Showing posts with label an unexpected journey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label an unexpected journey. Show all posts

Thursday, January 10, 2013

SoundCast #54 - The Hobbit: A Game of Themes

SoundCast #54 - The Hobbit: A Game of Themes

Episode #54 - The Hobbit: A Game of Themes


Author Doug Adams returns to the SoundCast to talk about Howard Shore's score for part one of THE HOBBIT trilogy.  Find out which Tracksounds staffer has yet to see the film, how the presentation format of the film effected our experience, how the score caused some headscratching, and how this whole thing is just a huge "game of themes."


Episode Highlights

00:00 Blunt the Opening and Doug Adams Intro
05:46 What we were expecting from this film
19:58 General reactions and comparing to Lord of the Rings
11:45 Reacting to the film and it's music (spoilers)
31:21 Headscratching: Reacting to the score
49:56 A Game of Themes?
78:50 Wrapping it up


Music Selections

00:00 "Blunt the Knives" (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey SE) by Howard Shore
00:40 "The Adventure Begins" (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey SE) by Howard Shore
05:23 "The World is Ahead" (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey SE) by Howard Shore
19:25 "Warg-Scouts" (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey SE) by Howard Shore
31:04 "A Thunder Battle" (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey SE) by Howard Shore
50:40 "The Crack of Doom"(LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring) by Howard Shore
57:41 "Out of the Frying-Pan" (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey SE) by Howard Shore
59:40 "The Breaking of the Fellowship" (LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring) by Howard Shore
72:47 "02_Old Friends (Extended)" (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey SE) by Howard Shore
76:58 "Radagast the Brown (Extended)" (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey SE) by Howard Shore
83:29 "Dreaming of Bag End" (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey SE) by Howard Shore




Tuesday, January 08, 2013

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Soundtrack) by Howard Shore - Review

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Soundtrack) by Howard Shore - Review

An Expectedly Exceptional Journey
by Edmund Meinerts

Normally I don’t break form and talk about my personal feelings, but here I’ll make an exception, because Peter Jackson’s THE HOBBIT is probably my most anticipated film, and score, of all time. I’m what you might call a Tolkien nut – I’ve read the books, watched the films and listened to the scores over and over again; in fact, the latter are in no small part responsible for kindling my interest in film music to begin with, and in my humble opinion, HOWARD SHORE’s music is a strong contender for the title of greatest film score of all time.

For THE HOBBIT’s score, therefore, any choice other than SHORE would have been unthinkable. His sound has engrained itself irreversibly into Middle-earth, and fortunately Jackson was able to put aside whatever KING KONG-related differences he may have still had with the composer. SHORE responded with a score that, in its idiosyncratic “ancient” sound and meticulous attention to thematic and motivic detail, picks up where RETURN OF THE KING left off. In truth, the score feels just a little bit smaller and is a little bit less complex, but that’s relative to the previous three (and, furthermore, appropriate for THE HOBBIT’s lighter tone – this is just a treasure hunt, after all, not a quest to destroy evil); compared to the average blockbuster score of 2012, it’s still a behemoth, boasting about a dozen new themes alongside a whole host of recurring ideas from the RINGS trilogy.

Monday, December 10, 2012

The Hobbit Special Edition Soundtrack: An Unexpected Unboxing



Quite unexpectedly my copy of THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY special edition soundtrack arrived from Amazon.com today.  While I've been listening to the music for a few days already, I decided to share the "unboxing" experience with you and show you ever visual element contained therein.

So, if you pre-ordered, did yours arrive already?  What do you think of the packaging?  Even if you didn't pre-order and just watched the video, do you think what you've seen is worth $20?  Let us know...


Friday, November 02, 2012

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Soundtrack by Howard Shore - 2 CD Set to come

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Soundtrack by Howard Shore - 2 CD Set to come


THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY SOUNDTRACK 2CD SET DUE
DECEMBER 11TH FROM WATERTOWER MUSIC

Featuring Original Music by Academy Award™ Winner Howard Shore
With An Original Song Performed by Neil Finn

2 CD Special Edition Soundtrack Also Available


(November 1, 2012 – Los Angeles, CA) – WaterTower Music has announced the release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Original Motion Picture Soundtrack at all retailers on December 11th.  The soundtrack will be available both digitally and as a 2 CD set.  A Special Edition of the soundtrack featuring six exclusive bonus tracks, seven extended score cues, and deluxe liner notes will also be available December 11. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey features original score by Academy Award® winner Howard Shore recorded at famed Abbey Road studios by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Additionally it includes an original song entitled “Song of the Lonely Mountain,” written and performed by Neil Finn (Crowded House).  The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first of a trilogy of films from Oscar-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy), will be released in the U.S. on December 14, 2012.

