Customer Reviews

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

5 star:		(217)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Howard Shore has proven his talent beyond any doubt with this, the third and final of the three soundtracks for The Lord of the Rings movies. The music is the perfect score for the three most incredible movies the world has seen, taking us from emotional heights, to depths, to simple and quiet moments with some of the most wonderful music you'll ever hope to hear, regardless of whether or not you have seen, or even wish to see, the cinema trilogy by New Line.

I'd hoped to do a track-by-track analysis, but I simply don't have room, so I'll share some of this CD's better tracks.

Track 3 (3:38): It starts out with dangerous overtones, as Pippin attempts to steal the Palantír from Gandalf, and the terrible consequences of his deed. Gandalf takes him to the city of Gondor, and we hear the premiere of Shore's theme for the City of Kings. (Actually, we first heard a sampling of the Gondor theme in the first movie, when Aragorn is first spoken of as the exiled king, and again in the motion picture preview released earlier in 2003) A wonderful choir makes way to the splendorous, magnificent theme for Gondor, perfectly capturing all the wonder and awe of the city. Awesome. Actually, the solo by Ben Del Maestro, I have concurred, is the part that plays when the White Rider dashes out onto the planes to challenge the Nazgūl.

Track 4 (3:25): A solemn tune, with distinctive Death of Boromir overtones, then the theme for Gondor again, just as grand as before. I believe (I'm big on figuring out which part of the soundtrack goes to which part of the movie) that this is the glorious music that plays as Gandalf rides through the citadel of Gondor, to the very top level of the city.

Track 5 (3:53): Not EXACTLY one of my favorite picks, but I had to comment on this one since it is the one with Billy Boyd's solo. In the beginning, it is primarily flute, along with other, somber-sounding instruments mixed in. Gondorian theme again, quieter this time. This, I have figured out, is the sad music that plays as Faramir leads his troops out onto the field. At 2:35 on the CD counter, Billy Boyd begins his quiet, dirge-like solo which provides the background theme for Faramir's suicide charge on enemy ranks. And yes, it is a very lovely, though somber and sad song. Billy Boyd sings it very well.

Track 7 (2:09): The action-oriented muster of Rohan's troops. As you could expect, the theme of Rohan from The Two Towers prevails in a heroic and magnificent way. In the middle, there is a quiet moment where Shore makes use of the generally-saved-for-hobbits Celtic-sounding flute. The track picks back up triumphantly before it ends.

Track 10 (2:35): Quiet beginning, with Rivendell overtones. Another tune begins, a very royal and glorious as the sword of kings is reforged anew. The end transitions to the creepy Paths of the Dead theme.

Track 13 (3:26): Slow beginning, then a very drawn-out tune of hopefulness. Rohan's arrival to Gondor's aid? Then the stunning, dramatic theme for the Ringwraiths is blasted out by the incredible choir Howard Shore commands. It may be the bad guy theme, but it is still incredible to hear. The track is too short, in my opinion.

Track 15 (4:02): The last desperate stand of Aragorn's troops before Mordor's endless ranks. At the same time, the quiet flute plays as Frodo works against all odds to climb the mountain of doom. This track and the next are the themes for the most powerful, poignant moments in the movie, and are NOT to be missed. (Referring to the music, but the movie too!)

Track 16 (5:13): Terribly desperate, frantic choir plays during the final moments of the climax at Mt. Doom and the Black Gate. A silent moment appears, with a slow solo by Renee Fleming, as Aragorn faces down the Eye of Sauron. Shore makes brilliant use of the choir - well, pretty much any time he uses them for his Lord of the Rings film score, but especially in this case.

Track 19 (5:48): Of the three songs (May it Be, Gollum's Song, and Into the West) that Howard Shore has featured on his soundtrack, I nominate this one as the best. It is sung by Annie Lennox, whose voice credit-viewers may recognize from Apollo 13's end credits. Her voice in this sounds somehow a little less feminine, and a little more like a male with a high-pitched voice, but that's just an observation, not a complaint. The song itself is really great. It sings in very poetic, descriptive terms basically of Heaven. For anyone, but particularly believers in Jesus like me, it is an especially inspiring and thrilling song of hope for the World to Come; of heaven. Beautiful. And as usual, the end credits song also includes a bit of the film score after the song.

Folks, Howard Shore's soundtrack abilities remain unequaled. For fans of the film, the music is an excellent way to relive parts of the movie when silly things like, say, real life prevent you from going to the theater. For people who haven't seen the movie, this music is awesome no matter which way you dice it. Please, please buy this CD.

