystery, danger, and adventure that goes hand in hand with the filmed journey through Middle-Earth. It sounds as if each of the principle characters received a bit of a 'theme' of their own, and Shore weaves these throughout his compositions with tremendous ease and success. If the soundtrack has any shortcomings, it's that it's too short: the film was nearly 3 hours long (the DVD allegedly will be over 4 hours) but the soundtrack is only 70+ minutes. A wonderful listen but definitely for fans of the movie only.

According to a very reputable source..."The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - The Complete Recordings" 4 disc soundtrack set will street on November 22, 2005.

The first 3 discs of the set will contain composer Howard Shore's entire 180 minute score in stereo. The 4th disc will be a DVD containing the complete score in 5.1 surround sound. Other extras will include artwork and a booklet of liner notes entitled "The Music of The Lord of the Rings Films - Part I: The Fellowship of the Ring", written by Doug Adams.

It smells like Reprise Records is going to release Shore's COMPLETE scores of the other two "Rings" films in the near future as well...I'll be on the look out.

This music is always calming me down after school, and it's the greatest, and I always liked the movies too. They did such a great job with making the movies, and the music to go with it. I'd give a special thanks to J.r.r. Tolkien, since I love his books that he wrote. They were just great the first time I read them, to even the other times I've read them as well. These Movies, books, and even the music are just spectacular.

I must admit that this soundtrack pleasantly surprised me. When I heard that Shore was picked to bring Middle Earth to us musically, I was puzzled. Having listened to this CD, and having listened to it matched with the magic of the big screen, I believe Shore has created something...well....magical.

The score completely matches the moods of Middle Earth and especially the adventures of the fellowship, the settings, and the dangers. When Gandalf reads what is written on the ring to Frodo, the music made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. The music captured the feeling perfectly.

The best surprise of the soundtrack is that the lyrics are written in the two elvish languages, Sindarin and Quenyan, in black speech, and in dwarvish. Somebody put a lot of work into this project to bring out the details of Middle Earth, even if the majority of the audiences will never notice.

The best pieces on the album are "Lothlorien," which contains a mournful "Lament for Gandalf," sang by an emotionally distraught elf, "Concerning Hobbits," and "The Council of Elrond," which contains Enya's "Aniron" (Theme for Aragorn and Arwen).

This is an excellent soundtrack.

Ever since the film adaption of LOTR was announced, fans have wondered what sort of music would accompany the movie. Fans should not be dissapointed as Howard Shore has composed a great soundtrack that incoporates wonderful orchestration with incredible vocals. "I thought of it as Act One of an opera" The vocals are the most prominent feature of this score, they include all male choirs representing the Dwarves, female soloists singing in Elven tounges, and Enya. It is important to note that the tracks containing Enya have been orchestrated by Shore so that a sense of continuity with the rest of the score is achieved.

Favourite tracks include, 2. Concerning Hobbits - a light hearted theme that does well in capturing the feeling of the shire and its hobbit inhabitants, a pleasing element of this track including the stocatto violin, is the background string instrument that carries the basic theme throughout the track.
"you hear a more developed version of the theme - it's growing"
4. The Treason of Isengrad - beautiful vocals and the use of a solo french horn carrying the main theme, a very pure sound.
17. The Breaking of the Fellowship - this is the best track on the score as it incorporates many wondeful elements of the score including the lovely flute solos, it also introduces a wonderful solo performance by a young boy that is the final touch to the great main theme.

The standard edition of this score comes with a glamorous booklet that has the picture of the 4 hobbits on the front. There are some very nice pictures in the booklet but the most important thing is that the lyrics, in their original printing and in English translation, are included for the listener to read along with. The standard edition also comes with 6 different insert sleeves that are placed on top of the jacket. They include, Bilbo, Frodo, Arwen, Aragorn, Gandalf, and Saruman (my choice). The cd contains a web link that allows the user access to an exclusive site containing some excellent material, albeit, mostly focusing on Enya.

Howard Shore states that there is over 3 hours of music composed for this single film in the trilogy. While the cd does provide a great overview of the important themes, one is left wanting to hear what else there is. Perhaps a double set cd will be released in the future or the future DVD will allow users to listen to the score in its entirety. Nonetheless, the material on the cd is quite excellent, Howard Shore, somewhat of an obscure name in score composing, has done an excellent job that will please almost all fans. But the score still has to pass the ultimate test, will it work with the sounds and visuals of the film? We'll find out on Dec 19, 2001!

