Music of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy

This article is about the music of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. For the concert band composition by Johan de Meij, see Symphony No. 1 "The Lord of the Rings".

The music of the The Lord of the Rings film trilogy was composed, orchestrated, conducted and produced by Howard Shore. Shore wrote many hours of music for The Lord of the Rings, 10 hours of which have been released in The Complete Recordings CD/DVD boxed sets. Additional music, including alternate and unused compositions, was released with the book The Music of the Lord of the Rings films in 2010. Shore composed the music in an emotional, operatic way, threading through the scores over 80 specific leitmotifs, which are categorized by the Middle-earth cultures to which they relate. Shore began his work on the music for The Fellowship of the Ring in late 2000 and recorded the first pieces of music (the Moria sequence) in spring of 2001. Additional music for the extended DVD version was recorded in March 2002. A similar pattern was followed for The Two Towers and The Return of the King, with the final sessions taking place in Watford on March 20, 2004.

The music was performed primarily by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Voices, with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra contributing some of the early Moria music. A wide variety of instrumental and vocal soloists contributed to the scores as well.

The scores for The Fellowship of the Ring and The Return of the King won Academy Awards in 2002 and 2004. The latter film also won an Oscar statuette for Best Song, as well as the Golden Globes for Best Original Score and Best Original Song. Shore's music for The Lord of the Rings has become the most successful composition of his career, and one of the most popular motion picture scores in history.

Principal leitmotifs

First appearance in The Fellowship of the Ring

• "The History of the Ring": a minor-key string melody plays over the Lord of the Rings title card for all three films. Shore hints in the production commentary for the film that it is a theme pertaining, in fact, to Gondor.
• "The Seduction of the Ring": sung by the boy choir
• "The Shire and the Hobbits": the theme for the Shire. On the soundtrack, it starts with a solo tin whistle, followed by a solo fiddle and then the complete orchestra repeating the same phrase. The track then quietens down and the solo tin whistle plays a second melody, again followed by the orchestra. The track ends with the violin and then the tin whistle repeating the first theme. There are four settings:
  • "The Rural Setting": usually heard only in the Shire
  • "The Pensive Setting": a reflective version of the theme
  • "The Hymn Setting": first heard when Frodo and Sam set out
  • "A Hobbit's Understanding": used when the Hobbits come to understand the hardships and struggles of their journey
• "The Black Rider": a dark piece which features almost all flats.
• Middle-earth motif
• Isengard: usually accompanied by a 5/4 rhythm in the percussion.
• Lothlórien: a soft, ethereal chorus accompanied by cellos. A more hard-edged, brass-driven version of the theme appears in the second film during the battle of Helm's Deep.
• Nazgûl motif
• "The Evil of the Ring": played on the rhaita.
• Fellowship theme: a heroic, sweeping piece using principally brass and orchestra. It is heard in various versions during the first film, but after "The Bridge of Khazad-dûm," the last time that the entire Fellowship is together, the melody deteriorates into slow and soft variations.

First appearance in The Two Towers

• "Gollum's Menace": featuring the cimbalom.
• Éowyn's theme: using open fifth intervals (lacking the third of the chord — this means that the chords cannot be defined as major or minor).
• "The Rohan Fanfare": featuring the hardanger fiddle.
• "Evenstar": a slow, serene piece.
• "The White Rider in Nature": A sweeping, full-orchestra crescendo with heavy strings.
• Nature's Reclamation (commonly referred to by fans as the Nature theme), played during the "The Last March of the Ents" part of the movie, probably used as a way of interpreting the Ents' march as Nature's way of fighting back.^{[citation needed]} The theme was first heard while Gandalf was trapped in Isengard when a moth serving as a messenger for the Eagles arrived at the pinnacle of Orthanc; the moth and the Eagles represent nature here as well. A more heroic and robust brass version is heard in the third film when the Rohirrim leave Edoras for Dunharrow and also during Théoden's "Ride now!" speech before the Rohirrim charge at Pelennor Fields; it is possible this is meant to show the union between Men and Nature via the horses of Rohan.^{[citation needed]}

First appearance in The Return of the King

• Minas Tirith/Realm of Gondor Theme: this was hinted at during the Council of Elrond in the first film, and also existed in the Extended Two Towers DVD.
• Flute solo by Sir James Galway.
• Mithrandir/Grey Havens theme: featured in "Into the West" by Annie Lennox.

