.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[TownerFan 4,983]

I always preferred the version as heard on the OST. This is Shore's first take on the cue and, as Doug Adams points out in the liner notes, it has more prominent major chords.

[Quintus 5,399]

The Lighting of the Beacons is THE definitive statement of the Gondor theme and one of the greatest cues of the last twenty years in film scores.

[Richard Penna 3,695]

I preferred The White Tree from the start. It has a stronger form, the major chord at the end of the 'A' section rocks and it feels more propelled than the film version.

[Luke Skywalker 1,796]

than the film version.

these are two film versions arent they

[crocodile 8,020]

I don't know, honestly. I like them both.

Karol

[Marian Schedenig 8,211]

I always disliked the harmonisation in the film/CR version. I much prefer the OST version, easily one of the top 3 cues of the entire series. Unfortunately, the only version that seems to get played live is the film version.

[Faleel 5,359]

I like both, I consider the OST version as the "Concert Suite/Version"

[Ollie 1,059]

The OST version.

The other one is pretty damn good as well.

[Jim Ware 526]

I always disliked the harmonisation in the film/CR version. I much prefer the OST version, easily one of the top 3 cues of the entire series. Unfortunately, the only version that seems to get played live is the film version.

The 'symphony' includes the original (OST) version.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Richard Penna 3,695]

than the film version.

these are two film versions arent they

Umm, nope, I think the CR version appears in both cuts.

My favourite overall Gondor performance has to be in Minas Tirith (don't remember offhand which CR track that is). Although The Great Eye comes a close second. Simplicity can work wonders.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Incanus 5,716]

The White Tree version with its harmonizations wins by a narrow margin.

Favourite statement of this theme for me is the initial one in the Great Eye. It simply sums up the whole notion of Gondor is such a magical way.

[Quintus 5,399]

That it does. Ironically, I rather disliked the melody at first - I didn't appreciate and indeed enjoy it till it took centre stage in the third film.

[Jay 37,373]

That's not irony

[Quintus 5,399]

It is when you combine it with my first post in the thread.

[Jay 37,373]

Ah

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Marian Schedenig 8,211]

I always disliked the harmonisation in the film/CR version. I much prefer the OST version, easily one of the top 3 cues of the entire series. Unfortunately, the only version that seems to get played live is the film version.

The 'symphony' includes the original (OST) version.

Hmm. I'm pretty sure when I saw it it used the CR version?

[Faleel 5,359]

Come on, guys ! That's a tie ! We need one more vote !

Favourite statement of this theme for me is the initial one in the Great Eye. It simply sums up the whole notion of Gondor is such a magical way.

That's my least favourite statement of that theme (doesn't mean it's bad, though).

The first time the Gondor theme really grabbed my attention was in The Two Towers EE, during Osgiliath flashback, when Boromir looks at the Gondor flag, then looks at Faramir and says : "Remember this day, little brother". Brilliant !

I like the silver trumpets theme statement in FOTR better than the great eye quote of the gondor theme

[Incanus 5,716]

Come on, guys ! That's a tie ! We need one more vote !

Favourite statement of this theme for me is the initial one in the Great Eye. It simply sums up the whole notion of Gondor is such a magical way.

That's my least favourite statement of that theme (doesn't mean it's bad, though).

The first time the Gondor theme really grabbed my attention was in The Two Towers EE, during Osgiliath flashback, when Boromir looks at the Gondor flag, then looks at Faramir and says : "Remember this day, little brother". Brilliant !

I like the silver trumpets theme statement in FOTR better than the great eye quote of the gondor theme

I actually adore both statements of those themes in the first film. I mean when you turn Boromir's already poignant lines into pure poetry through music it can't get much better than that. To actually capture the nobility, ancient pride, heritage, culture and history into a musical passage is a beautiful and masterful feat that Shore pulls off dozens of times throughout the trilogy.

[Jim Ware 526]

The 'symphony' includes the original (OST) version.

Hmm. I'm pretty sure when I saw it it used the CR version?

Hmmm. I'm now not sure. Guess we'll have to wait for the CD in September!

Update: It's the original version. Lethargic performance

.

[Maglorfin 196]

The White Tree version with its harmonizations wins by a narrow margin.

Same here.

[Melange 446]

Oh I remember the scene in the cinema, it made my hair stand on end.

Later on (quite a while later, I must admit) I purchased the OST almost exclusively for that track.

And as the CD blasted out and shook the floor, the track made me hair stand on end. I love it and still do.

For ages I 'assumed' (silly, considering the usual pattern of OST) that I was hearing the exact version which made my hair stand on end in the cinema.

Because the OST track made me hair stand on end.

Later on I saw a clip of the scene on YouTube and thought - "Hold on,that's not like the OST version I've been so used to. Less "oomph""

Seeing the scene in the cinema, it made my hair stand on end.

Hearing the version on the OST makes my hair stand on end.

Hearing the actual music from the scene on its own, the continuity is broken a few times and altough nice,it can seem fairly underwhelming.

Hence, I much prefer the OST version because it emulates how I felt in the cinema, rather than the true version does outside of the film.

Short version = "I like the OST version best"

[Marian Schedenig 8,211]

Update: It's the original version. Lethargic performance

.

Interesting. I guess the overall bad production of the Symphony tainted my memory. I'm not too keen on the Symphony to begin with anyway.

[crocodile 8,020]

Guess we'll have to wait for the CD in September!

Tell me this isn't a joke.

Karol

[Incanus 5,716]

Guess we'll have to wait for the CD in September!

