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

[Quintus 5,399]

We have to watch the pennies in our house right now, my son is two days overdue amongst other things. Further down the line my finances will allow for more liberal materialistic spending again but for now two movie tickets and the ost will have to do.

[Jay 37,368]

There's really no reason to fret about pricing or even pre-order it now if price is important to you. The weekend before its released, just about every retailer will have it at their lowest possible price to be competitive with their competitors. Between now and then it's just going to keep fluctuating.

In the US, I expect the standard OST to be $12.99 and the SE to be $19.99 just before its released.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Sounds about right. On Amazon the SE could very well be $16-$18.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

We have to watch the pennies in our house right now, my son is two days overdue amongst other things.

You already know the sex of the baby? Cool!

[Joni Wiljami 1,206]

Oh, I never knew the sex beforehand.

[gkgyver 1,645]

I don't think they'll be releasing the complete score, and certainly not for that price. It would be a rather big marketing screw-up if you ask me.

Yeah, giving the fans what they want right from the start, at a reasonable price - such morons!

Pre-ordered from Amazon.de for 20 Euro.

[Richard Penna 3,694]

It's only a marketing screw-up if you look from the perspective of wanting to make more money from OST + CR sales. Surprising as it is, I guess sometimes they just give fans what they want.

And while the price is lower than the CRs (I think TTT and RotK went into the £30+ price), they don't have the overhead or marketing of a standalone CD release, or the editing needed to truncate it to 70 mins.

Took the plunge and pre-ordered from Amazon UK. A price fall is a bonus.

[Marian Schedenig 8,198]

Pre-ordered from Amazon.de for 20 Euro.

Me too. I'd just been waiting for them to post a non import price.

[KK 3,307]

It's only a marketing screw-up if you look from the perspective of wanting to make more money from OST + CR sales. Surprising as it is, I guess sometimes they just give fans what they want.

I was looking at it from the perspective of making money. Just look at the huge amount of cash the LotR releases reeled in. It surprises me why they wouldn't want to exploit that again. But I guess sometimes fans just get lucky...

[Alan 689]

The first sample...well, full track!

http://sidiview.tumb...wn-howard-shore

Became aware of it on Doug Adams' site where he says it's part of an AMC Theatres promotion. Guessing it's legit and okay to post then.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Jonesy 55]

Wonderful! But I would like to see the film first.

[Joni Wiljami 1,206]

An expected journey. Not bad.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[crocodile 8,017]

Sounds fantastic! Absolutely loving it.

Karol

[Joni Wiljami 1,206]

Well, if I say "not bad", you are definitely going to love it. You know that, BB.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Joni Wiljami 1,206]

Dr Pepper and Mr Dunk.

[Brónach 1,302]

I'm not listening.

Fuck.

[Quintus 5,399]

This is the LPO again is it not? Check out that performance, it's undeniably the London players. Utterly sublime. And how about that recording? Stellar. This was like slipping into a comfy old sweater and I already love it.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Quintus 5,399]

I agree.

[Brónach 1,302]

It does sound like a sort of despiction of Radagast.

[scallenger 483]

I LOVED the track! Now I am really anxious to hear the rest! It definitely sounds like it belongs with the LOTR scores, and yet different at the same time.

[Jay 37,368]

Wow! That was not what I was expecting at all! Its a cue that wouldn't feel right plopped into one of the old LOTR scores, but its not far enough away to make me think The Hobbit's scores won't jive with LOTR's.

And yea, Zimmer's Sherlock score came immediately to mind for me as well. That score turned out to be quite an influential one!

[Brónach 1,302]

Some parts sound straight from somewhere in LOTR and the it flows into something new,

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Brónach 1,302]

I never really planned not to listen. That was just a momentary thought. Which is why I said "fuck".

I am weak when it comes to this, however.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[crocodile 8,017]

I never really planned not to listen. That was just a momentary thought. Which is why I said "fuck".

Watch your language, young man!

Karol

[MSM 126]

Sounds good. Reminds a bit of Half Blood Prince.

Definately sounds fresh and inspired.

[crocodile 8,017]

Did you know Simon Rhodes is a scoring mixer on this one? Cool.

Karol

[MSM 126]

Did you know Simon Rhodes is a scoring mixer on this one? Cool.

Karol

I didn't. He certainly helps!

[Luke Skywalker 1,795]

This is the LPO again is it not? Check out that performance, it's undeniably the London players. Utterly sublime. And how about that recording? Stellar. This was like slipping into a comfy old sweater and I already love it.

so will you wait to have money and buy the SE or will still double dip?

[Jay 37,368]

I've added the sample to the main post. I'll be maintaining it with a list of all samples that pop up

[Luke Skywalker 1,795]

Sounds LOTRish. A little scary to be radagast's thematical material... but maybe the scene needs it

OF COURSE! The scary segments are the Rabbit of doom leitmotifs.

