The Lord of the Rings – Soundtrack Reviews

The Lord of the Rings films open with a plaintive choral rendition of the Lothlorien theme which immediately sets an otherworldly context for the saga. From this moment, composer Howard Shore takes us on a musical journey that is just as epic as the visual one we see from director Peter Jackson. Shore’s musical landscape is just as vivid, just as complex, just as compelling, and just as well crafted as Jackson’s visuals. The two complement each other perfectly. But what happens when you take the visuals away from the music? What then can be said of the experience? The short answer is: quite a bit. A trip through the entire set of Complete Recordings is a profound and deeply moving experience.

My intention is to share my thoughts and opinions on that journey, as well as provide a cue-by-cue breakdown of every minute of the complete recordings. The cue breakdown is also part of my larger Ultimate Soundtracks Project. I won’t be doing a track-by-track review, so the breakdown will serve as a more specific guide for those who just want to enjoy Lord of the Rings music, independent of the Ultimate Soundtracks Project. Besides, if you want a well-informed track-by-track overview, I highly recommend visiting the official site for the Lord of the Rings soundtracks. It was a valuable resource for me as I made my own journey through the Complete Recordings.

By no means am I a professional musician – or even fully versed in musical terminology, for that matter. So my ruminations and the cue-by-cue breakdown are, admittedly, from an amateur’s perspective. This is especially important when considering the deeply intricate scores composed by Howard Shore. He is operating at such a high level that for me to be critiquing his work is a bit like an elementary student critiquing Tolkien. But I am a huge fan of film scores. My primary joy in film scores are the themes, cues and motifs that composers employ. I truly enjoy listening to how they evolve and vary over the course of a film, or series. And so my reviews, analysis and critique of the Complete Recordings will be from this perspective – from that of an avid, amateur fan.

The following links will direct you to all articles related to the LOTR soundtracks:

• The Lord of the Rings – The Ultimate Soundtrack
• Lord of the Rings Complete Recordings
• The Fellowship of the Ring – Complete Recordings – Review
• The Fellowship of the Ring – Cue Breakdown List
• The Two Towers – Complete Recordings – Review
• The Two Towers – Cue Breakdown List
• The Return of the King – Complete Recordings – Review
• The Return of the King – Cue Breakdown List