For those of you who have fallen in love with Howard Shore's epic and inspired music for "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, than you will be supremely pleased with the complete recordings series, this time with the release of "The Two Towers." While I am not a huge fans of the films themselves, the music is another matter entirely.
This release has what every fan of the LOTR series should enjoy, featuring 3 discs full of Shore's score, a dvd companion, and a nicely made cd booklet that offers notes about the music, key reference points, photos and more. The massive amount of music certainly warranted such accompaniment and it's pleasing to see it's not simply fluff material.
When looking at this second installment, no matter the cd incarnation, the introduction of the Rohan theme is a fabulous highlight to this score. Not only does it extend the story musically into the second act, but its Northern European inspirations add a sense of familiarity to the fantasy setting. What I also enjoy about it is how adaptable it is while referenced in varying forms, depending on the circumstance.
The other aspects of the music in the trilogy, and this release in particular, is the excellent integration of songs into the score. 'Gollum's Song' is like a childhood fairy tale gone awry, with sweet, pitiful tones that cast a bittersweet shadow upon the viewer/listener. On the other hand, Arwen and Aragorn's love theme is a mature, moving piece that fits in nicely as well, with its lyrical feelings enhancing the emotion between the two. These two songs show the listener that Shore was right on point in capturing the emotive states that each of the above situations dictated.
Also enjoyable is the resumption of the fanfare and thematic elements from the first movie. The main 'Fellowship' theme shares its time with the music of "The Two Towers" and its presence is definitely felt -- its tone matches the story development of the saga and doesn't become overzealous.
The music tracks in a linear fashion on the 3 discs. Much like the soundtracks from Star Wars, fans of the saga will be able to recognize the scenes of the film by the musical notes that accompany them. And this is no small feat for a 3+ hour movie!
When looking back at "The Two Towers," it may very well be my favorite score of the 3 films since the Rohan theme and the love theme make such a great impact on the soundtrack. Add in the returning music from 'Fellowship' and the Gollum song, and you have a score that deserves an epic rating. The complete recording adds a very nice closing statement to this by offering all the music in the film and effectively rounding out the collection for this second chapter.
As a final note -- Shore's music made a terrific impact on the film music scene by his work on these scores, so it is heartening to see his work getting such respectable and thorough treatment. Kudos to everyone involved on a terrific production.
