UPDATE: ...And TTT:CR is sold out again. They must have gone at an incredible rate! Amazon's itchy Discontinued finger has once again twitched, but don't worry, stock has not run out at Warners. Guess I'll be keeping my eyes peeled a bit longer yet.Friday, February 6, 2009
Finally!
As of this minute, all three Complete Recordings sets are available on Amazon.com!
UPDATE: ...And TTT:CR is sold out again. They must have gone at an incredible rate! Amazon's itchy Discontinued finger has once again twitched, but don't worry, stock has not run out at Warners. Guess I'll be keeping my eyes peeled a bit longer yet.
UPDATE: ...And TTT:CR is sold out again. They must have gone at an incredible rate! Amazon's itchy Discontinued finger has once again twitched, but don't worry, stock has not run out at Warners. Guess I'll be keeping my eyes peeled a bit longer yet.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Doubt & Betrayal: Feb. 24
Howe Records will release the much anticipated soundtracks to Doubt and The Betrayal on February 24. Track lists and cover art is now available on HowardShore.com
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
John Howe Joins The Music of LOTR
Back in 2003, when I was eagerly bounding about London propping the first pages of my mocked-up book in front of any face that dared sit still for a few minutes, I would inevitably utter the following: "I want this book to have a real beauty to it. It needs to honor this beautiful music with beautiful words, photography, art, anything we can put at the service of Shore's music." It wasn't marketing boilerplate, I meant it. This was gorgeous, intelligent music for an amazing story -- itself imparted with precise, artful words. How could this book -- my book -- drop the ball? It would be an unthinkable disservice. Fortunately, I was realistic enough to know that I couldn't achieve this goal alone...
The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films was written to honor and evoke J.R.R. Tolkien's writing. As such, the concept of the Music of the Ainur is a recurring device. Tolkien referred to this Music thusly:
There was Eru, the One, who in Arda is called Ilúvatar; and he made first the Ainur, the Holy Ones, that were the offspring of his thought, and they were with him before aught else was made. And he spoke to them, propounding to them themes of music; and they sang before him, and he was glad. But for a long while they sang only each alone, or but few together, while the rest hearkened; for each comprehended only that part of me mind of Ilúvatar from which he came, and in the understanding of their brethren they grew but slowly. Yet ever as they listened they came to deeper understanding, and increased in unison and harmony.
And it came to pass that Ilúvatar called together all the Ainur and declared to them a mighty theme, unfolding to them things greater and more wonderful than he had yet revealed; and the glory of its beginning and the splendour of its end amazed the Ainur, so that they bowed before Ilúvatar and were silent.
Then Ilúvatar said to them: 'Of the theme that I have declared to you, I will now that ye make in harmony together a Great Music. And since I have kindled you with the Flame Imperishable, ye shall show forth your powers in adorning this theme, each with his own thoughts and devices, if he will. But I will sit and hearken, and be glad that through you great beauty has been wakened into song.'
Then the voices of the Ainur, like unto harps and lutes, and pipes and trumpets, and viols and organs, and like unto countless choirs singing with words, began to fashion the theme of Ilúvatar to a great music; and a sound arose of endless interchanging melodies woven in harmony that passed beyond hearing into the depths and into the heights, and the places of the dwelling of Ilúvatar were filled to overflowing, and the music and the echo of the music went out into the Void, and it was not void.
This beautiful myth is incredibly relevant in the context of our discussion. Middle-earth was literally created out of music -- the splendid, complicated music of interwoven themes. The parallel to Shore's work is obvious. But Tolkien's passage continues:
But now Ilúvatar sat and hearkened, and for a great while it seemed good to him, for in the music there were no flaws. But as the theme progressed, it came into the heart of Melkor to interweave matters of his own imagining that were not in accord with the theme of Ilúvatar, for he sought therein to increase the power and glory of the part assigned to himself. To Melkor among the Ainur had been given the greatest gifts of power and knowledge, and he had a share in all the gifts of his brethren. He had gone often alone into the void places seeking the Imperishable Flame; for desire grew hot within him to bring into Being things of his own, and it seemed to him that Ilúvatar took no thought for the Void, and he was impatient of its emptiness. Yet he found not the Fire, for it is with Ilúvatar. But being alone he had begun to conceive thoughts of his own unlike those of his brethren.
Some of these thoughts he now wove into his music, and straightway discord arose about him, and many that sang nigh him grew despondent, and their thought was disturbed and their music faltered; but some began to attune their music to his rather than to the thought which they had at first. Then the discord of Melkor spread ever wider, and the melodies which had been heard before foundered in a sea of turbulent sound. But Ilúvatar sat and hearkened until it seemed that about his throne there was a raging storm, as of dark waters that made war one upon another in an endless wrath that would not be assuaged.
This is a dramatic concept. And again, a parallel can be found in Shore's work where the commingling of beauty and brutality, joy and pain provides much of the emotional resonance.
Tonight, I'm incredibly proud to announce that it is this very discord that has inspired the great John Howe to draw "Melkor's Theme," a new work of art that will be featured in The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films.
John and I have been in communication for the better part of the last several months. His final draft was delivered this Monday, and it's a stunning work -- a vortex of detail that exposes layers of details and nuance with each viewing. Here Howe has depicted, for the first time that I'm aware, the face of Melkor and the fury of his contact with a dawning world.
Now if you're expecting a full reveal of the work here... you don't know me very well. :) But I'm certainly not averse to offering a taste.
Thank you, John, for contributing your genius.
...And since we're on the subject, I'm also happy to announce that the book will be welcoming yet another guest contributor in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for that announcement.
-Doug
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Ongoing Discussion Thread [February, 2009]
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Book (etc.) Update: Late January/ Early February, 2009
Before I go into February's book update, a few words on The Complete Recordings. Everyone here knows that over the past months these sets have been difficult to find and have seemingly come and gone at an alarming rate. This has lead to a lot of frustration and speculation, and we've certainly poked a bit of fun at the situation here on the blog.
And since we're now into February, it's time for a new magnet! Please click here to order MUSIC--perhaps the only one of this set that seems eloquent all by itself. Remember, if you missed out on THE, it'll be back in October along with all the other magnets and a few Radio City goodies.
Happily, I have finally received definitive word from Warner Brothers: The sets are not being discontinued at all. They're not even in short supply. There are currently over 1,000 units of each set sitting in Warner's storage--and yes, that includes the hard-to-find Two Towers. All the "discontinued" nonsense stems from communication issues and retailers who haven't ordered enough product to meet demands. It is not a supply issue. The sets exist and are available for retailers. So the next time your favorite online seller tells you they can't get the set, tell them to check again with Warner. The sets are there and ready to go!
Why Warner doesn't sell more of them through their own online shop I'm not sure. But I'm just happy to know that the sets haven't gone the way of the dodo. I will update when Amazon has everything back in stock. I am hopeful that it won't be long now.
The updates in book world are perhaps less dramatic, but just as exciting. The past few weeks have been dedicated almost solely to the business end of this creative project--which probably sounds dull as dust, but I'm so happy to see the conceptual move into the world of the practical. The publisher has now begun assembling budgets, contracts and royalties, etc. Worldwide distribution is in place, and we're aiming to officially begin the layout work in March/April. Much of the look of the mock-up will be maintained, but again it'll be incredible to see my unrefined temporary concepts improved and materialized in the world.
The publisher is also working hand-in-hand with Warner so that the book and Master Box schedules can be coordinated. This is a very detailed process--each project's production timeline has a huge impact on the other's. And the Master Box packaging will be entirely new--something more than a just slipcase for the CRs--so of course, that involves even more design and production work. I sometimes feel guilty about how much work I'm creating for unsuspecting parties!
The fantastic news, however, is that everything seems to be locking together perfectly. Right now we absolutely expect to have product available at next October's Radio City event. I always knew that it would be a bit of a push, but all involved have stepped up to the challenge. Let me tell you, these are great teams! In fact nothing--NOTHING--that I've suggested has yet met with corporate or creative resistance. That's staggering considering the scope of these projects.
