The score is (brace for hisses) far more melodic than Shore's, which sounds more organically part of the world of its films, but rarely rips out a truly catchy melody, and when it does, it's over in eight seconds.
I don't hear a huge division in terms of McCreary's melodic approach vs. Shore's, to be honest. Shore "rarely rips out a truly catchy melody"? Wha? His Gondor theme? His Rohan theme? His Hobbit theme? His Ring theme? His Nature theme? Hell, his Isengard theme? All instantly catchy and memorable to me so I don't know what you're talking about. He has at least as many memorable themes as McCreary (though McCreary may surpass him there by the time all five seasons of the series are done).
I do lament that Shore abandoned the more memorable Gollum theme he wrote for Fellowship in favor of one that's much more textural, going forward. (I'd have frankly been happy if Gollum's Song was also Gollum's Theme, consistently throughout... it's great!)
Yavar
Ooh yeah, I definitely would agree either that Shore doesn't write catchy melodies. I'd actually say that McCreary's thematic development tends to be less clear than Shore's whereas Shore was classical and methodical, one could almost argue "simplistic" (though I wouldn't).
In really comparing, the liner notes and Doug Adams' book really clearly define a very rich and expansive thematic landscape that Shore planned. Coupled with the fact that the films followed a very coherent and "knowable" story, I'd really be surprised if McCreary is even able to discern enough clarity from the series to write comparably well-thought-out themes and motifs. You're right though, maybe after 5 seasons...
Interesting take on Gollum's theme - I'd need to check the liner notes and Doug Adams' writings - I seem to recall that FELLOWSHIP's Gollum Theme was more like the "pity" motif or the "loss of the ring" motif or something to that effect. Gollum in general had multiple motifs for different aspects - the fate of finding the ring, the "slinking" theme, and the Emiliana Torini "gollum's tragedy" theme.
Anyway, hearkening back to my comments about McCreary having a difficult time sustaining long musical developments, this cue was a standout upon listening:
I didn't notice it as clearly in the show so I'd have to watch it again, but by itself it has a nice progression that traverses some great orchestral dynamics.
Anyway, hearkening back to my comments about McCreary having a difficult time sustaining long musical developments, this cue was a standout upon listening:
I didn't notice it as clearly in the show so I'd have to watch it again, but by itself it has a nice progression that traverses some great orchestral dynamics.
I don't believe we've heard this cue in the show yet. The album is largely in chronological order once you remove the suites.
I don't believe we've heard this cue in the show yet. The album is largely in chronological order once you remove the suites.
Ok, that makes sense. Honestly I find the music doesn't quite capture my attention while watching the show, as it did when I watched the films. For me, the music kind of plays and connects better on album.
I hope the title of this track isn't a spoiler like PHANTOM MENACE's "Qui-Gon's Noble End"!!!
If you scroll up a bit you can see my post that lists which tracks are concert arrangements, and which episode each of the score cuts are taken from.
The major theme used in "True Creation Requires Sacrifice" is the theme for the rings of power (and Celebrimbor's project to forge them) - it beings about 1:47 into the track and runs all the way to the end. (Galadriel's theme also appears in this track at 0:21 and 2:52, and Elrond's theme also appears at 1:30).
The buildup to this theme is seeded in a few prior tracks (track 20 "The Secrets of the Mountain", track 30 "In The Mines", and track 33 "Perilous Whisperings").
Then the final track "Where The Shadows Lie" is the full concert arrangement of the theme, which was also used as the end credits of episode 1.
Fair point, Yavar, about the catchy themes of the original Shore trilogy, although I think the Ring and Nature themes are exactly what I said they were—eight catchy seconds that could never sustain a full suite (kind of like Kylo Ren's or Poe's themes rather than Darth Vader's or Leia's). In fairness, though, some of McCreary's are the same. I just love the comprehensiveness of the approach he outlined in the blog: every theme getting a unique ostinato, A melody, and B melody.
I totally agree about Gollum's theme, though. It never occurred to me that the "pity" theme sort of disappears after FOTR. I get the "slinker and stinker" usages in TTT and ROTK, but there were definitely ample opportunities to bring back the pity theme more substantially than he did.
Amazon Studios Unveils “Where the Shadows Lie” Featuring Fiona Apple From The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season One: Amazon Original Series Soundtrack) Available Only On Amazon Music
Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien’s Iconic Ring-verse Poem
Written By Series Composer Bear McCreary
CULVER CITY, California - October 7, 2022 - Today, Amazon Studios released “Where the Shadows Lie,” a new song performed by Grammy Award-winning artist Fiona Apple from The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Season One: Amazon Original Series Soundtrack). Available only on Amazon Music, the song was written by series composer Bear McCreary and appears in the season finale of the acclaimed new series on Prime Video.
Set to McCreary’s powerful and ethereal score with Apple’s haunting vocals at the forefront, “Where the Shadows Lie” is inspired by the iconic Ring-verse written by J.R.R. Tolkien in the original The Lord of the Rings trilogy. As written, the poem was composed by the Free Peoples of Middle Earth about the origins of the Rings of Power and their relationship under the power of the One Ring. The song was produced by McCreary, Apple, and Andrew Slater, and engineered by Jason LaRocca and David Way.