Tell me this isn't a joke.

Karol

No it is not a joke. I believe the LotR Symphony was recorded by the 21st Centry Orchestra in Luzern last February.

[crocodile 8,020]

Guess we'll have to wait for the CD in September!

Tell me this isn't a joke.

Karol

No it is not a joke. I believe the LotR Symphony was recorded by the 21st Centry Orchestra in Luzern last month.

Ludwig Wicki must be absolutely tired of Howard Shore's music at this point.

Karol

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Jim Ware 526]

Guess we'll have to wait for the CD in September!

Tell me this isn't a joke.

Karol

No it is not a joke. I believe the LotR Symphony was recorded by the 21st Centry Orchestra in Luzern last month.

Ludwig Wicki must be absolutely tired of Howard Shore's music at this point.

Karol

He's not. Trust me on that!

[Marian Schedenig 8,211]

Will the CD of the Symphony be worth getting ? Are there medleys in this, or are there just tracks "put together" one after another ?

The latter. With the wealth of great material found in the three scores, I was rather surprised how poorly assembled the Symphony is, in my opinion. Not only is it oddly balanced, with the first half taken entirely from FOTR and the second half containing both TTT and ROTK (which have too much thematic material of their own to be properly represented that way), it also seems like a copy & paste job of lots of highlights combined by "underscore" bits that make perfect sense in the scores as a whole, but little when taken out of context.

I actually felt sorry for the string section, which for large parts of the Symphony has to play lengthy and seemingly inconsequential string chords.

Sounds quite harsh probably, and I guess it is, simply because there's so much more to these scores than the Symphony, in my opinion, shows.

[Quintus 5,399]

I sort of agree. The thing which grated most when I saw it was the lengthy and terribly boring Treebeard section. I'd have rather he completely omitted that music and used the considerable time saved to incorporate some far more worthwhile music. The Rohirrim didn't get enough love in the symphony. That, and the horribly jarring cut on the steps of Kazad-Dum where there was supposed to be a triumphant Fellowship fanfare but instead we got a sudden pause as the cue quickly transitioned into something else entirely. Eww.

Anyway, as for this cd which is coming out; shame it's not a dvd as well. I'll give the cd a miss.

[Jim Ware 526]

I had a brief rant about the content of the 'symphony' back in February - http://metronomical.co.uk/post/3410163803/the-lord-of-the-rings-symphony

[Melange 446]

Update: It's the original version. Lethargic performance

.

I was bracing myself for something terribe, but I didn't find the slower speed overly distracting on that.

It seems it really gave the brass a real chance to spread itself.

[Quintus 5,399]

I like either version, but slightly prefer the quicker one.

Off topic, but listening to this now (first time in over a year) evoked the matching images from the movie itself and it moves me. I feel stirred. The Lightning of the Beacons is such a rousingly beautiful scene, it's artistry on par with cinema's most memorable imagery. It's classic. Little wonder the critics embraced the film just as much as the fans did.

[Incanus 5,716]

I like either version, but slightly prefer the quicker one.

Off topic, but listening to this now (first time in over a year) evoked the matching images from the movie itself and it moves me. I feel stirred. The Lightning of the Beacons is such a rousingly beautiful scene, it's artistry on par with cinema's most memorable imagery. It's classic. It's little wonder the critics embraced the film just as much as the fans did.

Yeah and it's all thanks to the Beacon Boys! Their courage, stalwart watch and Howard Shore's music helped to save Middle-Earth!

[Quintus 5,399]

God love them Beacon Boys!

[Datameister 2,044]

Like Quint, I disliked this theme in the beginning. Unlike Quint, I never stopped.

So neither! Ha!

[Quintus 5,399]

You just get back to your honky tonk piano playin'!

[Marian Schedenig 8,211]

I had a brief rant about the content of the 'symphony' back in February - http://metronomical.co.uk/post/3410163803/the-lord-of-the-rings-symphony

Spot on.

Whether I'll get the Symphony recording will probably depend on the sound quality. Since the highlights remain highlights, individual cues in good sound would easily make the CD worthwhile. Still, the scores deserve an approach like Williams' Star Wars suite, which actually presents and develops the material in a cohesive way.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

King Mark likes the Gondor theme.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Datameister 2,044]

Those scores do have some good themes. I can't claim to know the whole catalog of 'em, but I'm very familiar with the major themes, and I love the fellowship theme and the music for the hobbits, for instance. But the Gondor theme just rubs me the wrong way.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Why? What is wrong with it?

[Datameister 2,044]

No idea...it just kind of annoys me. Totally a subjective "feel" thing. I can't point to any concrete, objective flaw in it.

I suppose part of it is probably that I simply associate it with the later films, which I don't enjoy as much as FOTR, but I still remember hearing bits of the theme in that film and thinking, "Huh, that sounds like it could almost be a theme, but it's sure not a very good one."

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

[Quintus 5,399]

No idea...it just kind of annoys me. Totally a subjective "feel" thing. I can't point to any concrete, objective flaw in it.

I suppose part of it is probably that I simply associate it with the later films, which I don't enjoy as much as FOTR, but I still remember hearing bits of the theme in that film and thinking, "Huh, that sounds like it could almost be a theme, but it's sure not a very good one."

Hmm, "Themes which get on your nerves" might make for a good thread if someone could be bothered to do one.

Anakin's Theme is one. Funnily enough, the Mordor motif is another.

[Datameister 2,044]

Anakin's theme never bothered me, but it took me a while to appreciate it. If I know what you mean by the Mordor motif, I love that one!