The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power Soundtrack Is Now Available To Stream
After two decades, the "Lord of the Rings" movies remain as magical as when they first premiered. Beyond the massive amount of money they made, beyond the Academy Award wins, beyond the behind-the-scenes drama, they still remain impressive today. Before Peter Jackson came along, J. R. R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" book was long considered unadaptable, even if Ralph Bakshi did make a great animated movie out of it. The trilogy ended up not just doing a great job of bringing Tolkien's legendarium to life in a concise and endearing way, but it also invited you into this fantastical new world and made it feel real and lived in. From the grandeur of the big cities like Rivendell and Minas Tirith, to the vastness of the Forest of Fangorn, to the depths of Moria where the Balrog awaits.
On top of the stunning visuals, intricate miniatures and bigatures, and the incredible makeup and costuming, there's also the trilogy's score. Composer Howard Shore's music was instrumental in bringing Middle-earth to life and making you believe this was a real place with its history and lore. Who can forget the first few iconic tunes of "Concerning Hobbits," or the tragedy of "The Bridge of Khazad-dûm", or the terrifying and nightmare inducing "A Knife in the Dark" when the Nazgûl appear? Who can listen to "The Riders of Rohan" without wanting to follow Theoden King into battle?
Now that the premiere of Prime Video's "The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power" is drawing closer, we are finally getting a taste of what the show's music will sound like. That's because Bear McCreary's entire soundtrack for the first season is now available to stream.
Welcome to Middle-earth
Right from the get-go, it is clear McCreary's soundtrack feels cut from the same cloth as Howard Shore's score. some of the tracks feel familiar even if they are still different, like the "Valinor," the "Khazad-dûm" and the "Sauron" tracks. And yet, there are sounds that are completely new to Middle-earth, particularly the new hobbit theme "Nori Brandyfoot," and "Númenor."
In a new featurette, McCreary described his goal for the different sounds of the show. "When we're with the elves, you're gonna hear choirs, ethereal voices," the composer said. "With the dwarves, we have the deep male vocals," while the harfoot "sounds felt very natural." As for Númenor, McCreary describes their harmonic language as having a "middle eartern progression."
Speaking to Variety, McCreary expanded on the sounds we can expect, and the languages we'll hear. Choirs are used extensively for the score, and "the context of what is being said, and the language in which it is being said, matches what you are watching." The soundtrack will include both Elvish languages, Sindarin and Quenya; the Dwarvish language Khuzdûl; Sauron's language Black Speech; and Adûnaic, the language of Númenor.
Of course, this is 2022, where we're reclaiming physical media. So those who want a crisper sound and maybe more of a collector's item, there's a little treat for you.
For fans of physical releases
For those who would rather wait for a physical release, Mondo's got you covered. The publisher is releasing both Vinyl and CD editions of the score of "The Rings of Power," which also includes a main theme composed by Howard Shore. This edition is expected to ship January 2023, but pre orders are now available.
The release comes in a set of two discs. The vinyl version comes in a beautiful gold that is not guaranteed to make you invisible, but should not attract Ring Wraiths or the wrath of a giant floating eye that wants to conquer the world.
Mondo
"The Season One: Amazon Original Series Soundtrack also includes two performances by 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' actors—Sophia Nomvete (Princess Disa) on the track 'A Plea to the Rocks' and 'This Wandering Day,' sung by Megan Richards (Poppy Proudfellow)."
"The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" premieres on Prime Video September 2, 2022.