Instrumentation

Howard Shore made use of a large orchestra using the following instruments:

• Woodwinds: 3 flutes (1st and 2nd doubling on alto flutes, 2nd doubling on piccolo, 3rd doubling on piccolo and optionally on Irish whistle, alto flute & pan flute [wooden flute]), 3 oboes (3rd doubling on English horn), 3 clarinets (3rd doubling on bass clarinet), 3 bassoons (3rd doubling on double bassoon)
• Brass: 5 horns in F, 4 trumpets in B-flat (doubling on rotary valve), 3 trombones, tuba
• Percussion (minimum 4 players): timpani, chimes, medium and large tamtams, 5 suspended gongs (6”, 8”, 10”, 12”, 14”), suspended cymbals: large and antique, piatti, 2 metal bell plates (14", 1" thick), distressed piano, snare drum, field (or side) drum, 2 bodhráns, Japanese taiko drums: small, medium and large, bass drum, 2 log drums, bass marimba, rattle
• Keyboard: piano (doubling on celesta)
• Strings: 2 harps, violins I and II, violas, violoncellos, double basses
• Other: musette, hammered dulcimer, cimbalom, nylon strings guitar
• Ethnic and exotic instruments: fiddle, double fiddle, anvil, accordion, Celtic harp, chains on piano wire, Hardanger fiddle, mandolin, monochord, ney, sarangi, low whistle, wood flute, rhaita, dilruba, hanging Tibetan gongs

Songs

• "Aníron" (The Fellowship of the Ring) performed and composed by Enya
• "May It Be" (The Fellowship of the Ring) performed and composed by Enya: nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song in 2002.
• "In Dreams" (The Fellowship of the Ring) performed by Edward Ross
• "Gollum's Song" (The Two Towers) performed by Emilíana Torrini is musically related to Gollum's Pity Theme. The lyrics are by Fran Walsh. The song was to have been performed by Björk, whose name actually appeared in the closing credits of the film as shown in theaters; Björk had to decline because of her pregnancy, however, and Torrini was credited in the DVD. This track is also titled "Long Ways To Go Yet", in The Complete Recordings. This version of the track includes additional instrumental music at the end, making it a medley of themes to cap off the album. Artist Geoff Keezer has released a jazz piano version of the song.
• "The Edge of Night" (The Return of the King) performed by Billy Boyd
• "Into the West" (The Return of the King) performed by Annie Lennox: won the Academy Award for Best Song in 2004.

Deleted tracks

There exist several pieces of music written by Howard Shore that never made it into the final cut of the film trilogy or any existing soundtrack. Among these are various pieces written for battles throughout the film. There was also a special musical arrangement written for the trailer for The Return of the King, which primarily consisted of principal leitmotifs along with movie trailer-like music. Additionally, there was a song entitled "Use Well the Days" sung by Annie Lennox. The song can be found on a supplementary DVD included with the Return of the King soundtrack in some packages released in 2003.

Soloists

For the three films Shore worked with many vocal as well as instrumental soloists.

