Customer Reviews

Music Inspired by Middle Earth featuring David Arkenstone

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This album was given to me as a gift, and I'm glad because I'm not sure I would have bought it otherwise.

People seem to all be rating this album on how well it captures middle earth which I guess is warranted given the name of the album. Some have said they don't like it because Howard Shore's work on the motion picture score captures Tolkien's world better. Others have said they can't believe Arkenstone wasn't asked to score the film. Few have judged the CD on it's own.

First let me say Howard Shore rightly deserved the oscar for his score. Has any composer in history had a more daunting task? Shore not only composed a beautiful, encapsulating score for the film, but also did the near impossible--gained the approval of a vast majority of die hard Tolkien fans whose sacred ground he tread upon. In my mind, it is the definative music to Tolkien's saga.

To most Americans, fantasy is made up of rainbows and unicorns, fairies and good witches. It's a world where girls grow up to become beautiful princesses and evil is thwarted by true love's kiss. It is as such that many such Americans who read Tolkien's Lord of the Rings that they have a hard time seeing past the naivete and innocense of those cute little hobbits always singing and dancing even when climbing the face of Mt. Doom.

David Arkenstone's Music Inspired by Middle Earth is definately INSPIRED by this side. To be fair, that is his style. His music is typically very light and airy. To be even fairer, the music include here is at some times the darkest I've heard from the composer. But Tolkien wrote his masterpiece in a world ravaged by two world wars, having himself been in the trenches for the first. Tolkien's audience was one that had lived through the devastations; understood real sacrifice. Arkenstone's music captures Lord of the Rings about as much as an old John Wayne World War II movie captures the real event. Parts of it seem right, until you see Saving Private Ryan.

I would recommend this album as one of (if not) the best of David Arkenstone's albums. The music is beautiful and timeless. While it doesn't do anything to bring Lord of the Rings to mind for me, it is often a selection of choice for when I'm reading a fantasy novel or when writing. Strangely enough this album makes me think of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series more than anything else. It would be nice to hear Arkenstone do an album inspired on that. Most albums inspired by fantasy works [are bad]big time. This album certainly does not.

This CD is just unbelievable! I just finished listening to it for the first time, and it's very rare these days for an ENTIRE CD to catch your attention. Every track faithfully recreates the world of Middle Earth. Play this as you are reading The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings, and the mood is instantly created for you.

I can't really compare this CD to the actual soundtrack by Howard Shore. Both are two different music types. While Shore's score is more orchestral and theatrical, Arkenstone's version here is definately more traditional in terms of instruments, music-style and rhythm. There is definately a down to Earth Medieval and Renaissance feel to it, something Shore doesn't fully capture, except in his track "Concerning Hobbits", or the msic played at Biulbo's Birthday Party in the film.

The songs are light and upbeat for the most part, definately setting the mood for the Fellowship embarking on their Quest. If you are a lover of Celtic music, or period-based music from the Renaissance, this CD is definately for you. I highly and enthusiastically recommend it!

Edited after much listening:

Recently I was listening to the first track in 'Quest of the Dream Warrior' and was struck that this was just the kind of music that should be the backdrop for 'Lord of the Rings'. Instrumental, with vocals that complement Arkenstone's style perfectly (he himself is a very good singer even if only a handful of his tracks on all his CDs actually feature him singing).

Initially I felt that this CD only reinforced the notion that Arkenstone would have been the perfect choice to do the music for LotR. After having listened to both CDs (Shore's and Arkenstone's) I have to retract that statement, especially after having watched the movie again. Arkenstone doesn't do moody and
dark to the level that the movie would have required. He does the 'triumphant'/cheerful pieces better than the more somber ones (which tend to be repetitive). This CD has gotten a lot of playing time, but I don't listen to it over and over again, simply because each of the pieces do tend to repeat themselves, some with absolutely no change in the piece on each of many repetitions. Some of the pieces are wonderful however, and those keep it at a 4 star level. A below average Arkenstone CD, but still above average compared to most other similar works.

Music Inspired by Middle Earth is another amazingly, wonderful album by David Arkenstone. You can add me to the rest of the shocked reviewers who could not believe that Arkenstone was not picked to do the score for the movie. This entire CD is sheer beauty and it is so hard for me, (as if I really want to!!!) pick a favorite song from this CD. All of them portray Tolkien, his world and the epic that Frodo sets out upon. When I listen to this music, I am transported and carried away to Middle Earth and revel in every minute that I am there!

Having seen the movie several times now, I can put this CD on and I am seeing the scenes in my mind as if I was right back at the theater. I also have the original soundtrack and the music from the movie does not move me, nor does it have the same effect on me, as does this CD by Arkenstone.

Enchanting, enthralling and at times ethereal sum up this journey through Middle Earth for me! I absolutely love this arrangement.

David Arkenstone shines once again with this latest release! Fans will not be disappointed in this release. I play mine all the time and never tire of it! I only wish that I could rate it higher than a 5!

All my life i have been a fierce rock fan, and still am, but because i'm very open minded about all types of music, i recently became a fan of New Age, and it's fair to say that David Arkenstone played an important role in my discovery of this kind of sound. Yes, it is true that he, like most new age musicians, falls ocasionally in the terrible clichets that plague the genre, but it is also true that the man is a great composer and his music has always something valuable and special, even in his weakest moments.
Having said this, i believe that this album is his masterpiece, the best record in a prolific and mostly splendid career; he created great works with the albums 'Quest of The Dream Warrior' (with a song, 'Kyla's Ride, that in my opinion is the best that he ever recorded, and that amazes me how nobody used it in a movie score), 'In The Wake Of The Wind', and 'Return Of The Guardians', all loosely inspired by Tolkien, and has other excelent records, but here he exceeded in recording music that exhales a true and axciting spirit of adventure, romance, mystery and imagination, places of enchantment, of pure magic and wonder - the Tolkien world in all it's splendour.
Arkenstone has the gift of creating sounds that sugest more than they reveal, a cinematic music that evokes and seduces, and with this album he manages to place the listener in the mythic universe of the Middle Earth, opening our eyes and ears with the wonders and the misteries of the ring saga. 'The Palantir', that unfolds an ethereal beauty and profound misticism, 'The Grey Havens', a beautiful display of the elfic ports, and 'Moria', a magnificent musical description of the somber caves, are just some of the highlights of a record filled with them. Magical and beautiful, a true wonderful record.
Wich brings me to Howard Shore: can we compare both scores? Well, they are diferent, because Shore's is more spectacular and screen-oriented, but i must say that i prefer Arkenstone's music, much more melodic and captivating. Nevertheless, i feel that it's a shame that music of such scope and beauty is not used in a proper movie.
An absolute must for every Tolkien fan, and actually to anybody who loves great music.

I did my level best to give this album its own fair chance, but I must admit I am a little spoiled by the insurmountable Howard Shore and the film score for the three Lord of the Rings movies. Arkenstone has some great stuff in his album, but I'm just going to have to admit that Shore's music is better, much better. Had I listened to this CD prior to hearing any of Shore's soundtracks, I would have thought "wow, pretty good." But when a fellow like Shore comes along and raises the bar so high, you look back at the rest and say "gee, that sounded pretty good...but THIS is AWESOME."

Still, Arkenstone is talented, no doubt about it. And he gets points merely for sharing the name of the famous jewel in Tolkien's `The Hobbit'. There were a good many of the tracks whose music was good, yet in my mind did not fit the exact theme he titled it after. Arkenstone admits that he knew the challenge would lie in fighting the mental images and private imaginings that nearly every member of his audience who had read the books would have. I also found some of the tracks went on just a little too long. Perhaps it was his intention to listen to this music while reading a particular selection of Tolkien's books.

Regardless, here is a track-by-track analysis.

Track 1 (4:08): Majestic, symphonic opening - excellent. It has a Celtic flair to it, and for you soundtrack aficionados out there, it reminds me of a combination of the Prologue music from Shore's Fellowship soundtrack, the Prince of Egypt soundtrack, and the Apollo 13 soundtrack. (All of which are great pieces to buy) About two minutes into the track, the mood obviously shifts to hobbits. It works for the simple and quiet lifestyle of hobbits, and once again, maybe I'm spoiled by Howard Shore and can't help but make comparisons, but it does seem like there should be some emphasis on the jolly and cheerful nature of hobbits as well.

Track 2 (3:39): Very light, merry journey music. It's kind of an industrious, or progress-ish theme, in the sense that it's the kind of song that gives you the image of something being progressively completed, which fits perfectly for a "journey" theme. Also seems a little out of place when we remember that the road to Rivendell was fraught with danger and peril most of the way. Thus, I found myself instead fitting this tune into the four hobbits' first start on their journey from Buckland. The tune is great, but it is one that gets a little to repetitive after a while.

Track 3 (5:28): Excellent theme for the Quest. The music is very grand and magnificent. (Varying adjectives are the trickiest part of writing reviews of great music) One of my favorite tracks.

Track 4 (5:02):Very somber, dark music, perfect for the dark caverns of Moria. Though, once again, this is one of the tracks that overstays its welcome, so to speak.

Track 5 (4:18): It's a great theme for the flowered Elven land ... yet, it seems that Arkenstone strove a little too hard for the conventional paradise-like theme instead of shooting for something a little more original. I also enjoyed the background choir, and wish they would have been enhanced more. (Note to any future aspiring soundtrack/instrumental artists: Use choir!)

Track 6 (4:32): Started off by a mystical/reverent choir, which would probably have functioned perfectly just on its own. However, it is joined by other instruments. It's still really good - and a good theme for the solemn splendor, grace, and beauty of Elves.

Track 7 (4:24): Eh...somehow I didn't enjoy this track as much. It's still great music, but it has this Middle-Eastern/Egyptian musical flair to it, and does not work for my (or, as far as I can see, any) image of Rohan's horseback warriors.

Track 8 (4:50): Once again, a mystical, enchanting theme. Great for the tempting allurement of that shiny...mysterious...bright...intriguing...stone...

Track 9 (3:29): Not exactly a love theme for mortal and Elf, but it's still good music. Perhaps a little heavy on the plucked strings, in my opinion.

Track 10 (4:25): Wow, nice. Very majestic and adventurous. However, while it's really cool music, it appears there's an element missing from the entire scheme. The element of danger! Isengard was a treacherous place, and it seems like this should come through somehow. Also a little heavy on the Middle-Easter flair again.

Track 11 (4:22): Oo, dark and creepy. Very dismal, and yet, again, I find the absence of an element that should be there - some element conveying the terrible power of darkness that exists and reigns in Mordor. Still, it's very good, and I like the wind effects.

Track 12 (3:33): Excellent start, with majestic horns and brass. Shifts to a military-sounding rhythm towards the middle. Pretty good.

Track 13 (3:37): Maybe my best pick of the CD. Arkenstone finishes out his work with a lovely refrain for the Elven harbor of departure into the West. Very soft and lovely - again portraying the noble grace and beauty of the Elves.

As you can see, there are tiny complaints about many of the tracks. Having my own imaginings, these selections may strike you differently. But you won't know unless you buy it, and if you like Tolkien, you really will want to buy it.

