The Lord of the Rings- The Fellowship of the Ring Soundtrack,
Enhanced CD (Limited Edition)
Available from,
Amazon.com , $ (approx.)
Amazon.co.uk , �25.99 (approx.)
Released, November 20th 2001
Composed, Orchestrated and Conducted by Howard Shore,
Features, Enya
1. The Prophecy.
2. Concerning Hobbits.
3. The Shadow of the Past.
4. The Treason of Isengard.
5. The Black Rider.
6. At the Sign of the Prancing Pony
7. A Knife in the Dark.
8. Flight to the Ford.
9. Many Meetings.
10. The Council of Elrond feat. 'Aniron' (theme for Aragorn and Arwen) -Enya
11. The Ring Goes South.
12. A Journey in the Dark.
13. The Bridge of Khazad Dum.
14. Lothlorien.
15. The Great River.
16. Amon Hen.
17. The Breaking of the Fellowship.
18. May it Be (composed and performed by Enya)
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I love this soundtrack totally and utterly, completely! This has got to be the best, the one and only, CD to play whilst you are writing (fantasy).
The nature of each of the tracks are so diverse- there's the catchy light-hearted tunes that skip along, like 'Concerning Hobbits'. The more sinister and darker tracks, 'At the Sign of the Prancing Pony'. The grand, dramatic and epic scores, featuring countless cathedral choirs- 'The Shadow of the Past'. Other tracks have a certain tribal feeling to them, employing booming beats of deep bass drums, notably 'A Journey in the Dark'. And in total contrast, some glide along, lulling you to a dreaming state carried on the whispers of flutes and the hush of violins- coupled with the voice of Enya, the music is just profoundly inspiring!
I particularly liked the tracks involving Enya. Her work hasn't always struck a perfect chord with me, but 'The Council of Elrond' and 'May it Be' both composed and performed by Enya, are brilliant! 'May it Be' s melody is wonderful and lasting! Enya contribution to the album is phenonemal- Whilst other tracks are grand epics, filling out much the soundtrack with Roman theatre, Enya's asserts a lasting Celtic class to the scene, re-installing the more popular Celtic based style of Middle-Earth.
But my favourite, and the pent-ultimate track on the album, is 'The Breaking of the Fellowship'. This track is profoundly inspiring and very moving. The last score to be played during the film, it's a seamless integration of most of the tracks on the soundtrack. Playing with melodies and tunes utilised elsewhere on the album, it draws the film to a final and concluding climax!
Each track has so much individual character, so masterfully taylored to the scene that it accompanied in the film, that as you listen to the soundtrack you can follow the film in your mind with perfect clarity. So vivid, in your mind, are the distressed faces of the fellowship as they lose their first member at the end of 'The Bridge of Khazad Dum'.
The preserntation of this Limited Edition is reasonably impressive. The soundtrack comes in a book-like holder-case, clad in 'antique-red' leatherette with the title pressed in golden holographic lettering on the front cover and the spine. Inside, two card pockets, inspiring an aged look with bronzed edges and 'water damage' (also sporting the faded ring of elvish seen on the film's posters) holds the soundtrack CD and a stylish matt-paper 24 page booklet. In the booklet there are the standard track lyrics and elvish translations, but also a small collection of the more enduring images of the film, including the charge of the Ringwraithes at the ford, the huddle of hobbits with drawn swords, and a hazed image of the procession of the Fellowship on the mountain ridge.
The look of the Limited Edition soundtrack is novel, but is it worth the quite considerable mark up in price? Any of the more sentimental Lord of the Rings nuts, like my self, could quite easily argue that it is a great buy. But if you're not so fanatically inclined, you'd be better just sticking to the standard edition of the soundtrack. And even if you are a keen fan of the film, and you already own a standard edition, I think that it wouldn't be worth the trouble to get this Limited Edition. The music is the important thing, right?
Overall, the soundtrack is stunning, and is a must have for any Lord of the Rings fan, and an inspiring sound to write to, for anyone not. Only buy this Limited Edition if you are a sentimental sod, like me, and don't already own the soundtrack, otherwise go for the standard edition (also available at amazon.co.uk).
A truly great soundtrack that reflects the spectacular and glorious magnificence of the film perfectly!