Vocal

• Isabel Bayrakdarian
• Sheila Chandra
• Ben Del Maestro
• Renée Fleming
• Elizabeth Fraser
• Annie Lennox
• Enya
• Edward Ross
• Emilíana Torrini
• Blake Heslop-Charman
• Mabel Faletolu
• Sissel Kyrkjebø
• Miriam Stockley
• Hilary Summers

Cast performers

• Billy Boyd
• Viggo Mortensen
• Miranda Otto
• Ian Holm
• Ian McKellen
• Liv Tyler
• Dominic Monaghan
• Elijah Wood

Instrumental

• Dermot Crehan – Hardanger fiddle
• Sir James Galway – flute, tin whistle
• Ulrich Herkenhoff – pan flute
• Edward Cervenka – cimbalom

Original soundtracks

Recordings of the score were originally issued on single-disc albums, that closely followed the theatrical release dates of the films. All soundtrack albums of the trilogy have been released through Reprise Records, Enya's label at that time of the first soundtrack's release.

The Fellowship of the Ring

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Soundtrack album by Howard Shore
Released	November 20, 2001
Length	71:29
Label	Reprise
Producer	Howard Shore, Suzana Peric

The original soundtrack for The Fellowship of the Ring was released on November 20, 2001. Unlike the subsequent single-disc albums, its opening track does not contain the "History of the Ring" motif. This was because the filmmakers intended to film a shorter prologue sequence (which the track "The Prophecy" accompanied) but the idea was eventually dropped in favor of a more detailed and engaging sequence. The front cover for this CD was available in various designs.

Track listing
No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Prophecy"	3:55
2.	"Concerning Hobbits"	2:55
3.	"The Shadow of the Past"	3:32
4.	"The Treason of Isengard"	4:00
5.	"The Black Rider"	2:48
6.	"At the Sign of the Prancing Pony"	3:14
7.	"A Knife in the Dark"	3:34
8.	"Flight to the Ford"	4:14
9.	"Many Meetings"	3:05
10.	"The Council of Elrond" (feat. "Aníron (Theme for Aragorn and Arwen)", composed and performed by Enya)	3:49
11.	"The Ring Goes South"	2:03
12.	"A Journey in the Dark"	4:20
13.	"The Bridge of Khazad-dûm"	5:57
14.	"Lothlórien"	4:33
15.	"The Great River"	2:42
16.	"Amon Hen"	5:02
17.	"The Breaking of the Fellowship" (feat. "In Dreams", composed by Howard Shore, performed by Edward Ross)	7:20
18.	"May It Be" (composed and performed by Enya)	4:19

The Two Towers

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Soundtrack album by Howard Shore
Released	December 10, 2002
Length	72:46 77:09 (limited edition)
Label	Reprise

The original soundtrack for The Two Towers was released on December 10, 2002. It comes in a regular and a limited edition, the latter containing the additional track "Farewell to Lórien".

Track listing
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Foundations of Stone"	3:51
2.	"The Taming of Sméagol"	2:48
3.	"The Riders of Rohan"	4:05
4.	"The Passage of the Marshes"	2:46
5.	"The Uruk-hai"	2:58
6.	"The King of the Golden Hall"	3:49
7.	"The Black Gate Is Closed"	3:17
8.	"Evenstar" (feat. Isabel Bayrakdarian)	3:15
9.	"The White Rider"	2:28
10.	"Treebeard"	2:43
11.	"The Leave Taking"	3:41
12.	"Helm's Deep"	3:53
13.	"The Forbidden Pool"	5:27
14.	"Breath of Life" (feat. Sheila Chandra)	5:07
15.	"The Hornburg"	4:36
16.	"Forth Eorlingas" (feat. Ben Del Maestro)	3:15
17.	"Isengard Unleashed" (feat. Elizabeth Fraser and Ben Del Maestro)	5:01
18.	"Samwise the Brave"	3:46
19.	"Gollum's Song" (performed by Emilíana Torrini)	5:51
20.	"Farewell to Lórien" (feat. Hilary Summers, limited edition only)	4:37

The Return of the King

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Soundtrack album by Howard Shore
Released	November 25, 2003
Length	72:05 75:15 (limited edition)
Label	Reprise

