Jump to content

Will The Hobbit age as well as The Lord of the Rings?


gkgyver

Recommended Posts

That is the question I ask myself, and there, I found another way to put my finger on something that I couldn't describe for a long time, why the latter 1,5 Hobbit scores rub me somewhat uncomfortably - in my eyes, they lack a good amount of that timeless quality of LotR, and yes, also AUJ.

 

Why do I ask this question? Simple: I've listened to the Fellowship OST for the first time in 10 years today, and MY GOD does it sound like it hasn't aged a day! That combination of borrowing from the classical realm, while still relying on modern techniques to make it sounds unique, that makes it timeless. And that mix, dear god ...

 

I feel like the Hobbit relies too much on modern techniques, aided by Pope's orchestrations. And thus, it will age worse.

My opinion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I presume the scores, as the film argument has been done to death.

 

I've no idea to be honest. I guess people will always be more fond of the LOTR scores for various reasons, but all that really matters to me is how I feel about them, which is unlikely to change that much over time (though releases of additional Hobbit music would only further enhance my appreciation of that).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the ears of Tolkienites? Probably not.

 

However, outside of Middle-Earth fandom the Hobbit soundtracks are already obsolete and are in no way considered landmark and timeless like the LotR scores are.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess appreciation of Jackson's M-E films in general (and probably also the scores) will also hinge upon future adaptations, which will inevitably happen at some point. They could be better, but something tells me they'll be abominable (to the point where some might actually say "You know, maybe Jackson's Hobbit really wasn't that bad after all..."). Don't say you weren't warned.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, Quintus said:

the Hobbit soundtracks [...] are in no way considered landmark and timeless like the LotR scores are.  

 

Indeed

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't get me wrong - I love the Hobbit scores!  And some of the themes Shore wrote for them are my favorite themes he's ever written / my favorite themes from the entire Middle Earth saga.  They just simply aren't the landmark scores the LOTR scores were.

 

The LOTR scores continue to get Live To Projection concerts, cues from them continue to appear on compilations and youtube videos.

 

The Hobbit scores started out strong with a million youtube videos of the Misty Mountains sound, but other than that have had little impact to the general public, and I don't think there will be Hobbit Live To Projection concerts nor a lot of appearances on compilation albums.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

27 minutes ago, SafeUnderHill said:
44 minutes ago, Jay said:

don't think there will be Hobbit Live To Projection concerts nor a lot of appearances on compilation albums.

 

:angry:

 

I think it's too early to say. Mind, FotR took, I believe, over six years before it made it to live-to-projection. So unless Jay has a source to that end, I'd simply see and wait. I'm sure that The Hobbit will be making a "proper" appearance on the concert stage (whether as a Symphony or otherwise) within due time.

 

What due time might be in this case, however, is highly debatable. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Does it?  The films were not the beloved films the LOTR films were, and only half as financially successful.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Perhaps I'm being pessimistic, but I'd say the best chance of a Hobbit symphony would be as part of a general six-film encompassing symphony, should Shore wish to undertake such a challenging task.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Barnald said:

Whether or not Shore wants to do it probably isn't the most important consideration in this unfortunately

 

Indeed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just meant that it's financial reasons ( funding an endeavor like this) that would prevent LTP concerts or a Symphony from happing, not Shore's interest level.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

52 minutes ago, Jay said:

I just meant that it's financial reasons ( funding an endeavor like this) that would prevent LTP concerts or a Symphony from happing, not Shore's interest level.

 

That was my meaning also, the money men and whatnot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The obvious answer, I think, is no. With that said, I do think opinion on the scores from naysayers in the film music niche, will warm over time. Last week, I decided to revisit all 3 scores after a long time, and I forgot how much I enjoyed them (and how frustrating I found other moments...but that's another matter). You can probably expect a very brief write-up in the "What is the Last Score You Listened To" thread.

 

2 hours ago, SafeUnderHill said:

 

To me it does. I can see Shore wanting to write and orchestrate a full symphony of his Hobbit scores. It would be logistically easier to pull of than Live to Projection performances (which I would hope still come later).

 

I honestly think Shore is done with Middle-Earth, and has cleaned his hands of it. I can imagine him having very little interest in pursuing any more Hobbit-related projects.

