The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (The Complete Recordings)
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This five-disc set caps off the "complete recordings" series, which offers extensive versions of Howard Shore's score for the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The main problem lays in its being the last installment: Most of the main characters, along with their themes, have been introduced in the previous two sets, creating a certain sense of familiarity. But there is still plenty to please fans here, and then some. Though it includes the climactic trek to Mount Doom, the overall mood is less dark than in The Two Towers. The London Philharmonic Orchestra handles the heavy lifting, with help from adult and children's choirs, and well-selected guest stars. Soprano Renée Fleming, for instance, lends a particularly eerie, otherworldly touch to disc 1's "The Grace of Undómiel," and disc 4's "Mount Doom" and "The Eagles." Meanwhile, flutist James Galway provides a quasi-spiritual counterbalance, a musical ray of hope on tracks such as disc 3's "The Mouth of Sauron." And of course, Annie Lennox's Academy Award–winning "Into the West" is here, incorporated in disc 4's "Days of the Ring." Finally, the fifth disc is a DVD-Audio that includes the score in super-duper surround sound. It may seem like overkill, but too much is never enough for LOTR fans--and besides, people buying this set are exactly the kind of people who own the type of equipment required to make disc 5 explode. Finally, the packaging includes new artwork and liner notes written by Doug Adams, an expert on the music from LOTR. --Elisabeth Vincentelli
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Album information
| Release Date (USA): | 2007-11-20 |
| Release Date (UK): | |
| Artist/s: | Howard Shore |
| Label: | Reprise / Wea |
Track Listing
| 1 | Roots and Beginnings | |
| 2 | Journey to the Cross-roads | |
| 3 | The Road to Isengard | |
| 4 | The Foot of Orthanc | |
| 5 | Return to Edoras | |
| 6 | The Chalice Passed | |
| 7 | The Green Dragon Featuring Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan | |
| 8 | Gollum’s Villainy | |
| 9 | Éowyn’s Dream | |
| 10 | The Palantír | |
| 11 | Flight from Edoras | |
| 12 | The Grace of Undómiel Featuring Renée Fleming | |
| 13 | The Eyes of the White Tower | |
| 14 | A Coronal of Silver and Gold | |
| 15 | The Lighting of the Beacons | |
| 16 | Osgiliath Invaded Featuring Ben del Maestro | |
| 17 | The Stairs of Cirith Ungol | |
| 18 | Allegiance to Denethor | |
| 19 | The Sacrifice of Faramir Featuring Billy Boyd performing “The Edge of Night” | |
| 20 | The Parting of Sam and Frodo | |
| 21 | Marshalling at Dunharrow | |
| 22 | Andúril – Flame of the West | |
| 23 | The Passing of the Grey Company | |
| 24 | Dwimorberg – The Haunted Mountain | |
| 25 | Master Meriadoc, Swordthain | |
| 26 | The Paths of the Dead | |
| 27 | The Siege of Gondor | |
| 28 | Shelob’s Lair | |
| 29 | Merry’s Simple Courage | |
| 30 | Grond – The Hammer of the Underworld | |
| 31 | Shelob the Great | |
| 32 | The Tomb of the Stewards | |
| 33 | The Battle of the Pelennor Fields | |
| 34 | The Pyre of Denethor | |
| 35 | The Mûmakil | |
| 36 | Dernhelm in Battle | |
| 37 | “A Far Green Country” | |
| 38 | Shieldmaiden of Rohan | |
| 39 | The Passing of Théoden | |
| 40 | The Houses of Healing Featuring Liv Tyler | |
| 41 | The Tower of Cirith Ungol | |
| 42 | The Last Debate Featuring Sissel performing “Asëa Aranion” | |
| 43 | The Land of Shadow | |
| 44 | The Mouth of Sauron Featuring Sir James Galway | |
| 45 | “For Frodo” Featuring Ben del Maestro | |
| 46 | Mount Doom Featuring Renée Fleming | |
| 47 | The Crack of Doom | |
| 48 | The Eagles Featuring Renée Fleming | |
| 49 | The Fellowship Reunited Featuring Sir James Galway, Viggo Mortensen, and Renée Fleming | |
| 50 | The Journey to the Grey Havens Featuring Sir James Galway | |
| 51 | Elanor Featuring Sir James Galway | |
| 52 | Days of the Ring Featuring Annie Lennox performing “Into the West” | |
| 53 | Bilbo’s Song |
Related Items
The Lord of the Rings (1978 Animated Movie) [Blu-ray] (DVD)The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy (Theatrical Editions) [Blu-ray] (DVD)