I will probably be back in NY late in February to finish filming what Howard and I are now referring to as the Fireside Chats, better known to you as the Rarities commentaries.
And speaking of the Radio City, the proposals for the secondary events surrounding October's performances have begun to come in. I can't think of a better way for you to all meet one another in person... and of course for me to meet you all as well! Oh yeah, and Howard should be there too. ;) I've also just heard that certain NY hotels are, in fact, planning to offer special packages to those attending the Radio City concerts. No details yet--they'll be a ways off yet--but I'll let you know as soon as things are set.
I suppose that the downside of all this is that my schedule is getting crazier and crazier. I'm still trying to iron out the details of my Lucerne appearance. I hope to have that all straightened out in the coming days, so I won't say anything specific until I know what's happening. London's looking like a possibility as well. I love the UK, and I know the blog has a lot of readers there. Again, watch for updates as I get everything figured out. The good news is, no matter what happens with me, Shore will still be at these events to talk about his amazing music.
I wonder now just how nutty the schedule will get once the book is actually out...
And since we're now into February, it's time for a new magnet! Please click here to order MUSIC--perhaps the only one of this set that seems eloquent all by itself. Remember, if you missed out on THE, it'll be back in October along with all the other magnets and a few Radio City goodies.That's a lot of pokers in the fire! And Just remember, the surprises Haven't run out yet. Still plenty more to announce as time passes. See you on the discussion boards!
-Doug
Thursday, January 29, 2009
CR Update 1.29.09
I'm mostly posting these Amazon updates for my own amusement at this point. The ever-shifting statuses are like screensaver of my mind, forever there to keep me from obsessing on the work at hand.
So today's curious developments:
Tune in tomorrow--or in another hour or so--and see if anything changes.
So today's curious developments:
FOTR: CR - Available; TTT: CR - "Discontinued"... which is, of course, inaccurate;
ROTK: CR - "Temporarily out of stock"... an upgrade from the past few days!
Empire Strikes
It's certainly nothing new to most, but this makes me smile nonetheless:
Read Empire's Hobbit hype here.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Four Towers?
Ok, now Amazon is listing four TTT:CR sets in stock... This after listing two (and subsequently one) in stock this morning. My brain hurts.
UPDATE: It's gone again, although some secondary dealers are offering it new at reasonable rates at the moment.
CR Update 1.28.09
In attempt to keep me posting every few minutes, Amazon has once again stocked TTT:CR. However, as of this posting there are only two copies left [UPDATE: Make that ONE left]. So the current score:
FOTR:CR - Available; TTT:CR - Available, 1 copy;
ROTK: CR - Currently Unavailable
I get the sense I'll be posting again on this soon.
-Doug
PS - Looking into the missing comments from the pre-Disqus posts. Disqus may have altered their code this week which has rendered the old comments inaccessible. I don't know if that's too big a deal to anyone, but I'll see what I can figure out nonetheless.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
CR Update 1.27.09
The ongoing saga goes on...
TTT: CR has now sold out. ROTK: CR is still not back in stock. FOTR: CR is still available.
Place your bets on which will be in or out of next!
Lucerne Concert Five
UPDATE: The fifth Lucerne concert will be Tuesday, March 17 at 7:30 pm. Now you know!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Fifth Lucerne Concert Added
Still out and about and posting by phone... Long day!
FYI, due to popularity, a fifth Lucerne performance of TTT: Live has just been added! Details available soon.
FYI, due to popularity, a fifth Lucerne performance of TTT: Live has just been added! Details available soon.
Tangled Web
Another quickie update: It turns out that Shore is not currently signed to score The Spider as was previously indicated. This doesn't mean he won't; this doesn't mean he will. Just an update on the current state of things.
More later...
CR Alert
Hi all,
Just a quick post via phone: as of right now FOTR:CR and TTT:CR are both available on Amazon. ROTK is sold out at the moment, but this is the first time TTT has been available for a while. More posts later today...
Just a quick post via phone: as of right now FOTR:CR and TTT:CR are both available on Amazon. ROTK is sold out at the moment, but this is the first time TTT has been available for a while. More posts later today...
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