Zanobard Reviews

Twenty five years on, Howard Shore’s score for The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring remains an absolute masterclass in thematic storytelling, and one of the best film soundtracks ever composed. As such, join me as we discuss the Standout moments of this Middle Earth-focused masterpiece, via the Complete Recordings!

It really wouldn’t be too much of an exaggeration to call this score one of the most iconic film music works of all time. Howard Shore’s extensive thematic tapestry and orchestral style for The Lord Of The Rings work so well that they’re essentially now synonymous with not only the excellent Peter Jackson films but also J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth itself – and I don’t say these things lightly. As such, to say writing this review was daunting is putting it mildly indeed, but I had to do it – as perhaps rather predictably for a film music fan, The Fellowship Of The Ring is one of my all-time favourite scores. I love not only Shore’s impeccably fitting themes but also the musical world that he creates here – the way all the themes perform across a plethora of instrumentation and come together as an extensive thematic web, weaving through moments of quiet reflection, dreadful sorrow, tranquil peacetime and then unrelentingly thunderous battle – it’s done on such an unbelievable and indeed enjoyable scale that books have been written on Shore’s work here. I’ve actually studied it myself, deepening my understanding through Doug Adams’ phenomenal The Music Of The Lord Of The Rings Films (which I would highly recommend to any fan), a book which showcases if nothing else just how much attention to thematic detail Shore put to his music here. The depth he went to crafting this score, both thematically and stylistically, is one of the major reasons that quite rightly makes it, as mentioned earlier, one of the very best film scores ever made.

Because of how deeply in-depth Shore goes for The Lord Of The Rings in utilising one of the densest thematic and motivic catalogues ever created for film, I am going to do this review a little differently to normal. If you want a deep study of where each and every one of the composer’s well-crafted themes play out here, again I would highly recommend Doug Adams’ book above. For my writing, and to prevent this review being book-length, I’m going to aim slightly less loftily, discussing just the major moments of the Complete Recordings album for Fellowship – the standout areas for me personally, and where I feel Shore’s compositions here utterly shine (and there are quite a few!). So with that in mind, we – and the album – kick things off with “Prologue: One Ring To Rule Them All”. What an opener, this track, as a sizeable amount of the score’s major thematic players debut in its opening minute alone. Ethereal vocals start things off, echoing notes for the floating Lothlórien theme before seguing into low brass hinting briefly but nobly towards the iconic Fellowship theme – to be fleshed out later – before finally, high-pitched, ominous strings play the very first appearance of the ever-malicious One Ring theme. All in the first sixty seconds. The fiery, chanting aggression for the Ringwraiths then leads an intense battle charge against the fist of Men before the Ring theme then slithers its way back into centre stage, and the track fades to a moody close.

One aspect of Shore’s work here that really stands out for me, with that seven minute opening setpiece as a great example, is how he utilises his themes to tell the story; the way some motifs go head-to-head in fierce orchestral battle while others echo warily in the background, telling you exactly who and what the focus of the current scene is on without even needing to see it, is utterly fascinating to listen to, and is an aspect and thematic skillset that no other score has topped for me even to this day. Carrying on, the iconically tranquil strings for Hobbiton and the Shire are introduced in “The Shire”, which I’d argue are more famous than the Fellowship theme itself at this point (though the latter does then also play gently on hopeful brass in this lovely cue). After a few further tracks of Hobbit-focused tranquility, the malevolent theme for the Ring returns intensely for a standout rendition in the back half of “Keep It Secret, Keep It Safe”, alongside both the newly-debuted Sauron theme and the vocal Ringwraith motif as they both then thunder through. The violin work for the Ring theme here particularly sounds fantastic, and it plays similarly in the subsequent “A Conspiracy Unmasked” too alongside a solemn brass appearance of the regretful theme for Gollum.

The way Shore utilises the Fellowship theme on this album – and indeed throughout the entire trilogy – is really interesting, as it plays rather fragmented, slowly increasing in power, until the group fully forms later on in the film. In “Saruman The White” for example, a sudden burst of hurried brass ushers anxious notes from the beginning of the theme through, before the deafening vocals for the Ringwraiths cut it off towards the end of the track. The Fellowship theme then returns still fragmented (but noticeably fuller now as Aragorn has joined the group) in “The Nazgûl”, reprising on noble brass opposite the ever-pursuing vocal torment of the Ringwraiths. The aforementioned orchestral pursuit then comes to a head through action setpieces “Weathertop” and “Give Up The Halfling” – tense vocals and orchestra abound – with “The Caves Of Isengard” inbetween also debuting one of the score’s standout themes; Isengard. It crashes and thunders on actual chains as percussion alongside pointedly aggressive brass in its debut here, sounding absolutely phenomenal. Another standout moment then arrives in “Rivendell”; after a brief reprisal of the gentle Hobbiton theme, a sense of grand ethereality suddenly echoes emphatically as vocals and wondrous strings debut the theme for Rivendell and the Elves that dwell there. It’s a brief introduction, but a standout moment nonetheless for one of the trilogy’s most intriguing motifs.

