I’ll admit that I’m biased and looking forward to seeing The Two Towers way too much… OK, fine.
But I just got my copy of the score for it, and it’s absolutely wonderful. It blends the themes familiar from the first film with new music very skillfully, and I really get a sense of the world it’s expressing while listening to it.
Thanks to me getting the score for the first film late last year, I was able to pre-order this one this time and got it a few days earlier than I expected. A most welcome surprise when I got home, I opened it straightaway and started listening. It’s almost over now, and I’m loving it.
Many of the track names follow suit from the first soundtrack and take their names from chapter titles of the book, such as “The Taming of Smeagol” and “The Uruk-Hai,” so you get a good sense of where they place in the story. Even the ones that diverge from this rule are easy to place, such as “Forth Eolingas” or “The Hornburg.”
Some of the highlights:
“The King of the Golden Hall” - A nice re-iteration of the earlier Fellowship theme, with some rustic overtones. There’s a point in the music in which I could almost hear Wormtongue enter.
“The White Rider” - An exceptionally stirring theme; I’m sure you know where it goes…
“Breath of Life” - A beautiful vocal piece starts this track. I wish I knew where it went in the film, but I’ve no doubt it will be an exceptionally poignant moment.
“Treebeard” - I can’t imagine a better Ent-ish melody.
“Forth Eolingas” - Another rousing piece, I swear I heard the Horn of Gondor somewhere in there. Made me want to get up and go kick some ass.
“Samwise the Brave” - Most likely where the film will end, I think. It would be a good note to end on.
“Gollum’s Song” - Most likely this film’s end credit song, like Enya’s “May It Be” for the first film. This one is sung by a woman with a nice, quirky voice (fitting of Gollum). She sounds a little like Bjork to me. My daughter says she sounds like a “girl-Gollum.”
“Farewell to Lorien” - A bonus track on my version, it’s a very pretty song. I’m glad I got this version of the disc for this track alone.
If I’m gushing, forgive me… it is a great score, I think, and should complement the film quite well. Howard Shore could well earn another Oscar on his shelf for this one… I’ve heard no better score this year. Other opinions, as people get theirs?