The original soundtrack for The Return of the King was released on November 25, 2003. Its closing track "Into the West" was performed by Annie Lennox and won the 2004 Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Track listing
No.	Title	Length
1.	"A Storm Is Coming"	2:52
2.	"Hope and Memory"	1:45
3.	"Minas Tirith" (feat. Ben Del Maestro)	3:37
4.	"The White Tree"	3:25
5.	"The Steward of Gondor" (feat. Billy Boyd)	3:53
6.	"Minas Morgul"	1:58
7.	"The Ride of the Rohirrim"	2:08
8.	"Twilight and Shadow" (feat. Renée Fleming)	3:30
9.	"Cirith Ungol"	1:44
10.	"Andúril"	2:35
11.	"Shelob's Lair"	4:07
12.	"Ash and Smoke"	3:25
13.	"The Fields of the Pelennor"	3:26
14.	"Hope Fails"	2:20
15.	"The Black Gate Opens" (feat. Sir James Galway)	4:01
16.	"The End of All Things" (feat. Renée Fleming)	5:12
17.	"The Return of the King" (feat. Sir James Galway, Viggo Mortensen and Renée Fleming)	10:14
18.	"The Grey Havens" (feat. Sir James Galway)	5:59
19.	"Into the West" (performed by Annie Lennox)	5:49
20.	"Use Well the Days" (performed by Annie Lennox, limited edition only)	3:10

The Complete Recordings

Starting in 2005, a year after the extended release of The Return of the King, Reprise Records began to release one multi-disc set for each part of the trilogy. These annually published collections, titled The Complete Recordings, contain the entire score for the extended versions of the films on CD, along with an additional DVD-Audio disc that offers 2.0 stereo and 5.1 surround mixes of the soundtrack. Each album also comes with extensive liner notes by music journalist Doug Adams which reviews all of the tracks and provides information about the process of composing and recording the score, as well as a detailed list of all musical instruments, people and organizations involved. These Annotated Scores have been made freely available by New Line on the promotional website for the soundtracks (see below).

The Fellowship of the Ring

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: The Complete Recordings
Soundtrack album by Howard Shore
Released	December 13, 2005
Length	180:35
Label	Reprise

The Complete Recordings for The Fellowship of the Ring span just over three hours of music on three CDs. The set was released on December 13, 2005.

Track listing

Disc one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Prologue: One Ring to Rule Them All"	7:16
2.	"The Shire"	2:29
3.	"Bag End"	4:35
4.	"Very Old Friends"	3:12
5.	"Flaming Red Hair"	2:39
6.	"Farewell Dear Bilbo"	1:45
7.	"Keep It Secret, Keep It Safe"	8:54
8.	"A Conspiracy Unmasked"	6:09
9.	"Three Is Company"	1:58
10.	"The Passing of the Elves"	2:39
11.	"Saruman the White"	4:09
12.	"A Shortcut to Mushrooms"	4:07
13.	"Strider"	2:34
14.	"The Nazgûl"	6:04
Total length:		58:30

Disc two
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Weathertop"	2:14
2.	"The Caverns of Isengard"	4:54
3.	"Give Up the Halfling"	4:49
4.	"Orthanc"	1:06
5.	"Rivendell"	3:26
6.	"The Sword That Was Broken"	3:34
7.	"The Council of Elrond Assembles"	4:01
8.	"The Great Eye"	5:30
9.	"Gilraen's Memorial"	5:01
10.	"The Pass of Caradhras"	5:04
11.	"The Doors of Durin"	6:03
12.	"Moria"	2:27
13.	"Gollum"	2:26
14.	"Balin's Tomb"	8:30
Total length:		59:05

Disc three
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Khazad-dûm"	8:00
2.	"Caras Galadhon"	9:20
3.	"The Mirror of Galadriel"	6:21
4.	"The Fighting Uruk-hai"	11:32
5.	"Parth Galen"	9:13
6.	"The Departure of Boromir"	5:29
7.	"The Road Goes Ever On... (Part 1)"	5:58
8.	"May It Be"	3:26
9.	"The Road Goes Ever On... (Part 2)"	3:41
Total length:		63:01

The Two Towers

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers: The Complete Recordings
Soundtrack album by Howard Shore
Released	November 7, 2006
Length	188:13
Label	Reprise

The Complete Recordings for The Two Towers span over three hours of music on three CDs. The set was released on November 7, 2006.

