Howard Shore's An Unexpected Journey (Hobbit Part 1)

[Luke Skywalker 1,792]

the nature theme should be heard in all its fullness in this trilogy. It already appeared that in FOTR, didnt it?

[Brónach 1,301]

I think the theme 4:16 into "My Dear Frodo", reprised on trumpet later around 4:55 is Smaug's theme.

Isn't it the same as the one at the end of A Good Omen?

[Incanus 5,713]

I think the theme 4:16 into "My Dear Frodo", reprised on trumpet later around 4:55 is Smaug's theme.

Isn't it the same as the one at the end of A Good Omen?

Yes it is.

[Brónach 1,301]

Ha! Then there we have it!

I hope it's not particularly based on the Mordor music but it's more independent instead.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Jay 37,283]

True.

[KK 3,307]

That choral rendition of the Fellowship theme is one of the greatest moments (if not the greatest) of Shore's magnum opus. Brilliant! That whole CD in the CR is pure gold.

I've been thinking about this today, actually. The greatest for me is the return of the music after René Fleming's (I think) solo, when Frodo is walking towards Gollum in an embellishment over the book (I'm still unsure about which version of the moment I prefer!). The musical lead up to this expresses everything perfectly: it's been a constant now! oops... now! oops... and suddenly, the music indicates "now is the real deal". And goosembumps. This bit is one of the moments in the history of of film perfectly embody "climax" to me. But I'm usually just lost of the intensiity of the music from the later part of The Return of the King.

And narratively as well as musically, although there they're one and the same. It's one of the most perfectly set up climaxes ever. It's like... "The Ring is mine!!" SHIT And then cue of bif choir and doom and gloom, but it sounds strangely alluring instead of repetitive.

Oh that's one of my ultimate favourite moments in the trilogy. To this day, the way all 3 Ring themes are brought together gives me the chills. And Fleming's solos is certainly spine-tingling as well.

That theme is possibly my favourite of all of Middle-Earth melodies.

it's my favourite too. I was also disappointed to hear such a brief statement of the theme, but I have a feeling he's saving its big moment for The Battle of the Five Armies.

Bullshit! The Gondor theme for the win!

For a long time, the Gondor theme used to be my favourite as well, and it still is up there (its such an awesome theme). But lately, the nature theme just got a bit of an edge

[Luke Skywalker 1,792]

nature theme rules.

[Brónach 1,301]

Lorien theme!

Wait. Now I'm thinking on several I like a lot. Complicated.

[Datameister 2,037]

I stick with the Fellowship theme, the hobbits' theme, and the music for Isengard and the Uruk-hai. Those three themes right there are responsible for perhaps 75% of the enjoyment I get out of those three scores.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[gkgyver 1,645]

I'm sticking with the Ring's history theme. The central theme for me anyway.

I love how Howard Shore weaves the 5/4 into the rhythmic fabric of the Orc music in the Misty Mountains cues, that back and forth between 3/4 and 5/4.

[Brónach 1,301]

I love the Menace of Gollum little theme for no reason in particular.

[KK 3,307]

The Lothlorien Theme has been one of my favourites since I first heard it. So you can imagine the bliss of hearing it in action mode in TTT. I also love the Rohan theme and the History of the Ring theme (along with the "Evil of Sauron"). Oh and its hard not to fall in love with "A Hobbit's Understanding". Argh...there's too many great themes to count!

[Incanus 5,713]

Yes there is an embarrasement of riches when it comes to great themes in LotR. History of the Ring is my number one as it just captures something complex, elusive yet fundamental to the central artefact of the story. Nature's Reclamation, Lothlorien theme, Gondor theme and so many others follow.

[tannhauser 101]

I have a particular fondness for the Grey Havens theme.

[Quintus 5,399]

^ that is indeed a bittersweet and serene melody, played just beautifully by the LPO. It's an abc of 'reflective' mood.

The Lothlorien theme never clicked with me, it always felt awkward as a melody, almost atonal. As pure music I do not like it. But as Elvish ID it's perfect and works terrific in the films.

The Nature theme - has anyone mentioned the stirring arrangement heard during, "So, it is beneath the walls of Minis Tirith the doom of our time will be decided."? That always made me want to saddle up and ride out to war, in my jeans and t-shirt.