A gorgeous serenity settles over the score for “Aníron”, as Enya’s wonderfully peaceful vocals sing the titular theme for Aragorn and Arwen. It’s as swellingly romantic as you might expect, making it easily an album highlight. The grand theme for Gondor then, on solitary brass, makes its only appearance on this first score at the start of “The Great Eye” before the moody aggression of the Ringwraiths and Sauron start to overtake – until that is, the Fellowship theme steps into frame for its most hopeful and now notably full rendition yet, as the group fully assembles in the film. This rising hope then continues into the subsequent “Gilraen’s Memorial” at spectacular levels, as thunderously grandiose brass practically explodes with a spectacularly heroic further rendition. The crashing chains and brass of Isengard then intensely reprise in the back half of “The Pass Of Caradhas”, before a sudden burst of orchestral terror overtakes in “The Doors Of Durin” as the Watcher in the Water attacks. Brass and string flurries play at a feverish and highly anxious pace, evoking dramatic fear at deafening volumes before the track then fades warily to a close. “Moria” then moodily hints at action to come with deep, imposing vocals echoing, before the music then fades into regret once again as Gollum’s morose theme returns. The mood however softens in the back half of the track as a gentle woodwind-led motif for Frodo plays, allowing a brief moment of peace and understanding (which will also return a little later on).

The standout action moment of the score arrives next with lengthy duo “Balin’s Tomb” and “Khazad-dûm”; the former opens broadly, with soaring brass, strings and vocals building to an impeccably grand crescendo. The music then simmers slightly with solemnity, strings focused, before a sudden orchestral thunder erupts at the three minute mark and frantic action overtakes. Dramatically imposing drums and brass fire on all cylinders for the next few minutes until at last, a breath of hope breaks through as the Fellowship theme charges in for its most breathtakingly heroic rendition on the album. The hope is short-lived however, as “Khazad-dûm” ushers malevolence straight back into centre stage; deep, eerily in-your-face chanting vocals form the frenetic backbone of this rapid action cue, with the Balrog pursuing the Fellowship in about as tensely angry a manner as possible – though that doesn’t stop another absolutely stunning charge of the Fellowship at around the halfway point. With orchestral aggression and anxiety at fever pitch, a sudden final crescendo crashes the chanting vocal action to a close, and a heartbreakingly sorrowful vocal lament fades the track to a gentle end. All-in, this pair of action tracks – there are no words for how utterly amazing they are. The orchestration is perfect, the themes are glorious, and if this score was just these two tracks alone, it would still be perfect. But happily – there’s yet more excellence to come.

The mysterious yet also rather wondrous theme for Lothlórien returns in full vocal force for “Caras Galadhon” and “The Mirror Of Galadriel”, echoing opposite solemn brass and strings still mourning the Fellowship’s tragic loss. As the score begins to move into its finale, “The Fighting Uruk-hai” crashes with percussive thunder as the immense Isengard theme takes centre stage in the cue’s opening minute. One last solemn vocal echo of the Lothlórien motif then slows things back down for a short while, before the Isengard theme crashes once again, and the One Ring theme then flares for an unusually powerful but certainly standout moment on imposing brass. The Ring also slithers along on its usual eerie strings at the start of “Parth Galen”, before the mood starts to turn wary, the orchestra intensifies and before long the Isengard theme gets its biggest and indeed best rendition on the score as determined vocals soar dramatically over its ever-grinding percussive aggression, making for a pretty spectacular action setpiece too. A great strings-focused sorrow then takes over for “The Departure Of Boromir” before an absolute highlight of film music arrives with “The Road Goes Ever On…”.

The way these gorgeously serene strings open Part 1 of this astounding finale is a highlight in itself, but before long the motif for Frodo from “Moria” also reprises in sublimely hopeful form alongside a gentle woodwind rendition of the Hobbiton theme. After a short and rather gallant brassy interspersion of the Fellowship, the Hobbiton and Frodo themes then return to bring the track – and the film – to a rousing finish. “May It Be” then, led by some excellent vocal work by Enya, offers a wondrously ethereal song to open the end credits before (then) boy soprano Edward Ross opens Part 2 of “The Road Goes Ever On…”, the final track of the score. After a lovely vocal rendition of the Hobbiton theme – titled “In Dreams” – interspersed by hopeful brassy reprisals of the Fellowship, Shore brings the album full circle with a final breathtaking look at the Rivendell motif, and then naturally – one last and indeed impeccably heroic blast of the Fellowship theme.

Overall, Howard Shore’s The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring is a score full of utterly standout musical moments – not just in terms of the title franchise, but in all of film music. It’s the most complex and interwoven thematic tapestry that I’ve ever experienced in a film soundtrack, and the way all these themes interact with one another, whether its through thunderous battle exchanges or quiet, introspective thought is simply spellbinding to listen to. But then – you likely know all this already, as the music of The Lord Of The Rings is incredibly highly regarded even today. So on a more personal level, it’s the moments of sheer orchestral emotion that stand out the most for me; sections like the brilliant “Balin’s Tomb”/”Khazad-dûm”, where the action is tense and anxieties are high, making the immense heroic charges of the Fellowship theme that much more epic as a result. Or the quieter, more hopeful back half of “Moria” and Part 1 of “The Road Goes Ever On…”, where’s Frodo’s gentle theme of understanding echoes gallantly on serene strings. The malevolent thunder of Isengard and the anxiety-inducing terror of Sauron himself are also personal highlights, in tracks like the wary “Keep It Secret, Keep It Safe” for the latter and the determined action in the final minutes of “Parth Galen” for the former. And getting to know these cues much more deeply too through Doug Adams’ frankly impeccably detailed book (linked below!) has also elevated the music considerably for me as well.

All-in, there’s not much more to say about The Fellowship Of The Ring that’s not already been said, by either myself or many others before me. Impeccably orchestrated. Incredible themes. Perfect Score? Obviously (it’d have been more apt to call this review a Soundtrack Discussion honestly, as there was never any doubt of its Score). Reviews for The Two Towers and The Return Of The King one day too? Absolutely.

Score: 10/10

Standout Cues: Balin’s Tomb, Khazad-dûm, The Road Goes Ever On…

Buy Doug Adams’ detailed book of The Music Of The Lord Of The Rings Films here.

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