At the very beginning of the 2000s, when it was necessary to put to music his adaptation of the work of JRR Tolkien, the filmmaker Peter Jackson called on the great Howard Shore, who then signed the most legendary work of his entire career.
Watching the rays of the setting sun stretch over green valleys, an old Magician and a Hobbit peacefully blow out a few smoke rings. Courageously braving the snowy heights that bristle in the distance, nine companions advance in single file towards the horizon and the unknown.
As a lantern awakens in the dark, the majestic columns of the City of Dwarves are revealed to the astounded eyes of dazzled travelers. At the very moment when the star of the day rises over a city devoured by the enemy, thousands of spears charge at full gallop, on thousands of manes.
One of the most epic soundtracks in cinema
If you are familiar with the films of Peter Jackson, adapted from the immortal work of JRR Tolkien, you have probably recognized the hills of the Shire, the mountains of Caradhras, the depths of Moria and the fields of Pelennor. And at the same time that these majestic landscapes materialized in your memories as spectators, they undoubtedly took with them the triumphant notes of an original soundtrack which is still today among the most epic that has ever been composed. for the big screen.
Close to perfection according to many fans, the trilogy with 17 Oscars has certainly marked the history of cinema for the effectiveness of its staging, for the finesse of its actors, for the quality of its special effects, but also for the power of its musical score.
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A considerable challenge
Sometimes light and sunny, sometimes heavy and serious, sometimes lyrical and soaring, this colossal work set with a hundred different themes is perpetually animated by an irresistible breath of adventure which inexorably carries all the spectators in its wake.
If we vibrate so much while contemplating the Fellowship of the Ring surveying the vast regions of Eriador or watching the Riders of Rohan charge against the legions of Mordor, it is of course thanks to the talent of Peter Jackson , but also (and largely) thanks to the genius of Howard Shore.
Notably known for having previously worked alongside David Cronenberg, this distinguished musician had never had to compose truly narrative themes for a feature film before. The Lord of the Rings trilogy therefore represented for him a challenge comparable to that of Frodo, supposed to cross the entirety of Middle-earth to throw the One Ring into the flames of the Mountain of Doom.
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“Holding a lantern in the darkness.”
To achieve the masterful result that we know, the maestro therefore collaborated closely with Peter Jackson, gradually advancing in the story, in the manner of Tolkien:
“We were taking parts of the story, one at a time, and I referred to Tolkien’s archives because Tolkien himself was writing the story one step at a time.”explained Howard Shore 4 years ago in the Score podcast.
“We did the same thing. I often compare it to holding a lantern in the dark, we got lost, I was holding the lantern and I was like, ‘Peter, it’s that way!’ and then it was his turn to hold the lantern and say to me: ‘A little further to the left!’ We went through the story scene after scene in this way.”
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