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THE LORD
OF THE RINGS: The Two Towers
The second soundtrack companion to this outstanding trilogy based on the
books by (Free State born) J.R.R.
Tolkien
is as intense, powerful and exhilarating as the first installment. But,
it is hardly a mere rehash. Sure, the main themes of the Shire and Fellowship
do recur, as it is now the well-cemented audio fingerprint of the series.
Like The
Fellowship Of The Ring
before The
Two Towers,
Howard
Shore
composed, orchestrated and conducted the entire score - often some composers
don't go so far as to conduct it themselves. Hearing these now familiar
themes inspire a welling up of excitement and awe at the grandeur of these
wonderful films (which could so easily have been turned into Hollywood
drivel had it not been for the dedication of its makers to create something
unique), allowing the listener to participate on an isolated (but integrated)
emotional level. With so many new characters, locations and situations,
each need their own impacting musical accompaniment. Rohan, the marshes,
the Ents, the Uruk-hai, Helm's Deep, the Black Gate and the almost flawless
digitally created character of Gollum all have a significant character,
atmosphere and emotion of their own, felt in the music. The music is elaborate
and immense, and just as the music threatens to exhaust your psyche, you're
brought down to breathe before you're taken further on this magnificent
journey. There is no Enya
this time, but the fabulous voice of Elizabeth
Fraser returns.
The wonderful vocal abilities of Isabel
Bayrakdarian, Sheila Chandra, Ben Del Maestro
and Emiliana
Torrini's
haunting
Björk-like
rendition of Gollum's Song fit perfectly into this extraordinary
world. Whether it is merely because of the film's darker battle-ready
mood, the soundtrack does translate a more ominous sense of danger. The
music can encapsulate somber, bittersweet and sad moments without being
a cheesy attempt at an emotional response. Some of the traditional instruments
incorporated into the orchestral splendour (to add an even greater sense
of being in this fantasy realm) include a Norwegian fiddle (the hardinger),
a North African reed instrument, the rhaita and other instruments like
the cimbalon, wood drums and the dilruba. The Elvish languages of Sindarin
and Quenya that Tolkien
created feature in the lyrics. You needn't understand it to allow its
sound to evoke exactly the response necessary. With this soundtrack the
map of Rohan is printed on the CD itself. Again the enhanced disc contains
weblinks and additional material but also one of five double sided trading
cards - does that mean you have to buy the soundtrack 5 times to get them
all?! Rather spend twice the amount that would cost for the special extended
4-disc DVD of the first film complete with statuette book holders!
6 / A
- PB
click here for Fellowship
Of The Ring
review
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