[Incanus 5,713]

The Lothlorien theme never clicked with me, it always felt awkward as a melody, almost atonal. As pure music I do not like it. But as Elvish ID it's perfect and works terrific in the films.

I think it took the longest time for me to get over the Middle Eastern qualities as the signature for the ancient times of Middle Earth but now this is one of my favourite melodies, the one long development of the idea in Caras Galadhon a superb, almost hypnotic piece of music and mysticism, up there with the best moments in FotR. The battle signatures with bolero rhythm in TTT were very well thought out and it was great to hear such a serene and originally almost emotionally detached theme take action.

The Nature theme - has anyone mentioned the stirring arrangement heard during, "So, it is beneath the walls of Minis Tirith the doom of our time will be decided."? That always made me want to saddle up and ride out to war, in my jeans and t-shirt.

Another really striking and rousing moment indeed.

[gkgyver 1,645]

In the Special Editions samples, at the end of "The Edge Of The Wild", it sounds like music that could fit the first spotting of Mirkwood. Maybe these are indeed cues that were originally for the end of An Unexpected Journey when it was still going to be two films. Or at least that cue. I still think the others, "The Dwarf Lords", "Erebor", "A Very Respectable Hobbit" and "Dreaming Of Bag End" are suites, or presentation of themes. Although I kind of wish "Erebor" would close the film. Utterly great piece.

[Incanus 5,713]

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey soundtrack exclusive first play is going to be on ClassicFM in about 40 minutes (at 5 pm).

And it not strictly the first play is it, when Empire Magazine already streamed it.

[KK 3,307]

In the Special Editions samples, at the end of "The Edge Of The Wild", it sounds like music that could fit the first spotting of Mirkwood. Maybe these are indeed cues that were originally for the end of An Unexpected Journey when it was still going to be two films. Or at least that cue. I still think the others, "The Dwarf Lords", "Erebor", "A Very Respectable Hobbit" and "Dreaming Of Bag End" are suites, or presentation of themes. Although I kind of wish "Erebor" would close the film. Utterly great piece.

I love the "Erebor" theme and I recall it being quoted in "The World is Ahead". Some sort of adventure theme probably.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey soundtrack exclusive first play is going to be on ClassicFM in about 40 minutes (at 5 pm).

And it not strictly the first play is it, when Empire Magazine already streamed it.

I've heard the whole score twice as of yet. But today, I just couldn't resist the urge of listening to "A Good Omen"! It has such a wonderful opening.

I will try to be stronger next time I'll try to the listen to the ClassicFM broadcast tonight (if I have time).

[Brónach 1,301]

I've listened to it several times.

[KK 3,307]

I thought you stopped at "Thunder Battle"?

[Incanus 5,713]

I have listened this score once through but perused a track here and there in these last few days. I am a bit on the fence if I'll be listening to the entire broadcast tonight. I would like to reserve something new to listen to when I get the album in December.

[Quintus 5,399]

So far Incanus, how many stars out of five?

[Brónach 1,301]

I thought you stopped at "Thunder Battle"?

Yeah but someone uploaded it to youtube.

[Incanus 5,713]

So far Incanus, how many stars out of five?

I am partial to Shore's music for LotR of course so I might be a bit biased to try to give a full rating yet but I would say 4 and closing on 5 out of 5.

Hmmm I wonder do they play the entire soundtrack in the ClassicFM show or just a few tracks since this programme is called Classic FM Chart. And they are going through the top 30 classic recordings at the moment.

[KK 3,307]

4? I'm surprised. As of yet, I think its the best score of the year. Of course, there's my personal bias to consider,

[Incanus 5,713]

I did say it is closing on 5.

I need a few more listens I think to fully make my judgement of the score. It is a great one, both intelligent and entertaining but one listen is not enough. I have a feeling subsequent listens will only cement my positive first impressions though. Taking everything in from these scores takes a bit of time.

Funny how the Classic FM host doesn't realize that their broadcast of the Hobbit soundtrack (coming in about 1 hour) is not the first in the world as she claims.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[alicebrallice 134]

I did say it is closing on 5.

I need a few more listens I think to fully make my judgement of the score. It is a great one, both intelligent and entertaining but one listen is not enough. I have a feeling subsequent listens will only cement my positive first impressions though. Taking everything in from these scores takes a bit of time.

right! and you weren't terribly impressed with fotr before you saw the film, were you?

there's still hope!