[Jay 37,368]

FOR PEOPLE WONDERING HOW I GOT THE “RADAGAST THE BROWN” TRACK

AMC theaters is doing a Hobbit promotion where you can win a trip to New Zealand, free AMC tickets for a year, or a free single track download from the not yet released Hobbit soundtrack. Both my dad and I won a single track download from our large beverage cups so that is how I got a hold of Radagast the Brown. I don’t know which track my dad won yet, it may be the Radagast track, but if it isn’t expect another track from the official The Hobbit soundtrack.

http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/the-hobbit?before=1352075363

How crazy would it be if each winner got a different track, and the whole thing legally leaked out that way?

I highly doubt it though, I'm sure everyone gets Radagast The Brown track... Doug kinda said as much on his blog

[KK 3,307]

Omg...a whole track out?! I think I'll be too weak to resist......

[Incanus 5,715]

Wow sounds promising. I got a nice warm fuzzy feeling of nostalgia but also the music seems like a fresh extension of the Middle Earth sound. Gorgeous choral work.

Potential motifs abound, both choral and orchestral. Some rather spidery repeating ostinati remind me of Shelob a bit. Could it be there are some evil spiders about in this scene.

[KK 3,307]

Screw it! I listened to it....

First of all, its very much Howard Shore and the music is still woven from the same cloth of LotR (some of the choral work, dark harmonies and orchestral clusters come straight from LotR). The fiddle work is very intriguing however. Its takes a combination of Shore's dark sound and the new musical colour of the fiddle work. I love it. Shore has always strived to add new musical colours to the musical tapestry of Middle-Earth and this seems to the case here. It's still very much Middle-Earth, so no need for people to freak out.

I especially like when the choral work combines with the cool rhythmic work. The whole effect is oddly a bit intoxicating. I love the colours brought out by the slight use of woodwinds, the choral work, the fiddle and the rhythmic passages. As a whole, its surprisingly dark for Radagast. I wonder what scene this is playing for. I wouldn't be surprised if Luke was right. The fiddle work is probably the motif for the Bunnies of Doom. The gorgeous, heartwarming choral work in the beginning is probably played against the slow-motion downfall of Radagast, as the great wizard gets corrupted by the evil Bunnies.

I really enjoyed listening to this and I can't wait for the whole score!

I LOVED the track! Now I am really anxious to hear the rest! It definitely sounds like it belongs with the LOTR scores, and yet different at the same time.

Indeed. I bet back in the day people would have thought the Hardanger fiddle doesn't "sound like LotR". It's just another musical colour added to the rich palette of Shore's Middle-Earth. And I'm loving it.

I keep playing this track again. Its great stuff!

[Incanus 5,715]

I keep playing this track again. Its great stuff!

I think we can't say anything definitive about the Radagast scene this music is meant to accompany but it really sounds intriguing as it goes through so many different moods in this little less than 5 minutes. But it really sounds so wonderfully familiar and still new, Shore returning to his sound of Middle Earth with undiminished ingenuity. All the dissonant and harsher sensibilities are here but also the lyricism, the orchestrational skill and nuance and spirit of LotR. The choral writing really reminds me of LotR and the Nature material in tone if not in directly in thematic material.

[alicebrallice 134]

The first sample...well, full track!

http://sidiview.tumb...wn-howard-shore

Became aware of it on Doug Adams' site where he says it's part of an AMC Theatres promotion. Guessing it's legit and okay to post then.

wow...

I'm not gonna listen, I'm not gonna listen, I'm not gonna listen...

[MSM 126]

Sounds LOTRish. A little scary to be radagast's thematical material... but maybe the scene needs it

OF COURSE! The scary segments are the Rabbit of doom leitmotifs.

Rabbits of Doom?? What are those :s (never read the book, still planning to; did read LotR trilogy!!)

[Jay 37,368]

Its a JWFan in-joke about the rabbit-pulled sled that Radagast is seen using in some of the LOTR trailers/commercials. In the book he has no such sled.

[Wojo 2,453]

But to be fair, Radagast's role in both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings is either so small or merits barely a mention, e.g. giving birds to Saruman and unknowingly sending (and rescuing) Gandalf to (from) Orthanc. Absence of a sled does not imply nonexistence of a sled. After all, Tolkien does write that Gandalf describes Radagast the Brown as not being much of a traveler, and as he declines his mission as a Wizard in his obsession with animals, he may just come to depend on them for his travel.

[Faleel 5,350]

Is this the first time (In the Middle-Earth Saga) that Shore used so much small percussion? (I mean I know he has used big Timpani etc., and snares in "Breach of the deeping wall wall but..)

[Incanus 5,715]

No, e.g. the music for the early Black Riders scenes in FotR is full of smaller subtler percussion, not perhaps as sharply tapping as in the preview track for Hobbit though.

[Faleel 5,350]

but not much militirastic or snare percussion right?

[Incanus 5,715]

Yes Shore uses snare drums very sparingly in the scores. I think there is some in the Amon Hen sequence, the unused Ringwraith music section for Frodo's vision of Barad-Dûr from the Seat of Seeing, and of course the Breach of the Deeping Wall and some other smaller moments but even in the more militaristic passages he usually refrains from using it in LotR.

[BloodBoal 7,538]