I was pleasantly surprised by the music on this CD when I first heard it, and I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to its strains time and time again, from beginning to end. There's no doubt whatsoever that this music, and each passage presented, tells of an heroic and mysterious journey. Musically, Music Inspired By Middle Earth covers a wide range of emotions and is diverse in its instrumentation: beautiful and eerie, cheerful and optimistic, regal and gallant, pessimistic and dark, employed by ethnic stringed instruments and percussion, synthesisers, minimal and subtle non-lyrical (as far as I can hear) chorus, and traditional orchestral instruments. Does the music define the spirit of Tolkien's Middle-earth? In my opinion, no; at least not completely. I don't personally hear Celtic flutes in Tolkien's world. For the same reason, as well as many, many others, I don't feel Howard Shore's score to The Fellowship Of The Ring captures Tolkien's Middle-earth spirit, either. John Barry's score to "The Lion In Winter" mixed with George Fenton's score to "The Company Of Wolves" is more what I personally feel fits Tolkien's world--but that's me. My only complaint about the music on this disc is the usage and "sound" of the synthesisers: too synthetic and conventional sounding for my liking--(once again, I point out George Fenton's score for The Company Of Wolves; a prime example of how synthesisers can be combined with traditional orchestral instruments to achieve an exotic atmosphere). Nevertheless, Music Inspired By Middle Earth is nothing short of inspirational and well worth the price. Recommended to all fans of cinematic, new age, and Celtic music.

I've been a fan of David Arkensonstone since the early nineties and his grandiose music has very fittingly accompanied me in many a "quest" through the Peruvian Andes. So when I read LOTR, I felt clearly this book was the inspiration to all his previous music: Quest of the Dream Warrior and in the Wake of the Wind in particular.
There was actually no further need to write any more music. The music in these two albums is just made for Tolkien's work. It has power, richness of sound and instruments and trancing melodies that take you to far away lands.
Thus, I too was dumbstruck when I found that he had not been commissioned with the movie soundtrack. If anything, a big mistake as it would have made the movie even more memorable. The actual soundtrack is typical Hollywood common to the armies of John Williams' wannabees that write music as a profession not a passion and that could very well set to music to LOTR or Rambo.
However, this CD is a vindication of Arkenstone's musical genius as it fits Tolkien's masterpiece like a glove. Now, I only need to think where I am taking David Arkenstone's music next.
Or where will it take me next...

I'm a long-time Tolkien fan who has gotten even more caught up in this great literary master's works of late due to the release of the "The Lord of the Rings" films. So I've recently bought quite a few CDs whose music is dedicated to and based on Middle-Earth (including the soundtrack to "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" and several tribute and concept albums). This is one of the best of those.

I haven't cared much for David Arkenstone's New Age work in the past, but this is truly enchanting music that invokes a true sense of being a part of the action of the LOTR Trilogy.

It evoked in me many memories of specifice passages in the books and the emotions associated with them. This CD provides a wondrous backdrop to the setting of Tolkien's works through both acoustic ("The Road to Rivendell" is my favourite of these) and electronic instrumenals in a way that is most unique.

It's addictive and almost as soul-stirring as the soundtrack to the first film. And a few of the pieces on this album would make excellent additions to the soundtracks of "The Two Towers" and "Return of the King."

This album is classic David Arkenstone, one of, if not his very best so far, with all the qualities that have made me a fan since his earliest album. Of course, David Arkenstone is a long time Tolkien fan, having taken his very name "Arkenstone" from the great jewel of the Dwarves of Middle Earth, so you know he's no late comer to those great classic tales.
And I find no fault whatever with the album--I'd own it if it were titled "Music Inspired by Madonna" (well, that's perhaps going a bit TOO far). Nevertheless, no bit of it evokes in my mind Middle Earth, though it might in some other listener's. What does that matter? Beethoven's great 9th symphony was inspired by a poem I've never read and have no desire to; nevertheless the symphony is heart-rendingly beautiful. So it is with this album. Fact is, some music which I've always associated with Middle Earth was never intended to do so ("Ricochet" by Tangerine Dream always evokes images of LOTR, especially the journey from Ithilien to Mordor, in my mind). It matters not what inspires the author, nor what the author's music evokes in his/her listener--that is, and must be, an individual experience. I've heard some say that the Hobbits of the recent movie version do not fit their own mental image of Hobbits, yet I found them nearly perfect. What matters here is that is is a top-drawer album, a "must" for David Arkenstone aficionados. If you like David Arkenstone at all, I can't see you being anything but pleased with this album.