[Brónach 1,301]

I have to admit that I'm not being nearly as enthusiastic about the score as I thought I would be. But I still love Bilbo's theme.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Incanus 5,713]

I did say it is closing on 5.

I need a few more listens I think to fully make my judgement of the score. It is a great one, both intelligent and entertaining but one listen is not enough. I have a feeling subsequent listens will only cement my positive first impressions though. Taking everything in from these scores takes a bit of time.

right! and you weren't terribly impressed with fotr before you saw the film, were you?

there's still hope!

I just want few more listens with my copy of Special Edition of the soundtrack before the final judgement.

I have to admit that I'm not being nearly as enthusiastic about the score as I thought I would be.

This. But that's mainly because of the first comments when the complete soundtrack was available on Empire.

Seriously, I expected most people here to be like: "This is giga-orgasmic! Shore Strikes Back!" and things like that, but all we got was people like Inky being only: "Yep. It's good", and that was it.

But I think the Englishman still hasn't listened to the whole thing, has he? I expect him to post comments like the "giga-orgasmic" one.

Not all are so shouty as you "Mr. I am not listening to the music".

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Incanus 5,713]

OMG! SHORE'S THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY SOUNDTRACK IS JUST PURE FRIGGIN' AWESOME SAUCE! IT MAKES ME ALL GIDDY INSIDE JUST THINKING ABOUT THE MUSIC! IT MAKES ME LAUGH OUT LOUD OF JOY!

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Brónach 1,301]

If this was the Shore's first Middle-Earth score then I would be all over it. But as it is, I don't feel the new ideas stick with me nowhere near like the new ideas for FOTR did. Another difference I see is that score was extremely entertaining throughout, while this one relies more in moments and sometimes tires me a bit (the unfinished themes etc...) And FOTR had a really big, involving finale, while this towards the end becomes more like an action score that ends up with some suspenseful notes. I can imagine why this is this way. But it doesn't satisfy me. Then there's the song. I can always count on the endings of the LOTR scores. Not here. Sure, it's full of extremely cool reworkings of LOTR material, but I want more, I don't know exactly how to explain this.

This are my current feelings and they might change (as usual). And I wonder what the actual complete score is like, with the music Shore remade plus the alternates we've just heard.

-Chaac. Who's listening to The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey almost on a loop.

[scallenger 481]

Hey guys, just released: NEW special edition of Lord of the Rings just in time for the release of the Hobbit!

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[scallenger 481]

Where does this first film end again? I'm not as keen on the events as a lot of you are.

[Brónach 1,301]

It seems that right after they are recued from the Wargs.

And FOTR had a really big, involving finale, while this towards the end becomes more like an action score that ends up with some suspenseful notes. I can

imagine why this is this way. But it doesn't satisfy me.

I feel that if they had kept the two-films structure and the ending had been the "Barrels Out Of Bond" sequence, the whole score would have been much, much more satisfying.

[media=]

Do you remember this? There's nothing in AUJ that lives up to this. Sure, there's the Shire music, but this time it's not new. There's nothing like the Fellowship music either (which some say it's a cheap theme but quite frankly that's bs). This is a wonderful culmination for the score. But something like this doesn't happen in what I've heard of AUJ.

The two film plan might have done for a quite intriguing film score. However, after thinking about it a lot I'm not sure the rythm of the film would hold up that much. It seems like a longer chain of events than FOTR. Maybe too fast. With more characters. I dunno. I need to see the films to arrive to any conclusion lol

[Jilal 569]

The film ending with the barrels sequence would have been great.

Fan edit! Fan edit! Fan edit!

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Incanus 5,713]

OK the ClassicFM exclusive preview was a single track, Over Hill. How lame was that when Empire Magazine streamed the whole thing.

The problem with The Hobbit is that a lot of places, characters and creatures are the same as the ones found in LOTR (at least for that first Hobbit film), so that obviously plays a big part in the fact that the new material is not so prominent. But with the second film, we'll be introduced to all new locations, characters and creatures (Beorn, Mirkwood, Thranduil, Laketown, Bard, Smaug... ), so that will probably be the one with which the real deal finally begins...