There are many avenues about this soundtrack worth examining and discussing. After all, with such great anticipation facing "The Fellowship of the Ring", how can anyone truthfully confess that he can help not wondering about how the music for the movie would turn out? Ideas and expectations abound: Could Peter Jackson acquire the Celtic pastoral feel he was gunning for? Or could fans expect something colder and more military sounding, something befitting of a movie of such epic proportions (literally)?

When Howard Shore signed on, I'm sure plenty were apprehensive about his ability in such relevance, while others were willing to give him an open opportunity. But the debate is sure to rage on, even with the release of this edited record of a three-hour soundtrack. One score to rule them all, or just one score to fall? It's anybody's guess.

On the one hand, to put it honestly, you hardly hear anything Celtic here (even with Enya around), except maybe for the occasional fiddle in "Concerning Hobbits". There's nothing very bright - or "pastoral" for that matter - about any of this music. It's very hard, very bitter, and even as you listen on, you can see how these pieces inevitably spiral towards the darker thematic side of J. R. R. Tolkien's story. It isn't entirely military, with rattling drums and soaring strings for the mere purpose of accompanying battle sequences, or the incidental monster encounter, but it isn't something you'll feel very cheerful listening to.

On the other hand, that might not be so bad. Very evidently, this is not a thematic soundtrack. This can be clearly demonstrated by undisputed comparison to the soundtrack of the other fantasy counterpart - John Williams' "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone". Throughout the latter you somehow hear "Hedwig's Theme" all the time. But with Howard Shore's immensely dark choral verses and dramatic orchestral backing (while giving him less room to build up a proper, impressive theme), there is great space for variation. Honestly, there is hardly any piece that sounds alike with another. From the very beginning, "The Prophecy" sets it straight: This is a musical voyage that's going to go grim. But interspersed with such grimness come moments of subtle mysticism, heartfelt poignancy, and sometimes plain excitement that hints of an omen of death. "The Shadow of the Past" actually suits very appropriately the tone of that part of the story. It grinds gloomily into the listener's mind how utterly sickening the Ring of Power can be, but it doesn't grind too hard. No - it kind of floats on for other bits of the soundtrack to pound you harder. "The Black Rider" is typical of a looming omen, almost vividly portraying the coming of the Ringwraith just through audible music. "A Knife in the Dark", "Flight to the Ford" and, the sure favourite, "The Bridge of Khazad-Dum", ignite the soundtrack with dark adventure, a race for life, and the ever ominous uncertainty of what has yet to come.

But Howard Shore really fleshes out his thirst for variety in all the vocal additions he has integrated quite cleverly into the music. Elizabeth Fraser's "Lament for Gandalf" in "Lothlorien" is aptly spooky and spine-tingling, and reminds you of how Enya creates her own ethereal voice. Though lyrics are included with the CD, the magic of this bit is that you never get to hear them sung clearly. It really is a lament, so to say - a mourning cry that is hauntingly - and surprisingly - melodious.

Enya's involvement in this project will undoubtedly come under fire. On one hand, it may not be anything new that we've heard from her, and it may not be so beautifully Celtic as we've come to expect from her. On the other hand, maybe that's just the right kind of sound Peter Jackson and Howard Shore were looking for. For example, "Aniron" slips in somewhere in "The Council of Elrond" so delicately, it's almost as if Enya had composed that very theme, careful not to break any of the accompanying strings. The end title theme song she composed - "May It Be" - may not be so lush with the air of Ireland. But, really, should she be doing Ireland, or Middle Earth? If you think about it, her music, with Roma Ryan's lyrics, brilliantly sum up everything that "The Lord of the Rings" strives for: The painstaking fight for good over evil, and how love, courage and hope can give strength in such a battle.

But, really - in the end, it's anyone's guess. There isn't anything particularly musical for anyone to hang on to in this soundtrack. To one, it could be something merely dedicated to pounding eardrums, or even an exhibition of plagiarism from the likes of John Williams and crew. To another, it could be a bold attempt, a take on something hardly anyone would have expected for a beautiful movie, dark or otherwise.

Still, shouldn't you give it credit for provoking some thought?

Before this album was cut I honestly had no idea who Howard Shore was. I was a bit disappointed; I had hoped John Williams was going to do the score and create another masterpiece like Star Wars or Harry Potter. I was wrong!