Shore’s music for The Lord of the Rings Trilogy has been performed in concerts throughout the world.  In 2003, Shore conducted the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in the world premiere of The Lord of the Rings Symphony in Wellington, New Zealand.  Since then, the work has had over 140 performances by the world’s most prestigious orchestras, and has even been the subject of a book, Music of The Lord of the Rings Films.

“I have looked forward to returning to the imaginative world of Middle-earth for quite a while,” says Shore. “I read all of the books by Tolkien, including The Hobbit, when I was in my twenties, and his deep love of nature and all things green resonates deeply with me.”

“It’s a thrill for us to work with Howard Shore on The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey soundtrack” stated WaterTower Music head Jason Linn, “His reputation and body of work have long inspired us, and we look forward to another successful partnership as we embark on the next chapter of our journey together.”

One of today’s most respected, honored, and active composers and music conductors, Howard Shore previously worked with director Peter Jackson on The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, which stands as his most towering achievement to date.  He won three Academy Awards for his music for those films, two for Best Original Score, and one for Best Original Song.  Shore has also won numerous other honors for his film work, including four Grammys and three Golden Globe Awards.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Original Motion Picture Soundtrack on WaterTower Music in the United States and Decca Records outside the United States. It will be available on December 11, 2012. The track listings for the 2 CD Standard and 2CD Deluxe versions are as follows:


THE HOBBIT SPECIAL EDITION TRACKLIST

DISC 1:
1.     My Dear Frodo
2.     Old Friends (Extended Version)
3.     An Unexpected Party (Extended Version)
4.     Blunt the Knives performed by The Dwarf Cast
5.     Axe or Sword?
6.     Misty Mountains performed by Richard Armitage and The Dwarf Cast
7.     The Adventure Begins
8.     The World is Ahead
9.     An Ancient Enemy
10.  Radagast the Brown (Extended Version)
11.  The Trollshaws
12.  Roast Mutton (Extended Version)
13.  A Troll-hoard
14.  The Hill of Sorcery
15.  Warg-scouts

DISC 2:
1.     The Hidden Valley
2.     Moon Runes (Extended Version)
3.     The Defiler
4.     The White Council (Extended Version)
5.     Over Hill
6.     A Thunder Battle
7.     Under Hill
8.     Riddles in the Dark
9.     Brass Buttons
10.  Out of the Frying-Pan
11.  A Good Omen
12.  Song of the Lonely Mountain (Extended Version) performed by Neil Finn
13.  Dreaming of Bag End

EXCLUSIVE BONUS TRACKS
14.  A Very Respectable Hobbit
15.  Erebor
16.  The Dwarf Lords
17.  The Edge of the Wild



THE HOBBIT STANDARD EDITION TRACKLIST

Disc 1:
1.     My Dear Frodo
2.     Old Friends
3.     An Unexpected Party
4.     Axe or Sword?
5.     Misty Mountains performed by Richard Armitage and The Dwarf Cast
6.     The Adventure Begins
7.     The World is Ahead
8.     An Ancient Enemy
9.     Radagast the Brown
10.  Roast Mutton
11.  A Troll-hoard
12.  The Hill of Sorcery
13.  Warg-scouts

Disc 2:
1.     The Hidden Valley
2.     Moon Runes
3.     The Defiler
4.     The White Council
5.     Over Hill
6.     A Thunder Battle
7.     Under Hill
8.     Riddles in the Dark
9.     Brass Buttons
10.  Out of the Frying-Pan
11.  A Good Omen
12.  Song of the Lonely Mountain performed by Neil Finn
13.  Dreaming of Bag End


Order THE HOBBIT SPECIAL EDITION

Order THE HOBBIT: STANDARD EDITION