Track Listing

1. A Storm Is Coming
2. Hope and Memory
3. Minas Tirith - Ben del Maestro
4. The White Tree
5. The Steward of Gondor - Billy Boyd
6. Minas Morgul
7. The Ride of the Rohirrim
8. Twilight and Shadow - Renee Fleming
9. Cirith Ungol
10. Anduril
11. Shelob's Lair
12. Ash and Smoke
13. The Fields of the Pelennor
14. Hope Fails
15. The Black Gate Opens - James Galway
16. The End of All Things - Renee Fleming
17. The Return of the King - Viggo Mortensen
18. The Grey Havens - James Galway
19. Into the West - Annie Lennox

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1502 in Music
• Released on: 2003-11-25
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Enhanced, Soundtrack

Album Description
The regular jewel-case version will contain one of seven collectors’ cards.

Amazon.com
This final chapter of Peter Jackson's sprawling adaptation of Tolkien's "Ring" trilogy closes out one of the most accomplished cycles in cinema--and film music--history. As he's done for the saga's first two installments, composer Howard Shore has honed a mature, brooding orchestral masterpiece that's long on subtle shadings of mood and nuance, while eschewing the hollow bombast that's characterized all too many mainstream action and adventure films for three decades. If anything, he's pared this chapter of his music for Middle Earth even closer to the bone, the trilogy's familiar themes repeated with a sparing hand that only heightens their dramatic power. Like Herrmann before him, Shore has a preternatural understanding of orchestral timbres and their almost mystical connections with human emotions, and he's used it here to close out this remarkable trilogy with Wagnerian dramatic sweep, yet one with a distinctly modern, understated melodic sense that is Shore's alone. James Galway and Renee Fleming make key instrumental and vocal contributions, respectively, while Annie Lennox's soulful "Into the West" makes the expected, if unobtrusive, bow to the theatrical pop song conventions. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews

Near Perfection
Okay, I was already determined to love this album when I found out that Renee Fleming stars in three of it's pieces. But Howard Shore truly does provide a gorgeous presentation of his musical talents. Keeping in mind that this is a movie track, and therefore, there is a lot of "incidental" music in this album. It's not always riveting without the action of the movie to complete the story. But that is a challenge every composer of film music faces.

Flemming is flawless, providing a straight-tone (no vibrato), eerie, airy sound in her performances to emphasize the other-worldly influence of this music. One wonders how authentic her "elfin" would be, but since her vocals are nearly indistinguishable from the orchestra, the accent could hardly be determined anyhow.

The End Of All Things is an amazing piece of compositing, and I've been listening to it over and over. As stated by other reviewers, I don't feel that Annie Lennox was the best choice for Into The West. Her voice is harsh and out of place next to the rest of the performance. However, this might have been intentional on the part of the composer, and I will attempt to understand, while taking a star from a perfect score!

I'm Not Doing It Justice
I am quite surprised by the number of reviews that don't give this five stars. Never has there been a score that can provide such depth and emotion in every second. I almost cry every time I listen to it.

Sweeping, epic, beautiful...words can't quite do it justice. I've done my best, the music does the rest.

If you buy anything, buy this.

Superb music to match the outstanding film
Its so hard to choose a favorite amongst the 3 movie soundtracks. They are all so wonderful and differnent. Each film has its own distinct music and they are all so good. Its impossible to pick a favorite or even find one single piece of music that I did not like. Its such a moving and powerful soundtrack. And every time I hear it, I think back on the wonderful film and remember every single scene that the piece of music was attached too. Its relaxing and melancholy and sublime. The Return of the King is my favorite film out of the 3, and I think I am leaning towards this soundtrack as my personal favorite as well. And I love Annie Lenox's last song on this. It is so touching and powerful, it gives me chills every time I hear it. I actually have the 3 set as one boxed set, but could not find it on Amazon anymore, so I am reviewing them all individually.