Track listing

Disc one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Glamdring"	3:50
2.	"Elven Rope"	2:19
3.	"Lost in Emyn Muil"	4:15
4.	"My Precious"	2:56
5.	"Uglúk's Warriors"	1:41
6.	"The Three Hunters"	6:12
7.	"The Banishment of Éomer"	3:55
8.	"Night Camp"	2:50
9.	"The Plains of Rohan"	4:15
10.	"Fangorn"	5:13
11.	"The Dead Marshes"	5:08
12.	"Wraiths on Wings"	2:08
13.	"Gandalf the White"	6:48
14.	"The Dreams of Trees"	1:55
15.	"The Heir of Númenor"	6:51
16.	"Ent-draught"	2:54
Total length:		63:02

Disc two
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Edoras"	4:34
2.	"The Court of Meduseld"	3:11
3.	"Théoden King"	6:12
4.	"The King's Decision"	2:08
5.	"Exodus from Edoras"	5:43
6.	"The Forests of Ithilien"	6:38
7.	"One of the Dúnedain"	7:13
8.	"The Wolves of Isengard"	4:22
9.	"Refuge at Helm's Deep"	4:00
10.	"The Voice of Saruman"	1:12
11.	"Arwen's Fate"	3:59
12.	"The Story Foretold"	3:39
13.	"Sons of the Steward"	6:03
14.	"Rock and Pool"	2:55
15.	"Faramir's Good Council"	2:21
Total length:		63:59

Disc three
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Aragorn's Return"	2:12
2.	"War is Upon Us"	3:36
3.	"Where Is the Horse and the Rider?"	6:16
4.	"The Host of the Eldar"	2:51
5.	"The Battle of the Hornburg"	2:53
6.	"The Breach of the Deeping Wall"	3:03
7.	"The Entmoot Decides"	2:06
8.	"Retreat"	4:41
9.	"Master Peregrin's Plan"	2:32
10.	"The Last March of the Ents"	2:31
11.	"The Nazgûl Attack"	2:45
12.	"Théoden Rides Forth"	5:48
13.	"The Tales That Really Matter"	12:01
14.	"Long Ways to Go Yet"	8:06
Total length:		61:12

The Return of the King

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: The Complete Recordings
Soundtrack album by Howard Shore
Released	November 20, 2007
Length	229:17
Label	Reprise

The Complete Recordings for The Return of the King span almost three hours and fifty minutes on four CDs. The set was released on November 20, 2007 and is currently the only of the three to be available for digital download via the iTunes Store.

Track listing

Disc one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Roots and Beginnings"	6:31
2.	"Journey to the Crossroads"	2:17
3.	"The Road to Isengard"	2:18
4.	"The Foot of Orthanc"	4:45
5.	"Return to Edoras"	1:51
6.	"The Chalice Passed"	1:51
7.	"The Green Dragon"	0:35
8.	"Gollum's Villainy"	2:10
9.	"Éowyn's Dream"	1:24
10.	"The Palantír"	3:10
11.	"Flight from Edoras"	2:19
12.	"The Grace of Undómiel"	6:21
13.	"The Eyes of the White Tower"	4:33
14.	"A Coronal of Silver and Gold"	8:27
15.	"The Lighting of the Beacons"	9:03
Total length:		57:32

