Sound Of Cinema - 334. The Return Of The Lord Of The Rings

SOUND OF CINEMA - 334. THE RETURN OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS (320kbs-m4a/135mb/58mins)
BBC Radio 3 broadcast: 18th December 2021

It's 20 years since the launch of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings so Matthew devotes the whole of this week's programme to one of the most ambitious of all film scores - Howard Shore's remarkable 10 hour Wagnerian epic. Matthew is joined by the musicologist Doug Adams who worked alongside the composer deconstructing some of the incredibly complex ingredients that constitute Shore's musical story-telling. It's a system based on Richard Wagner's leitmotif, where musical themes and statements are used to represent characters and ideas in the films. When these themes are combined and varied symphonically, they present a complete aural picture of the narrative to complement and enhance the story on the screen.

Together, Matthew and Doug unpick some of the main musical ideas in Shore's score and reveal just how far-reaching the music for LOTR is.

Howard Shore - The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001) - The Shire [Warner]
Howard Shore - The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001) - Concerning Hobbits [Reprise]
Howard Shore - The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001) - One Ring To Rule Them All [Warner]
Howard Shore - The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001) - Rivendell [Warner]
Howard Shore - The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002) - Evenstar [Warner Music]
Howard Shore - The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001) - The Great Eye [Warner]
Howard Shore - The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001) - The Council Of Elrond [Warner]
Howard Shore - The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002) - Gandalf The White [WaterTower Music]
Howard Shore - The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001) - Khazad-dûm [Warner]
Howard Shore - The Lord of the Rings: The Return Of The King (2003) - Shelob The Great [New Line]
Howard Shore - The Lord of the Rings: The Return Of The King (2003) - Eagles [New Line]
Howard Shore - The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002) - The Dreams Of Trees [WaterTower Music]
Howard Shore - The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002) - Treebeard [Warner Music]
Howard Shore - The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002) - Gollum's Song [WaterTower Music]