In a time when most studios bank on a combination of bubble gum pop, hip hop and rap to sell soundtracks for a film, we are gifted with true greatness. Howard Shore looked at each film as a separate entity that required a continuous bridge as a theme, and different voices to carry each movie to the next. You had Enya (May it Be) for Fellowship of the Ring. For the Two Towers it was Sheila Chandra (Breath of Life), Isabel Bayrakdarian (Evenstar), Ben Del Maestro (Forth Eorlingas, and with Elizabeth Fraser on Isengard Unleashed) and Emiliana Torrini (Gollum's Song.)

On the final soundtrack, we get a host of voices to treasure. We have the sublime in Renee Fleming (Twilight and Shadow, The End of All Things) and Ben del Maestro (Minas Tirith). We also have the flute of James Galway (The Black Gate Opens, The Grey Havens.) But what is most endearing is the voice of Billy Boyd (The Steward of Gondor)and Viggo Mortensen (The Return of the King) singing laments to mark their historical journeys.

Peter Jackson has created a gut wrenching, emotional trilogy. Howard Shore has blessed us with music that grabs your heart and soul and never lets go. I highly recommend all three magnificant sound tracks.

This music is the completion of a journey begun over two years ago.

When I first heard, quite a while ago now, that Howard Shore had been selected to write the music for "The Lord of the Rings" films, I wasn't sure what to think. I liked Shore's music well enough from movies like "Silence of the Lambs" or "Seven," but I wasn't sure how he would handle the epic nature of something like this. Three times over now, Shore has proven to me (and to many others) that he is quite capable of expressing everything that makes "The Lord of the Rings" such a grand story in his music.

The score for "Return of the King" is the most grand and sweeping of the three scores, which is as it should be, since the events of the story are of the largest scale. And yet, somehow the music finds moments of intimacy and soft beauty, even amidst all the epic movements and operatic themes.

Each of the different tracks on the album is recognizable for its theme: "The White Tree" is a powerful and noble theme for Gondor, "Shelob's Lair" is a terrifying piece for its namesake, "The Steward of Gondor" is a softly moving march accompanied by panflute, with a surprisingly-moving vocal piece by Billy Boyd (Pippin in the film), and "Minas Morgul" is an even more intense repriese of the recurrent theme for the Nazgul. "The Fields of the Pelennor" will rouse you right out of your seat, and "Twilight and Shadow," with the incomparable Renee Fleming lending her gorgeous voice, will make your eyes tear up.

The track that will rip your heart out, though, is definitely "Into the West," with Annie Lennox singing vocals. Such a beautiful, powerful, emotional song is the perfect coda to these films, and an excellent summary for all that has gone before. The first time I heard this song, before I even saw the film, I was left with tears rolling down my cheeks. Of the three songs which play at the end of each film, "Into the West" is easily the best one, the most moving, and the most deeply-felt.

If you get the Special Edition version of this soundtrack, the DVD that accompanies it has some pretty interesting stuff, but it's mostly for movie music buffs. If you're into the process of creating music for motion pictures at all (I definitely am), then the short documentary shown on this DVD is an excellent one. Other than that, the other interesting features are an extra music track ("Use Well the Days," again performed by Annie Lennox) and a long "supertrailer" for the three films. Both are worth seeing, but the documentary was the best part for me, and the real selling point of the extra DVD edition of the soundtrack.

The point of it all is that this is It. From the Fellowship theme to the music of Rohan, from the violent strains of the Dark Lord's minions to the gentle tones of the Shire, this soundtrack brings it all together. It is operatic in scale but intimate in effect. Whether you want to relive the film itself or just find a good accompaniment to read the books by, Howard Shore's music for "Return of the King" provides the perfect musical companion. It is unquestionably a masterful acheivement, and should be required listening for any fan of the films, or any fan of the works of Tolkien.