Disc two
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Osgiliath Invaded"	8:48
2.	"The Stairs of Cirith Ungol"	2:41
3.	"Allegiance to Denethor"	3:20
4.	"The Sacrifice of Faramir"	4:09
5.	"The Parting of Sam and Frodo"	4:04
6.	"Marshalling at Dunharrow"	4:57
7.	"Andúril - Flame of the West"	3:28
8.	"The Passing of the Grey Company"	4:12
9.	"Dwimorberg - The Haunted Mountain"	2:26
10.	"Master Meriadoc, Swordthain"	1:40
11.	"The Paths of the Dead"	6:22
12.	"The Siege of Gondor"	9:01
13.	"Shelob's Lair"	8:53
14.	"Merry's Simple Courage"	2:09
Total length:		66:03

Disc three
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Grond - The Hammer of the Underworld"	1:33
2.	"Shelob the Great"	5:13
3.	"The Tomb of the Stewards"	3:58
4.	"The Battle of the Pelennor Fields"	4:10
5.	"The Pyre of Denethor"	2:59
6.	"The Mûmakil"	0:57
7.	"Dernhelm in Battle"	2:06
8.	"A Far Green Country"	1:28
9.	"Shieldmaiden of Rohan"	5:07
10.	"The Passing of Théoden"	2:16
11.	"The Houses of Healing"	2:58
12.	"The Tower of Cirith Ungol"	4:41
13.	"The Last Debate" (feat. Sissel)	4:21
14.	"The Land of Shadow"	6:29
15.	"The Mouth of Sauron"	8:16
16.	"For Frodo"	3:17
Total length:		59:44

Disc four
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Mount Doom"	4:09
2.	"The Crack of Doom"	4:02
3.	"The Eagles"	2:24
4.	"The Fellowship Reunited"	12:18
5.	"The Journey to the Grey Havens"	7:35
6.	"Elanor"	1:28
7.	"Days of the Ring"	11:10
8.	"Bilbo's Song"	2:58
Total length:		45:58

The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films

The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films (ISBN 978-0-7390-7157-1) is a book which was written by Doug Adams and released on October 5, 2010. The book contains a detailed look at the themes and leitmotifs in the films' music.^[1] It also contains snippets of sheet music and illustrations. The book was released with a companion CD, The Rarities Archive. The CD has 21 tracks of previously unreleased music created for the films, as well as an audio interview with Howard Shore.

The Rarities Archive

The Lord of the Rings: The Rarities Archive
Soundtrack album by Howard Shore
Released	European Union on September 28 and in the U.S. and worldwide on October 5, 2010
Length	1:19:25
Label	Howe Records

Track listing
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Prologue: One Ring to Rule Them All (Alternate)"	5:56
2.	"The Shire/The Hobbits (Mock-up)"	2:00
3.	"Out From Bree (Theatrical Version & Alternate)"	4:04
4.	"Flight to the Ford (Alternate)"	4:04
5.	"Moria (Mock-up)"	1:44
6.	"The Fighting Uruk-hai (Alternate)"	1:47
7.	"The Argonath (Alternate)"	2:18
8.	"Gwenwin in în (“Arwen’s Song” Alternate/Mock-up)"	2:02
9.	"Arwen’s Song (Complete)"	2:11
10.	"Emyn Muil (Alternate)"	3:23
11.	"The Rohan Fanfare (Mock-up)"	3:09
12.	"The Eaves of Fangorn (Alternate)"	5:28
13.	"The Ent Theme (Mock-up)"	2:00
14.	"The Return of the King Trailer"	2:34
15.	"The Gondor Theme (Mock-up)"	2:18
16.	"The Muster of Rohan (Alternate)"	6:43
17.	"The Siege of Gondor (Alternate)"	3:13
18.	"Shieldmaiden of Rohan (Theatrical Version)"	2:00
19.	"Sammath Naur (Alternate)"	8:53
20.	"Frodo’s Song (“Into the West” Alternate/Mock-up)"	2:23
21.	"Elanor (Alternate)"	1:30
22.	"In Conversation (Audio Interview Part 1)"	5:05
23.	"In Conversation (Audio Interview Part 2)"	4:28