 

Plus the films are irrelevant in the public eye now, so I wouldn't expect any projection concerts any time soon.

 

Having said that, the Hobbit (likely due to LOTR's popularity), has already popped on a couple of compilation albums (and poorly done too).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, KK said:

I honestly think Shore is done with Middle-Earth, and has cleaned his hands of it. I can imagine him having very little interest in pursuing any more Hobbit-related projects.

 

Plus the films are irrelevant in the public eye now, so I wouldn't expect any projection concerts any time soon.

 

Agreed on both counts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Could be that Shore is done with the Hobbit. With Middle-Earth, no, certainly not.

Whether he does another project not connected to LotR or Hobbit, no idea, but the man spent almost a decade (!) in that realm, and from what I can gather, the world of Tolkien, and the concept arts, and the pure idea of putting Tolkien into music, was far more inspiring to him than the movies themselves. And who could blame him? A composer never "quits" such a work. He created such an amazing tapestry, a composer can't resist going back to this or that, even if it's just in private.

 

And I'm sure that there will be a Hobbit symphony at some point, even if it's just because Shore likes to do it. There is a market for this that has nothing to do with the movies.

Culturally as popular as LotR or not, it's music from the same cloth. Shore's Middle-Earth music has passed beyond the realm of film music. You shouldn't think of it as in that same category.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, Quintus said:

In the ears of Tolkienites? Probably not.

 

However, outside of Middle-Earth fandom the Hobbit soundtracks are already obsolete and are in no way considered landmark and timeless like the LotR scores are.  

 

This!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Mr. Big said:

I have a feeling that the "Misty Mountain" song will live on in the minds of the general film-going community but the rest will only be remembered by film score fans/Tolkienites.  

 

Exactly this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

31 minutes ago, Stefancos said:

 

This!

 

Eh, that these scores may not be landmark scores, okay.

 

But calling them obsolete is ridiculously wrong.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree, which is why I removed that part when I agreed with the gist of Quint's post.


What makes a film score "obsolete" anyway?  That's not really a word that means anything when it comes to film scores.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Indeed. If "landmark" is what we're going with, by that definition, over 90% of all film music is "obsolete".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, gkgyver said:

Obsolete means that nobody really needed or wanted, or indeed expected it.

In that sense, Force Awakens is more obsolete than The Hobbit.

 

Yeah, because no one wanted a new Star Wars score, or movie for that matter...

 

Really mate, you do talk some bollocks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not sure about the use of obsolete in relation to film or music. To me, it always suggests a practical function. Perhaps irrelevant might be more suitable, but even that could be debated (what exactly makes a film 'irrelevant'? That it didn't receive critical acclaim or awards? That it didn't do well at the box office? That it didn't make an impact on popular culture?)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The LotR scores will always mean so much more to me than the Hobbit scores. Fellowship is the score that got me into scores (even Jurassic Park can't claim that).

 

I think the Hobbits are ultimately far less memorable than LotR, and while the Misty Mountains theme might have an extended life, I don't think the rest of the elements will.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, Barnald said:

I'm not sure about the use of obsolete in relation to film or music. To me, it always suggests a practical function. Perhaps irrelevant might be more suitable, but even that could be debated (what exactly makes a film 'irrelevant'? That it didn't receive critical acclaim or awards? That it didn't do well at the box office? That it didn't make an impact on popular culture?)

 

What makes a film irrelevant AND obsolete is being a remake of an older film with less skill and style, whose only right to exist lies in the money the company making the film paid to the original rights owner, and who now wants that money back in revenue.

 

At least the Hobbit was expected and craved for 12 years by millions of people, and deserved a proper cinematic treatment that he didn't get since the book was written.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, Sharky said:

The Force Awakens has far more style and energy than the original Star Wars. Less skill? Debatable.

Energy, yes but style? The style Lucas' original direction feels far more distinctive than that of Abrams to me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

27 minutes ago, Mr. Big said:

Energy, yes but style? The style Lucas' original direction feels far more distinctive than that of Abrams to me.

 

The jump cuts of Rey loading her speeder, the camera dollying around Finn in the Resistance base or the lighting of the Rey and Han's confrontation--all of these seem more stylish and varied than Lucas's work on the original. Empire on the other hand, now that's brilliantly directed film. Kirshner/Suschitzky knocked it out of the park.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines.