For the sixth year in a row, listeners of ClassicFM’s station have voted The Lord Of The Rings as having the best movie soundtrack of all time. Composed by Howard Shore, the music that accompanied the Fellowship’s journeys has become nearly as famous as the films themselves.
From the Shire’s delicate and flute-filled theme to the rumbling strikes of timpani and brass during The Bridge of Khazad-Dun, each piece brings back vivid memories of the film’s action and scenery. For the 21,000 voters, the LOTR score beat out that of Schindler’s List, Gladiator, and even Star Wars.
Actor Elijah Wood, who played Frodo, even commented on the contest’s results:
“The music is a huge part of the identity of those films. I think film scores are always extremely important with regard to the atmosphere and the emotional connection that you have to a film. Those pieces of music — you think about the Hobbiton theme — they’re really iconic.”
As a die-hard fan of the series, I’m beyond satisfied with the audience’s choosing. Even though it’s always difficult to place anything above John Williams’s work on Star Wars, if one film has to top it I’m glad it’s the Lord Of The Rings trilogy.
Listen to the video below of the complete score, stretching across all three films.
(For something special, and a piece that I’d forgotten about until revisiting the soundtrack, go to 1:07:11 and listen to the credits song for the Fellowship Of The Ring. Featuring beautiful female vocals and a stunning boys choir, the melodies from within the movie are brought to new life.)
Source: Nerdist