Awards

The scores and soundtrack albums of the film trilogy have won several awards:

The Fellowship of the Ring
Preceded by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon	Academy Award for Best Original Score 2001	Succeeded by Frida
Preceded by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon	Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album 2001	Succeeded by The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Preceded by Amélie	World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Soundtrack 2002	Succeeded by Frida
The Two Towers
Preceded by The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring	Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album 2002	Succeeded by The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Return of the King
Preceded by Frida	Academy Award for Best Original Score 2003	Succeeded by Finding Neverland
Preceded by "Lose Yourself" from 8 Mile	Academy Award for Best Original Song 2003 with "Into the West" by Annie Lennox	Succeeded by "Al Otro Lado del Río" from The Motorcycle Diaries
Preceded by The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers	Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album 2003	Succeeded by Ray

Symphony

The Lord of the Rings Symphony
Soundtrack album by Howard Shore
Released	September 13, 2011
Recorded	Lucerne, Switzerland
Length	1:55:15
Label	Howe Records

Following the theatrical release of all three films, Howard Shore reworked the film scores of the trilogy into The Lord of the Rings Symphony, a more structured six-movement work for orchestra and choir. This has been performed in various concert halls around the world, accompanied by a light and visual art show by Alan Lee and John Howe. A DVD titled "Howard Shore: Creating the Lord of the Rings Symphony - a composer's journey through Middle Earth" has been released. The 50-minute long DVD features extensive excerpts of the concert given by Shore and the Montreal Orchestra and Grand Choir at the "Montreal en Lumiere" Festival, interspersed with spoken commentary by Shore, who recounts his approach in composing the music for the three films and then reworking it into the LOTR symphony.

On September 13, 2011, Shore released "The Lord Of The Rings Symphony" on CD and MP3 format. The double-album was recorded in Lucerne, Switzerland and performed by the 21st Century Symphony Orchestra & Chorus under the direction of Ludwig Wicki.

Track listing

1. "Movement 1" - 11:25
2. "Movement 2" - 34:04
3. "Movement 3" - 18:15
4. "Movement 4" - 10:28
5. "Movement 5" - 15:26
6. "Movement 6" - 26:13

Live to Projection

Live to Projection is a series where The Lord of the Rings films are projected while the music is performed live. It is conducted by Ludwig Wicki and Erik Eino Ochsner^[2] and has been performed around the world, including Switzerland and the United States.^[3]

See also

• The Lord of the Rings (soundtrack), the score of the 1978 Ralph Bakshi film by Leonard Rosenman.
• Symphony No. 1 "The Lord of the Rings", a 1988 concert band composition by Johan de Meij

References

1. ^ Burlingame, Jon (October 7, 2010). "New book explores 'Lord of the Rings' music". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118025302.html?categoryId=2431&cs=1. Retrieved 8 October 2010. 
2. ^ "Erik Eino Ochsner to Conduct Lord of the Rings Performance". Wallstreet Online. 11 March 2011. http://www.wallstreet-online.de/nachricht/3115698-erik-eino-ochsner-to-conduct-lord-of-the-rings-performance. Retrieved 8 May 2011. ^{[dead link]}
3. ^ Morgan, David (October 6, 2010). "Middle Earth Returns to Radio City". CBS News. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/10/07/entertainment/main6934408.shtml. Retrieved 8 October 2010. 

External links

• New Line's promotional website for the soundtracks
  • Annotated Score for The Fellowship of the Ring
  • Annotated Score for The Two Towers
  • Annotated Score for The Return of the King
• Official website of Howard Shore
• Doug Adams's blog on the scores and his book, The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films
• List of CD releases for Lord of the Rings on Soundtrackguide.net