Howard Shore takes the world of Tolkien and brings it to life in this music. He brings aspects from many different countries-mostly Ireland but there is a hint of India even, in track 14, 'Lothlorien'. It is at times a very dark score but also lighthearted in another aspect-comparing 'Concerning Hobbits' with 'The Bridge of Kazad-Dum'. The voices play a magnificent part in bringing more life and volume to the songs. They almost want to make you cry at parts, specifically in 'The Bridge of Kazad-Dum'. Enya, one of my personal favorites, does another spectacular song in the haunting 'May It Be' and 'Anrion'.

Besides the music, I also liked the cover of the album. Inside there are the lyrics written in both Elvish and English, along with various pictures from the movie. There are random collector cards on the outside, which you can see when you buy it. (mine contains Aragorn) Not only is it a wonderful bargain but the music is beautiful. If this does not win the Oscar for Best Score I know many fans will be very angry.

One cannot imagine the intense disappointment spurred at the announcement of Howard Shore's helming this score. Let's face the bare truth of his history: he's written TOLERABLE scores since he entered Hollywood, but never anything overwhelming, never anything irresistible to the film score fan, never anything to warrant the intense attention that some of the film industries more prominent composers deserve. What Shore has done to this day has been appropriate, but never earth-shattering, never mandating score fanatics to flock to the scores for a work that, in all respects, is never ambitious enough to stand by its own. Meanwhile, however, the talent was always there in the background. One could sense the potential for a truly grand thematic quality lying behind some of his work; Silence of the Lambs come to mind very distinctly. Unfortunately, until The Lord of the Rings he never fully grasped that potential and took it to the extent that could make him a frontrunner in the film score industry. The Lord of the Rings, in short, shatters all preconceptions of Shore's talents and propels him to a new level of attention--deserved attention--that will no doubt classify him as one of the living greats.

First of all, on the subject of the themes, Shore exceeds even the prior example of excellence I had named. There is an old-fashioned, medieval quality to their design that aptly coincides with Tolkien's universe. First, one hears the playful, yet innocent Hobbit theme that is perhaps the best represented on the album. Then, the Fellowship theme, which is short, but a brave, inspiring, heroic little piece of music that recurs just enough to be remembered, but never too much to become an annoyance. Furthermore, among other minor themes, is Enya's contribution to the album, which certainly cannot be condemned but does indeed pale in comparison to Shore's offerings. Altogether, Shore melds an album that takes into account the eventual three films in the series and never overdoes a theme, much as some other prominent composers are apt to do.

The two most thrilling aspects of this score coincide and can only be mentioned as cohesive compliments: the grand epic choral passages and the sheer size and power of the performers (instrumental and choral). If a powerful chorus can in any way indicate the passion, intensity, skill, and attention that a composer instills in his work--and even if it isn't true, it still most certainly pertains to The Lord of the Rings--then Shore manages to command a distinct and undeniable love for this film that is sublimated through the truly spectacular music. The large gothic choir is always magical, mysterious, and perfectly evokes the terror and grand landscape of middle earth by keeping a very tense, very dark character to the film. Not, however, without its lighter moments, Shore walks the line that borders the very dark and serious adventure with the playful, jolly Hobbit race, more upbeat folk music that retains enough sobriety to maintain the blend of diverse tones. What becomes perhaps most admirable is Shore's mastery of action music, which unlike most of his contemporaries, generally falls into brash and unlistenable cues that do little to be entertaining. Shore however weaves a selection of action intensive tracks that nearly pass without the listener relating the sounds to what normally comes as a harsh, abrasive selection of rolling outbursts. Shore, on the other hand, creates actual, honest-to-God music during the action cues--yes, in deed, it's near heard of, but what this does for the album (and no doubt the film as well) is to make the experience all the more perfect and to retain the cohesion of grand beauty rather than retreat to the familiar and detestable grounds that score fans are more familiar with.

And so from beautiful themes, to a massive awe-inspiring chorus, to a selection of music and tracks that are composed so well for the film that they translate near astoundingly onto the album, a perfectly rounded CD is offered to the public that shows Shore's genius that may only now be dawning in the minds of film score fans. This is the coming-out that any Shore fan has no doubt waited long to witness and can now proclaim and admire with unwavering admiration for a truly stupendous offering. Yes, I had hoped for the likes of John Williams, David Arnold, maybe even (forgive me) James Horner, and I have no doubt that had they would have done well; they would have offered a respectable and not altogether different take on the series, though in all probability--and certainly to the detriment of the film--a lighter and less effective offering at that. Instead, I was given something that is in all certainty nothing less than what The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien's superb vision, necessitates in its overwhelming and unrelenting design. Shore, finally, has become the right man for the job--and now I anxiously wait to see what further projects of his will shock me in the future; I certainly know that he is capable!