The instrumental version of “Where the Shadows Lie” appeared in the first episode, with the intention of using the same motif for the last episode of the show’s premiere season. McCreary put together a demo crafting together his original music with Tolkien’s words giving new life to the poem. From there, the discussion of finding the perfect voice to record the song began. “We are extremely excited to share this song with audiences around the world,” said Bob Bowen, worldwide head of music for Amazon Studios. “Fiona Apple brings her powerful and cinematic vocals to this beautiful and haunting piece of music, our series’ composer Bear wrote. Her incredible performance and interpretation of this legendary text will amaze fans.”
“When we heard Bear’s incredible arrangement, we knew we needed to find a singular, world-class artist to bring it to life in the richest way imaginable,” said showrunners and executive producers JD Payne and Patrick McKay. “We are immensely grateful to Fiona Apple for doing just that and more. As longtime admirers of Fiona’s work, we are thrilled and humbled to bring her voice to Middle-earth. We cannot wait for audiences to hear ‘Where the Shadows Lie,’ and discover how it ties in with the storytelling not just in Season One, but in the years to come…”
"The musical legacy of The Lord of the Rings brings to mind ethereal vocals carrying lyrical melodies over evocative harmonies, so it was my natural inclination to compose such a song for The Rings of Power,” said McCreary. “Based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s iconic ‘Ring Poem’ text, I wrote the song ‘Where the Shadows Lie’ as a theme for the titular Rings of Power, for the magic of mithril, for the sinister machinations of Sauron, and for his land of Mordor.”
He continued, “To embody all these narrative elements into one voice is no small task, and so I am especially grateful to have collaborated with legendary singer Fiona Apple. Inarguably one of the definitive musical voices of her generation, Fiona brought new depths and narrative intention to the song’s unique combination of my haunting melody and Tolkien’s ominous text. I have been inspired by her musicality for two decades, and I could not imagine an artist better suited to bring to life the mystery, majesty, and power of this song. I am thrilled audiences can finally hear ‘Where the Shadows Lie,’ a song we strategically withheld from the Season One album until now, so that it's significance would not be spoiled in the early episodes."
the two "Where The Shadows Lie" are new, "In Defiance of Death", " Riding at Dawn", "The Promised King" & "The Breaking of the First Silence" disappeared.
Disc 1
1. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Main Title (Howard Shore) 2. Where The Shadows Lie feat. Fiona Apple 3. Galadriel 4. Khazad-dûm 5. Nori Brandyfoot 6. The Stranger 7. Númenor 8. Sauron 9. Valinor 10. In the Beginning 11. Elrond Half-elven 12. Durin IV 13. Harfoot Life 14. Bronwyn and Arondir 15. Halbrand 16. The Boat 17. Sundering Seas 18. Nobody Goes Off Trail 19. Elendil and Isildur 20. White Leaves 21. The Secrets of the Mountain 22. Nolwa Mahtar
Disc 2
23. Nampat 24. A Plea to the Rocks (feat. Sophia Nomvete) 25. This Wandering Day (feat. Megan Richards) 26. Scherzo for Violin and Swords 27. Sailing into the Dawn 28. For the Southlands 29. Cavalry 30. Water and Flame 31. In the Mines 32. The Veil of Smoke 33. The Mystics 34. Perilous Whisperings 35. The Broken Line 36. Wise One 37. True Creation Requires Sacrifice 38. Where The Shadows Lie (Instrumental)
They didn't just add in the two "Where The Shadows Lie" versions, they also added "Cavalry" and "The Broken Line"
If this tracklist is correct, it exactly matches the digital version of the album now (once the Fiona Apple song gets added to all the other platforms), and returns "Find The Light" and "The Promised King" to being Amazon Music exclusives (for now - the music in them is also on the Episode 6 album which will eventually be released on other outlets and physical CD)
Disc 1, Track 6 - The Stranger. Two minutes in, the flutes go wild and it makes my heart soar! Such gorgeous music!! Loving McCreary's work on this show!!
If the currently listed track list is final, yes. It exactly matches the digital OST now (once the Fiona Apple song is added to the digital OST outside of Amazon Music).
And Film Music Reporter has the cover art and tracklist for the Episode 8 album
1. Encountering Servants 2. An Intriguing Suggestion 3. Power Over Flesh 4. Confronting the Mystics 5. Black Flags 6. The Broken Line and Broken Silence 7. Wise One 8. True Creation Requires Sacrifice
The CD release date at Amazon is pushed back to 14 November. I hope they won't delay it further, it's the most anticipated CD release for me this year (so far...)
One thing they definitely got right on the show: the composer. Bear McCreary is obviously a very creative and talented composer. Considering the amount of music he must write for the show, and how he has done stylistically very different TV shows over the years, from Battlestar Galactica to The Walking Dead to Rings of Power: chapéu! It's amazing how much of this they are actually releasing. It used to be we were lucky if there was a single CD released with a few cues from an entire season, or even series.
