Howard Shore – “The Return of the King -The Complete Recordings” (Reprise/Warner Brothers)
This truly is a work of a mastermind and Howard Shore is that indeed. This mammoth collection of all the music he created for LOTR: The Return of the King is one of the most beautiful pieces of music in any genre,ever. Yes,its that good and once it again showcases just how intuned Peter Jackson and his entire crew was to the Ring.
The music here contains all the music from the original score but at 4 discs and 53 songs/score pieces is so much more then even a diehard Rings fan could have ever imagined. The first movie scores have already recieved this royal treatment.
Shore won 3 Oscars for his lavish score,epic and sweeping but small and very moving (Gandalf’s talking to the butterfly in the Fellowship is a stroke of genius,a small harbor of peace in a world gone mad),I personally love the pieces he created for Rohan,and even the vocals are extremely effective. While Annie Lennox’s Into the West is what you expect,Billy Boyd’s singing during Faramir’s suicide attack is more heartbreaking and memorable,both are included on this disc.
This CD also comes with a extra disc…the press release mentions the following:
The fifth disc is a DVD-Audio presenting the entire “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – The Complete Recordings” in Advanced Resolution Surround Sound, Advanced Resolution Stereo Sound, Dolby Digital Surround Sound, and Dolby Digital Stereo Sound.
And there you have it,the first must have music of the holiday season! But if you get it for a lover of the LOTR,remember: Keep it secret,keep it safe!
Highly recommended!
Review by Michael Sullivan
