The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - The Complete Recordings

Album Review

Appropriately enough for the film adaptation of one fantasy literature's most enduring favorites, Howard Shore's score for Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings is traditional and majestic, using sweeping strings, brass, and choral sections to create moments of fire-and-brimstone menace as well heroic triumph. An ominous, bombastic feel runs through much of the score, particularly on pieces like "A Journey in the Dark," "Flight to the Ford," and "A Knife in the Dark," but Shore also includes respites such as the sweetly elfin, Celtic-tinged "Concerning Hobbits" and the stately "Many Meetings." The vibrant "Bridge of Khazad Dum" and "Amon Hen" combine the score's major themes into dazzling climaxes, while Enya's contributions, "Council of Elrond" and "May It Be," add a subtle serenity that gives the score balance. While it's not a particularly melodic score, Lord of the Rings nevertheless does an excellent job of conveying the film's moods through music and has more than enough presence to be appreciated outside of the film's context. [Fashioned in the style of the faux-leather-bound books that housed the lauded trilogy's "Special Edition" DVD releases, 2005's Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring — The Complete Recordings gathers every bit of composer Howard Shore's Oscar-winning score for the first film and spreads it over three discs (a fourth CD/DVD presents the work in 5.1 Surround Sound).]