Soundtracks do not make or mar a film per se, but it cannot be denied that it is an important element. An irritating or faky soundtrack can make you laugh at what should be a serious part of the film, and would probably draw your attention away from the actual movie.
But then sometimes there are those soundtracks that come along that the listener just really likes. It captures the emotion of the film, it can deliver a mighty punch when necessary, but also presents softer parts where they are required. In short, it fits. This is what Howard Shore has done with the Return of the King soundtrack.
Featuring the masterful voices of Ben del Maestro, who had previously worked on the Two Towers soundtrack, Annie Lennox, and Renee Flemming of opera fame, as well as the wonderful London Philharmonic, The London Voices, and The London Oratory School Sola, this soundtrack takes us on a third journey into Howard Shore's music of Middle Earth.
Beginning with a harmless, happy flashback depicting Deagol and Smeagol fishing on the Anduin River, the music is joyous, and somewhat reminiscent of the Shire tunes that featured in the other soundtracks. But before many minutes have passed, the music rapidly descends into a thunderous blend of the two Mordor themes, reminding everyone that the enemy is not defeated yet.
Soon after, we are introduced to a theme that was not in either of the other soundtracks: the motif of Gondor, the mightiest nation of men still extant in Middle Earth. The loud brass music here is sure to remind everyone of the theme for the Fellowship, but it still has its own sound to it, and it well depicts the honor and hope that still lives on in Gondor.
There is another new theme here, encapsulated in one long track, that has not been heard in previous soundtracks, simply because the loathsome creature it portrays has not showed herself before: the theme for Shelob. Starting off with slow, ominous brass depicting her dark lair, it soon kicks off with racing violins as she begins her quest for blood. This is not a track to skip-it doesn't let up much at all, once it gets going.
Just as choral music featured prominently in Two Towers and the Fellowship, it has a key role in the Return of the King as well. It marshalls itself chiefly into two incredible tracks-The Battle of the Pelennor Fields and The End of All Things. In Pelennor we have a variant of the Nazgul theme-a little less subtle than the one we're used to. The pounding chorus here may very well be my favorite part of the entire CD. Did I talk about no letup in Shelob's tune? Try this one.
The End of All Things is another great track-since it depicts the final climax of the film, it has to be pretty dramatic, and it certainly is. This features the excellent voice of Renee Flemming in the quieter parts, and shows that this lady does not need to stick to opera to sound good.
There is one track-only one, mind you-that I am not very enamored with in this CD, and I think it may simply be because the scene it accompanies is one I dislike. This track depicts one of the mercifully rare appearances of Arwen Evenstar in the film-and probably is not intrisically bad music. I think I'm just prejudiced. If you liked Arwen, you'll probably like this.
Shore does something unusual in this soundtrack-two separate actors in the film have small singing parts. One-Billy Boyd's song in track 5, the Steward of Gondor-is quite excellent. The other-Viggo Mortensen's solo in track 17, The Return of the King-is not. Mortensen should have kept just to speaking, but his part is only about thirty seconds to a minute out of a ten-minute, otherwise very good track, so it is not too bad.
And then there is always the final track: Into the West. Annie Lennox give us an emotional, very good song about the final destination of all the good guys in Middle Earth--the western land of Valinor, which seems to be Tolkien's allegory of Heaven. This is an excellent song, and Annie Lennox has a very good voice.
The Return of the King is a wonderful end to a wonderful soundtrack, with recaptions of many of the excellent themes that made appearances in the other two CDs-the Fellowship theme and the Rohan theme, chiefly. With its epic scope and wonderful performers, it is a great soundtrack for a great movie, and is nearly as good standing on its own as it is accompanying the movie. Don't pass it by.

When I'm studying or working I usually like to put some background instrumental music on. This is not that music. This album commands your full attention from beginning to end. It is a story in itself- frightening, dramatic, triumphant, and above all, incredibly emotional.

One of the most remarkle tracks is "Shelob's Lair." Most of the song is loud and dissonant- the kind of music that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up, as it should. However, at the end of the song, it breaks into this absolutely stunning and beautiful denouement that still somehow communicates all the fear and despair in the accompanying scene. I have never heard such a successful combination of beauty and fear. I don't know how Howard Shore did it, but it's amazing.

The triumphant and heart-tugging Gondor theme prevails on many tracks while themes from "Into the West" become more prevalent towards the end. The first dozen or so songs work together to drive the music into the climax where one can't help but hear Sam cry, "I can carry you!" Wow. The last songs of the album succeed in conveying the bittersweet peace that Frodo and the remaining Fellowship members feel at the end of the tale.

One improvement in this album over the preceding two is the inclusion of the singing that is in the film. When Billy Boyd starts singing, I have to stop everything I'm doing and just listen.

I find that I can't listen to this album often because it makes me too emotional. However, this is only a testament to its quality. It is a beautiful, engaging, and moving soundtrack for what I consider to be the best movie ever made.

I STRONGLY recommend sitting down, by yourself, with a copy of Tolkien's novel, and then listening to this soundtrack in full. I had some pretty high hopes for this soundtrack, and this music exceeds them.

