“The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring, The Complete Recordings” Set for Release

The complete Oscar and Grammy winning score to “The Fellowship Of The Ring,” from the epic film trilogy “The Lord Of The Rings,” will be available in a deluxe four-disc edition from Reprise/WMG Soundtracks on November 22nd, 2005.

This historic release contains over 180 minutes of music on three CDs, comprising the full score of the 2001 film, composed by Howard Shore. “The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring, The Complete Recordings” marks the first edition of the three complete recording releases of the film trilogy whose score has been honored with three Academy Awards, four Grammy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. This deluxe set also includes exclusive new artwork, packaging, and extensive liner notes culled from “The Music Of The Lord Of The Rings Films,” to be published in 2006. Enya’s song “May It Be,” which received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song and which she performed at the Academy Awards ceremony, is contained on “The Complete Recordings” within all-new selection titles that reflect the complete score being released in its entirety for the first time.

Says “The Lord Of The Rings” director, Peter Jackson, “No matter how many great performances or exciting visuals we put together for the movie, we found that it was all somewhat two dimensional until we added the emotional heart of Howard Shore’s music. Then, and only then, did the film come to life.”

Added Paul Broucek, Executive Vice President of Music at New Line Cinema, “Listening to the breathtaking music Howard Shore created is like seeing the movie time and time again. You just close your eyes, open your ears and the whole film unfolds before you. Howard’s work is incredibly visual, evocative and narrative.”

Composer of over sixty film scores, Howard Shore brought a lifetime of experience to creating the epochal soundtrack for “The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring.” Shore used Tolkien’s texts and drew from multiple periods throughout music history to evoke the book’s enchanted worlds. He developed over 80 leitmotifs to describe the cultures of Middle-earth. Collaborating with authors/lyrists Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, he composed choral music including the Tolkien-created languages for the Elves (Quenya and Sindarin), the Dwarves (Khuzdûl), Men (Adûnaic) and the evil cultures of Mordor (Black Speech). The result was a movie music breakthrough that has been followed by such subsequent triumphs by Shore as “The Aviator,” “Gangs Of New York,” “The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers” and “The Return Of The King.” “The Lord Of The Rings Symphony: Six Movements for Orchestra and Chorus,” a two-hour work based on the twelve hours of score composed for the film trilogy, has been performed in over 70 concerts in cities all over the world.

Composed for symphony orchestra and three separate choirs, “The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring, The Complete Recordings” highlights two original compositions by the multi-platinum Irish recording artist, Enya, including “Aníron (Theme For Aragorn And Arwen)” and “May It Be.” Also featured in the score are solo performances by Elizabeth Fraser, Edward Ross, Mabel Faletolu as well as cast members Ian Holm, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan.

The fourth disc will present “The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring, The Complete Recordings” in 5.1 Surround Sound in DVD format. The set will also include exclusive new artwork, packaging, and extensive liner notes: “The Music Of The Lord Of The Rings Films — Part I: The Fellowship Of The Ring” by author Doug Adams.

“Appropriately enough for the film adaptation of one of fantasy literature’s most enduring favorites,” wrote the All Music Guide, “Howard Shore’s score for Peter Jackson’s ‘The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring’ is traditional and majestic, using sweeping strings, brass and choral sections to create moments of fire-and-brimstone menace as well heroic triumph.”