Well to give Shore credit he writes a whole host of new themes for this first installment as well, the Dwarven ones being the most prominent along with Bilbo's new Shire theme related material. But you are right in that Shore had to acknowledge the past scores when the story enters familiar territory so we appropriately hear the old themes for Rivendell, the Ring and Lothlorien for example. And I have to say that the central ideas for the quest, Thorin, Dwarves and Bilbo slowly but surely grow on me, in the same way many themes in the LotR trilogy did.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Brónach 1,301]

Fan edit! Fan edit! Fan edit!

I'm sure we can expect quite a lot of fan edits with The Hobbit trilogy. At least one that will get rid off of all the White Council material and added stuff to keep just the things from the book, and one recreating the two-films structure that was originally planned.

At the very least,The Hobbit films will be prone be watched all three together.

[KK 3,307]

Do you remember this? There's nothing in AUJ that lives up to this. Sure, there's the Shire music, but this time it's not new. There's nothing like the Fellowship music either (which some say it's a cheap theme but quite frankly that's bs). This is a wonderful culmination for the score. But something like this doesn't happen in what I've heard of AUJ.

The two film plan might have done for a quite intriguing film score. However, after thinking about it a lot I'm not sure the rythm of the film would hold up that much. It seems like a longer chain of events than FOTR. Maybe too fast. With more characters. I dunno. I need to see the films to arrive to any conclusion lol

The problem with The Hobbit is that a lot of places, characters and creatures are the same as the ones found in LOTR (at least for that first Hobbit film), so that obviously plays a big part in the fact that the new material is not so prominent. But with the second film, we'll be introduced to all new locations, characters and creatures (Beorn, Mirkwood, Thranduil, Laketown, Bard, Smaug... ), so that will probably be the one with which the real deal finally begins...

And about the fact that there is nothing on the same level as The Breaking Of The Fellowship... Well, to be fair to PJ, Shore & Co, there is no equivalent of such an emotional moment in The Hobbit, so that is not something we could have expected to find on the soundtrack. From the very beginning, the first film (even when it was two films instead of three) could never, ever have an ending as good and satisfying as the ones from FOTR and TTT, because the book simply doesn't offer one.

And that's one of the major drawbacks of turning ONE book into MULTIPLE films.

This.

If this was the Shore's first Middle-Earth score then I would be all over it. But as it is, I don't feel the new ideas stick with me nowhere near like the new ideas for FOTR did. Another difference I see is that score was extremely entertaining throughout, while this one relies more in moments and sometimes tires me a bit (the unfinished themes etc...) And FOTR had a really big, involving finale, while this towards the end becomes more like an action score that ends up with some suspenseful notes. I can imagine why this is this way. But it doesn't satisfy me. Then there's the song. I can always count on the endings of the LOTR scores. Not here. Sure, it's full of extremely cool reworkings of LOTR material, but I want more, I don't know exactly how to explain this.

You make it sound like Shore was scoring another LOTR film. But he wasn't. There's a clear distinction from what LOTR was and what the Hobbit will be. As BloodBoal said, there was never any sort of emotional catharsis in The Hobbit that could match what we saw in LOTR ( a la Breaking of the Fellowship) and that clearly translates over through the music. LOTR was Howard Shore score a grand scale epic. The Hobbit is more Shore scoring a rollicking adventure and that shows in the lighthearted spirit of the score.

As for the themes, it's key to remember that we don't what Shore has planned for the trilogy yet. The themes for Gondor, Minas Tirith, nature and etc. were just fleeting motifs in FOTR. Only later in the trilogy did we realize the massive potential those ideas had.

To go on, people considered parts of some of the LOTR scores (like TTT) to be dull in parts. From what we've heard on album, there really appears to be nary a dull moment here.

I never expected this to be better than LOTR and as of yet, I don't think it is. But it's still a fantastic Middle-Earth score with his same keen approach to intelligent thematic scoring. It's like he's still writing his massive opera for Middle Earth, but the story has changed a bit. I for one am terribly excited to see how the ideas he's planted here will blossom as the trilogy unfolds.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[KK 3,307]

Don't forget the eagles! The Eagles will be coming!

I'd love to hear something along the lines of "Siege of Gondor", although he'll be juggling a LOT more themes this time! Just thinking about makes my head spin!