Customer Reviews

Lord of the Rings - Original London Cast Recording with Bonus DVD

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This production recording has been eagerly anticipated by all who have taken the show to heart. The high lights on this album are 'The Star of Earendil (sung by Rosalie Craig),' 'Lothlorien' (sung by Laura Michelle Kelly as Galadrial and Michael Rouse) and Sam and Frodo's song 'Now and for Always' (sung by James Loye and Peter Howe), there are many more extraordinary and memorable songs which are a real joy to hear again. The music is gorgeous, romantic, fantastical, poetic and spiritual. The recording stands on it's own as a unique listening experience mixing narrative with orchestration and song.

The composers are A. R. Rahman, the Värttinä and Christopher Nightingale the musical supervisor and orchestrator. The book and lyrics are by Shaun McKenna and Matthew Warchus.

The sound of the show is without a doubt the most refreshing I have ever heard in the West End and I can only hope that other shows will be just as brave and inventive in their storytelling.

This issue comes as a double c. d set. The second disc is a dvd which has the entire recording in superior sound and while you recall fond memories from the first time you saw it a slide show of the production is presented. Through out the 63 minute recording imagery from rehearsals to first performances have been compiled and this will be enjoyed many times over, I am sure.

There are musical choral arrangements missing which were from the Toronto Production and this may dishearten those who might have hoped for more of a mix on this album but till Mr Wallace and Company reach Broadway this recording suffices as a sublime work and I imagine an extended cast album will follow someday.

here are some of the lyrics to two of the songs:

~ Lothlórien ~
From the west she appeared, sunlight and stars in her hair
In her eyes an undying memory of home, a land that is magical and fair
When her feet came to rest, deep in a canopied glade
She lifted her face and there she danced, the realm of Lothlóren she made
Gaze on me lady of gold, reawaken my slumbering soul
Beacon of courage, summon me home, to your haven of wonders untold
Lothlórien

O child of my heart, born of a never-ending dream
You are cradled in light, bathed in an ever-flowing stream
Flourish and grow, my mystical world, here you will ever belong
Son of my yearning, daughter of hope, beautiful child of my song
Although storms may descend, mountain and valley may quake
For the days that remain, this is the promise I make
No shadow falls across this land
Before the wind and fire I stand
And you, my child, will know no harm
Enfolded in my arms
Lothlórien


~ Now and for always ~
Sit by the firelight's glow
Tell us an old tale we know
Tell of adventures strange and rare
Never to change, ever to share
Stories we tell
Will cast their spell
Now and for always

The product is beautifully packaged with both a CD of the musical score itself and a DVD that highlights the exact same musical score with photo stills of various scenes from the Musical and also behind the stage scenes. To be clear there is not actually any video of the performance and the CD/DVD do not include the dialog that was spoken. They still want you to go see them live after all. Hopefully they come to Broadway at some point so the American yanks can see them and not have to cross the pond. All in all it's a beautiful score of music and song that certainly adds a unique dimension to the works of Tolkein.

I enjoyed much of the music from this (that I had heard on the website) before the CD had come out and before I saw the show. I have just seen the show - twice! I loved it so much I had to go back! And I am so happy the CD was finally released by the time I saw it!

It is a beautiful soundtrack with many moods... the genius is having a different sound for the hobbits vs. the elves and it really comes together nicely. Being both a massive musical theatre fan and a LOTR fan this satisfies me on both fronts. The singing is top notch with Laura Michelle Kelly particularly of note - you can listen to her sing Lothlorien on the lotr.com website. Also the moods of the music are exactly what I would picture fitting into Tolkien's middle earth. The CD also comes with a DVD version of the music set to a photo slideshow of the production which is a really nice way to watch it.

It does have a celtic and folk feel to it, so if you don't care for that sound (ie didn't care for the Enya video with the movies) you might not care for it as much... but if you come it with an open mind, I can't imagine anyone not appreciating it's beauty.

This was a very nicely done item with great music. It incorporated a booklet with photos and the text to all of the lyrics used on the discs. The additional purchase of "The "Lord of the Rings" Official Stage Companion" book made this even more of an interesting experience of sight and sound!

As such I was very eager sit back and fully listen to the included audio DVD with 5.1 Sound Mix, which I understood included a slide show. Unfortunately I was greeted with the following message from my DVD/CD player, "Playback restricted by area limitations." Apparently region coded. Although it played on my computer, without the 5.1 sound the effect of "being there" is not the same. Hence, the lower rating.

I was honestly disappointed by this cast recording. For one thing, I was expecting more music for such an epic "megamusical" production, which of course doesn't bill itself really as a musical. Occasionally, the score sounds like it's quoting from Howard Shore's score for the movies, but by and large the songs achieve something of their own personality. There are a couple of good ones here, "The Road Goes On" and "Now and For Always," that give a bit of personality to the characters. But by and large this seems to be a fairly generic gambit, creating an album that doesn't really give a good idea of what's going on onstage or providing enough of a spark to place it among the "greats" of the genre.

Just got my copy of the CD+DVD & was totally excited to listen to the music..
It was seriously awesome + composed very well.
Jai Ho ARR..

~ArTFalko~

Beautiful, energetic, and fun to listen to. My favorite songs are "Now and For Always" and "Lothlorien".

When I first heard that they were conceiving The Lord of the Rings into a musical, like most fans, I was skeptical to say the least. A few years later, I learned that not only had they successfully turned it to a musical, but that it had a very successful run and generally positive reviews from critics, fans, and general audiences alike. After previewing one of the tracks (Lothlorien) I decided that the show was worth a listen.

Although this production is a highly trimmed rendering of LOTR, the music is decent, and the production is enjoyable. I was surprised that even with the largely successful blockbuster films by Peter Jackson, this conception of the story remains widely original, yet true to it's source material. As for the songs themselves, most are generic and forgettable. However, there are a few select tracks that I find particularly enjoyable, including "The Cat and Moon", "Lothlorien", and "Now and For Always". I don't find the rest of the music to be particularly bad however, just not particularly good either.

All in all, I do enjoy this production. I enjoy the fresh take on the series, and the music, while though not particularly inspired, is still enjoyable.

My wife and I saw a documentary on PBS about this troupe of actors that were attempting to mount a musical version of this venerable classic book. Upon watching the program, we knew we had to find the soundtrack, and I instinctively came here to Amazon. Needless to say, we are thrilled to have found it and have made it a part of our music collection. The music is as breathtaking as we thought it would be, and are thankful Amazon had it for purchase!!

I found out about the London production of "Lord of the Rings" on UTube and enjoyed the selections that fans had posted. Then I wanted to have a good quality version of the music, so I ordered this cd from Amazon. It is fabulous. I love reading the words to the songs, especially the Elvish with the translations, while I listen to the music. If you're a LotR fan, or even a fan of stage musicals, I think you will love this cd and accompanying dvd (which shows still photos of the production of the show set to the music).