Music that evokes Middle-Earth not composed by Howard Shore

[Romão 2,274]

Every not and then, I get into a sort of Tolkien mode and re-read The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings. And when I'm one of these modes, I do like to listen to music that keeps me in that spirit. However, for reasons not worth going over now, Howard Shore's music, apart from a few tracks, never really quite captured the way I envision and "hear" Middle Earth.

 

So my question is, what music, other than the Howard Shore soundtracks, better and captures evokes Middle Earth to you?

[Bofur01 245]

I like Stephen Oliver's work for the BBC audio drama:

 

 

[Chen G. 3,948]

5 hours ago, Romão said:

what music, other than the Howard Shore soundtracks, better and captures evokes Middle Earth to you?

 

as in, music intended to capture and evoke Middle Earth or music that happens to sound "Middle Earth"-ish?

[bored 309]

A few selections from Jeremy Soule's Skyrim:

 

 

 

 

Plus some of the cave ambient tracks definitely capture the atmosphere for the abandoned / dark places like The Mines of Moria or Dwimorberg.

 

 

[Romão 2,274]

1 hour ago, Chen G. said:

 

as in, music intended to capture and evoke Middle Earth or music that happens to sound "Middle Earth"-ish?

 

Music that happens to sound "Middle Earth"-ish, as it were

[Chen G. 3,948]

Vorspiel of Lohengrin.

[Romão 2,274]

On 06/05/2022 at 6:59 PM, Bofur01 said:

I like Stephen Oliver's work for the BBC audio drama:

 

 

 

 

Wow, I found this to be absolutely lovely. Easily the best musical setting of Tolkien's songs in the book I have ever heard. The The Ent and the Entwife is particularly stunning. I was so taken by this, I bought the Return of the Kind Radio Drama just to get the cd with the soundtrack. Stephen Oliver had already impressed me with Lady Jane. This further cements the impression that he was taken far too soon. Again, thank for this suggestion, it is exactly what I was looking for

On 06/05/2022 at 9:17 PM, Chen G. said:

Vorspiel of Lohengrin.

 

That's a great one actually. I wouldn't have made the connection as obviously as I would with Parsifal or Der Ring

[Monoverantus 363]

Perhaps a cliché suggestion, but Basil Poledouris' grandiose score for Conan Barbarian fits the epic scope of LotR in my opinion.

 

[Chen G. 3,948]

2 hours ago, Romão said:

I wouldn't have made the connection has obviously as I would with Parsifal

 

Well, Parsifal is Lohengrin's prequel, after all...

[Pellaeon 593]

Yes, Stephen Oliver nailed it IMO.

 

Donald Swann and Leonard Rosenman also both did a great job, albeit within the conventions of their respective genres. I would say the same of Shore.

[Romão 2,274]

I have always been very fond of De Meij's Lord of the Rings Symphony since I've heard in concert, but my appreciation for it grew when I listened to the full orchestral arrangement of the piece. There are many interesting passages, but the 4th movement, A Journey in the Dark, has always been my favorite and the most evocative:

 

 

[Loert 2,511]

The composer whose music Middle-Earth evokes the most for me would probably be Arnold Bax:

 

 

 

Saruman's plans:

 

 

For Mordor, however, I'd probably pick another English composer, John Foulds, and the last of his Three Mantras:

 

 

[Mr. Who 919]

I have been listening to a lot of Bruckner recently and it seems like his music was a real inspiration to Shore’s LOTR! The opening of the 8th symphony for instance fits so perfectly over the Lighting of the Beacons scene as an example. You can also kind of hear the Forrest river from the hobbit in the brass!

 

One of the great aspects of film music is how it is inspired by the great classical composers!

Someone even made a YouTube video if the Beacons scene!

 

[Faleel 5,345]

I can hear some Losing a Hand in there from ESB as well.

[Schilkeman 961]

On 18/05/2022 at 7:11 PM, Romão said:

I have always been very fond of De Meij's Lord of the Rings Symphony

We played this in high school band, and I've loved it every since. Some lovely trumpet writing throughout, and the ride of Shadofax is a treat. He wrote a second Middle Earth symphony, with which I am less familiar.