Some of my favourites include -

Track 1 - A Storm is Coming
A surprisingly upbeat and whimsical introduction to the film. Compared to the previous openings (especially the fantastic 'Foundations of Stone' from The Two Towers), it sounds surprisingly subdued. Still, it's an enjoyable listen, and does provide excellent musical accompaniment to seeing Smeagol sans' makeup.

Track 10 - Anduril
Finally, after three years of impatiently waiting, we at last see the forging of Anduril - the Sword of the West! And it's about time!!! Howard Shore makes sure that the payoff here is absolutely huge, with a liberal (and beautiful) use of choral arrangements, and the elven themes from both Rivendell and Lothlorien (just to emphasis exactly who is reforging the Sword of the West).

Track 11 - Shelob
This track sounds like it belongs more to an Aliens film than an epic fantasy - it is, however, mildly scary (at least to my ears). Howard Shore has often composed music for David Cronenberg (a famous horror film director), so it should be no surprise that he knows how to scare the pants of film audiences. After hearing this music, so goodness only knows what Shelob will actually look like. And I hate spiders!

Track 15 - The Black Gate Opens
Despite its bleak title, this is a surprisingly hopeful and optimistic tune. There are a few welcome reprises of tunes from FOTR and TTT, including the Fellowship tune, Hobbiton, and the 'Into the West'.

Track 16 - The End of All Things.
It's interesting to note that both 'The Matrix Revolutions' and `Return of the King' use choir music to great effect. I really enjoyed Don Davis excellent work on the Matrix soundtracks. The films may not have lived up to all my expectations, but the music definitely did.

Track 17 - Return of the King
It's 10 minutes of pure Howard Shore LOTR music - which is always a major plus in my book. It's the most uplifting and optimistic track in the entire album, and it has Viggo Mortensen in it singing vocals - which really knocked me for a loop! Not to mention an excellent reprise of the Fellowship and Hobbiton themes from FOTR. Oh, and did I mention that James Galway gets to play a solo on flute? At the moment, my number one favourite track from all three films. Mostly because I've been waiting for this emotional payoff for the last three years. Excellent, outstanding stuff!

Track 18 - The Grey Havens & Track 19 - Into the West
I know you have mixed feelings about the last track (sung by Annie Lennox). I'm really pleased with it - it reflects exactly how the reader should feel at the end of ROTK. There's a sense of elation, but also a deep sense of sadness when we realise that Frodo and Bilbo are taking the Grey Ships "beyond the circles of the world". The tunes used here are a radical departure from what we've heard before. There's a sense that the slate has been wiped clean, of new beginnings.

This is a stupendous soundtrack - required listening regardless of whether you enjoy the films or not. I wish I could've been part of the orchestra recording this wonderful music - being there for that would've been the experience of a lifetime!

I enjoyed the music to "Fellowship of the Ring" and "The Two Towers", but they felt like unfinished works, the ends untied. And for good reason: the movie epic the music depicts was itself unfinished. Now, with "The Return of the King", everything comes together at last. And the result is an orchestral masterpiece.

Many composers are capable of writing perfectly serviceable music for a film score, playing fast and exciting music in chase or battle scenes, tender music in romantic scenes, and pastoral music in country scenes, such as the Shire at the beginning of "Fellowship". Sometimes, as James Horner did with "Titanic", it can strike a very powerful chord, and the music can ride around in one's mind for months on end, the tunes utterly unforgettable.

But very few composers, to my knowledge, can develop different themes for over a dozen different characters and places, then skillfully weave them together into a sonic tapestry, so rich in detail that it is actually possible to listen to the music and follow the story's plot line in one's head. John Williams has done it, with his "Star Wars" saga. And now Howard Shore has pulled off a similar coup with "The Lord of the Rings".

Brought together, on this CD, are the hobbit/Shire themes, the heroic/Aragorn motif, the elvish choral music, plus the stirring martial music depicting the Riders of Rohan. Added to the brew is the ominous Dies Irae-type Nasgūl music, found in the track "Minas Morgul", and the pounding percussion reminding us of the orcs. And, new to "The Return of the King", is the grand Gondor motif, especially notable on the track "The White Tree". Filled with brass instruments, it fairly sings.

Having read the book several times over the years, but not yet having seen the movie, I could nonetheless guess at the plot line just by reading the track titles and listening. The music from "Shelob's Lair" reminds me of a cross between the rock troll in the Mines of Moria and the infamous shower scene in Psycho. Could Sam and Frodo be running into something particularly nasty in the darkness? It's safe to assume that this scene is going to be very intense.

The one track which really refuses to leave my head is the last, "Into the West". When I saw on the track listing that the singer was Annie Lennox, it gave me pause. Enya singing "May it Be" I can understand, but Annie Lennox? I had mental images of a woman with bright orange hair belting out, with her trademark strident voice, Eurythmics hits like "Sweet Dreams", "I Need a Man" and "Would I Lie to You?" But it works beautifully. The voice is strident, true, but at the same time very tender. I can very easily imagine myself staring blankly at the screen as the end credits roll and this song plays: "What can you see / On the horizon? / Why do the white gulls call?"

How come guys like me don't get to go to Valinor? It doesn't seem fair, somehow ....

What more can I add? If you liked the first two CDs, you'll certainly like this one. Count on it.

As a composer for a trilogy of movies, Howard Shore could've taken the easy way out. With ROTK, he could've created a follow-up score that sounds very much like the score for TTT. And subsequently, have TTT sound much like FOTR. What Howard Shore has instead created could easily be considered his magnum opus - 3 splendidly layered and unique film scores that will be copied and admired for years to come. Like Peter Jackson, Mr. Shore has succeeded in bringing us the world of Middle Earth and introducing us to its wide and varied cultures and creatures.

The soundtrack for ROTK is nothing short of magnificent. This is when our favorite characters finally face the ultimate test - to sacrifice life and limb to save Middle Earth from the clutches of the dark lord Sauron. The soundtrack reflects the prevalent moods and emotions of the book - it builds up a foreboding sense of doom (which climaxes with such powerful tracks as "Shelob's Lair," "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields" and "The End of All Things") and ends with a sense of calm, hope and melancholy (highlighted by the fabulous "The Return of the King," "The Grey Havens" and "Into the West"). The film itself (judging from the soundtrack) promises to be the most powerful - not only in terms of action sequences and visual grandeur but also in its emotional impact - of the 3 films. Many tracks in this soundtrack drove me to tears and I imagine that I, in turn, will be sobbing in the movie theater when I finally see ROTK on opening night.

With this trilogy, Howard Shore has created some fantastic and memorable themes. When you listen to a track, you become transported to a certain place - whether it is in the Shire, Rivendell, Moria, Rohan or Isengard. In this sountrack, there are sprinkles of the familiar themes from the first 2 films: the lightness of the Hobbiton theme ("Concerning Hobbits" from the Fellowship score), the grandeur of the Gondor theme (which brings to mind the fabulous Boromir/Faramir/Denethor flashback scene from the Two Towers extended cut dvd), the ethereal Rivendell theme, and the majestic Rohan theme (as in "The King of the Golden Hall" from Two Towers). However, Mr. Shore also introduces us to new themes depicting the menace and power of Mordor, Aragorn's new destiny, Shelob, the melancholy of the Grey Havens and Denethor's failing rule. This is then topped off by what I consider the best theme song of the trilogy (with apologies to Enya) - Annie Lennox's stunning "Into the West."

The highlights for me include: 2. Hope and Memory, 8. Twilight and Shadow, 10. Anduril, 13. The Fields of Pelennor, 15. The Black Gate Opens, 16. The End of All Things, 17. The Return of the King and 19. Into the West. My favorite has to be "The Return of the King" which so splendidly weaves together all of the themes that we have come to love - the Gondor theme, the Hobbit theme, the Fellowship theme, Aragorn's theme and the Breaking of the Fellowship theme. At over 10 mins, it is also the longest-running track. Shore shows pure genius by adding fantastic new contributors to this score - James Galway's flute, Renee Fleming's haunting soprano, Billy Boyd's melancholy hymn, Viggo Mortensen's elvish air and Annie Lennox's evocative voice and song-writing skills. Ben del Maestro's stunning tenor - a highlight in the Two Towers soundtrack - returns as well.

I am happy to report that the soundtrack for "The Return of the King" is just as good as - if not better than - that of the first two films. It is a rich, layered, powerful score and I cannot wait to finally take it all in when The Return of the King opens in cinemas. This is a must have for any The Lord of the Rings fan and is a fantastic addition to any music lovers collection.

It's so sad that this is the end of the Trilogy. I sincerely enjoyed listening to the music of the 3 parts of the Lord of the Rings. Howard Shore spared no effort to make us feel the events of the story. His vision and enthusiasm were a great help to the making of this movie.

- As usual, Shore brings some of the old music from the Fellowship of the Ring esp. in his first theme (A storm is coming). This time he lets us feel the moments when Smeagol was a hobbit enjoying his time in fishing with his friend Deagol, who found the One Ring, but was murdered by Smeagol. However, there're parts of the theme in the movie, but were not incorporated in the soundtrack CD.
- (Hope and memory) reminds us with the scene when Gandalf were heading toward Minas Tirith with Pippin. Then comes (Minas Tirith) into play when they reached the City of Men. This theme combines also the escape of Faramir from the orcs & Nazgul who took over the bridge, the West Bank, and Osgiliath.
- (The White Tree) is a combination of many themes such as the time when the Steward of Gondor was weeping for his dead son (Boromir), and also when the sign of help traveled from Gondor to Rohan.
- (The Steward of Gondor) is a good theme which makes us feel the moment when Faramir with his soldiers were going back to fight the orcs in Osgiliath. This theme stars Billy Boyd (Pippin) when he sings a sad song for the Steward who enjoys his meal while his soldiers are fighting & being killed !
- (Minas Morgul) is a theme full of darkness & evil esp when Frodo, Sam & Gollum were in Minas Morgul.
- (The Riders of Rohirrim) is self-descriptive, and a beautiful theme which shows courage of the Rohan soldiers.
- (Twilight and Shadow) is one of the most brilliant themes, performed by Rene Fleming. It's touching and so sad. When u listen to it, u will picture the sad Arwen Undomiel leaving to the Grey Haven according to her father's will. But later she changes her plan and goes back to Rivendell to convince her father to reforge the sword of Elendil (the King's sword) for Aragorn, her beloved man.
- (Cirith Ungol) is good music; part of it includes the moment when Frodo abandons Sam to continue the journey with him.
- (Anduril) is great one, since it lets u picture the reforging of the sword of Elendil (Anduril) by the elves.
- (Shelob's lair) is evil theme and lets u feel the fearful moments that Frodo had to go thru when he was escaping from that creepy creature. However, the theme misses the part where Lady Galadriel came into play after Frodo fell down.
- (Ash & smoke) describes the war against Gondor.
- (The field of Pelennor) is a great theme which describes the coming of the Rohirrim and their courage leaded by King Theoden against orcs.
- (Hope fails) music theme is good.
- (The black gate opens) forms the main theme of all the battles. Shore brings us to the scene where the black gate opens then back to Frodo & Sam remembering the Shire and how brave Sam is when he says the best words of friendship (I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you !).

The last 3 themes are the best of all the themes in addition to (Twilight & shadow):
- (The end of all things) is beautiful. It starts when Frodo claimed the ring to be his, then fights with Gollum for it until Gollum cuts Frodo's finger and takes the ring (performed by Rene Fleming), then Frodo fights again with him until he falls down in the lava of the volcano. As a consequence to the casting of the One Ring, Sauron's tower falls and Sauron dies & all the evil which used to charge the orcs force diminished. Frodo & Sam is now left on a large rock, then Gandalf rescues them by his eagles friends. However, there're parts of the music theme in the movie which were not included in the soundtrack, esp. the background when Frodo says (It's gone, it's done).
- (The return of the King) is a standout (and the longest) theme, when Aragorn became King of Gondor, and Arwen comes at last to be his Queen, but of course after she lost her immortality.
- (The Grey Haven) is so soft and touching, which is the last theme of the movie. It's so sad since the fellowship of the ring is broken after Gandalf & Frodo leave forever to the Grey Haven. It actually makes you cry along with Pippin, Merry, and Sam!

- (Into the West) is a lovely song with good lyrics performed by Annie Lennox. You will listen to it many many times.

I just wish there could be an Extended Soundtrack of the movie, since some themes were not included in the original soundtrack.

In my opinion, this is the best of all the 3 soundtracks of the Lord of the Rings. It's state-of-the-art, brilliant & full of emotions. It should be classic soundtrack.

The entire "The Lord of the Rings" film trilogy is absolutely amazing and all are groundbreaking achievements in filmmaking but in my opinion they wouldn't be as good without the amazing master work of composer Howard Shore. 'The Return of the King', in particular, has the most expressive, emotional and dramatic music of the three films which perfectly complements the emotion and drama of the movie. The music alone is a work of genius. From the orchestral music to Annie Lennox's "Into the West", this soundtrack is truly astonishing.