.
.
.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the States, and to those celebrating abroad.

I thought a little holiday treat was in order, so please enjoy Howard Shore discussing The Hobbit with Classic FM.

Back soon,

Doug

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Sounds Official

Hi everyone,

Ok, here's the deal: The Hobbit's official website currently has some music playing in the background; some music that may be of great interest to blog readers. Or it may not, I'm not going to say!

If you would like to talk about that music, please feel absolutely free to do so. I won't be chiming in at this time, but I might somewhere down the line. However, links to anything other than The Hobbit's official website will be deleted. This includes, but is not limited to, YouTube, SoundCloud, or extraction instructions. These links will deleted and repeat offenders risk being banned.

This is probably all an overreaction on my part. In fact, I'm almost sure it is! But I'm still not sure what gets me into hot water and what doesn't, so I'm playing  it safe.

So, this is my best solution. Stop by the official site, turn your ears on, and come back here and chat. Speculate, analyze, identify, but don't link beyond the official site. And don't mind me grinning in the corner holding my peace. I'll pipe up later ... :)

Thanks, you guys are the best!

D

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Geek League Top 10


GeekLeagueofAmerica.com has placed The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films on their "Ten Great Books About Movies" list, which is a very fine honor indeed!

I'm telling you, folks, you will want to read this book very closely before Hobbit time! It pays to invest oneself in the details ...

But enough of my hackneyed sales pitch. Big thanks to the Geek League. Their Music of LOTR entry is below;  you can read their full list right HERE.


It saddened me not to include a Lord of the Rings book on my initial draft of this list. There is simply no book available that covers LOTR’s extensive production from beginning to end in a fashion that I recommend. The Extended Edition Blu-ray/DVD collections and Costa Botes’ fly-on-the-wall documentaries really do the best job covering all of it. I would be remiss, however, if I didn’t include Doug Adams’ (no, not that Doug Adams) mind-blowingly extensive account of Howard Shore’s scores of the films. Loaded with illustrations from Alan Lee and John Howe, this book covers all three films and the musical themes developed therein.  
Adams is a musicologist, so this isn’t light reading. It talks about what goes into scoring these films, both from extensive interviews with Howard Shore as well as musical theory, and requires a little music acumen to totally comprehend the finer points of the text. It also comes with an exclusive rarities CD that features original concept recordings and versions of themes that didn’t make it to the big screen. Doug Adams is working on a new book for The Hobbit and like Rinzler’s ROTJ book, my pre-order is ready to go.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Soundtrack Album Coming December 11

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY SOUNDTRACK 2-CD 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 


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, The 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 2-CD Deluxe versions are as follows:

THE HOBBIT SPECIAL EDITION TRACKLIST

 DISC 1:
 My Dear Frodo
Old Friends (Extended Version)
 An Unexpected Party (Extended Version)
Blunt the Knives performed by The Dwarf Cast
Axe or Sword?
Misty Mountains performed by Richard Armitage and The Dwarf Cast
The Adventure Begins
The World is Ahead
An Ancient Enemy
Radagast the Brown (Extended Version)
The Trollshaws
Roast Mutton (Extended Version)
A Troll-hoard
The Hill of Sorcery
Warg-scouts

DISC 2:
The Hidden Valley
Moon Runes (Extended Version)
The Defiler
The White Council (Extended Version)
Over Hill
A Thunder Battle
Under Hill
Riddles in the Dark
Brass Buttons
Out of the Frying-Pan
A Good Omen
Song of the Lonely Mountain (Extended Version) performed by Neil Finn
Dreaming of Bag End

EXCLUSIVE BONUS TRACKS:
A Very Respectable Hobbit
Erebor
The Dwarf Lords
The Edge of the Wild

 
Image copyrights and trademarks are held by their respective owners and their use is allowed under the fair use clause of the Copyright Law | Original Blog Content Copyright 2007 - 2012 Middle D, Inc. | Original Blog Template by www.blogerthemes.net