Hobbit An Unexpected Journey - Arkenstone Edition The

More Reviews Though international B.O. Success seems all but assured for a franchise that has already commanded nearly $3 billion in worldwide grosses, splitting the source material into multiple pics here mimics a frustrating trend among lucrative fantasy adaptations, from the two final “Harry Potter” films to the bifurcated “Twilight Saga” finale, stringing fans along with incomplete narratives. Whereas “” naturally divided into the three books, “” contains scarcely enough story to support a single feature, as those who recall Rankin/Bass’ 1977 animated made-for-TV version know all too well. Tolkien’s delightful yet easier-going novel, written with young readers in mind, recounts the relatively simple tale of how Baggins (“The Office’s” Martin Freeman, affable as ever) traveled with dwarves to face the dragon Smaug and, in so doing, came to acquire the fabled ring. A mythologically dense, CG-heavy prologue details how Smaug raided the dwarf stronghold of Erebor, taking possession of the Arkenstone, a glowing gem of ambiguous power. Conjured by Jackson and returning co-writers and Philippa Boyens (credited along with Guillermo del Toro, who at one point planned to direct) for the sake of spectacle, this unnecessary pre-title sequence recalls setpieces from the second and third “” movies, as if to assure fans they can expect more of the same — and sure enough, “The ” offers familiar run-ins with orcs, goblins and even before interrupting the adventure halfway to its destination, the Lonely Mountain, to make room for the next installment. But ’s “unexpected ” is awfully slow to start.

1. Hobbit An Unexpected Journey - Arkenstone Edition The Band
2. Hobbit An Unexpected Journey - Arkenstone Edition The Night

The film first locates him in Bag End, the cozy home in the Shire where the eleventy-one-year-old halfling hero (played briefly by Ian Holm and accompanied by Elijah Wood’s Frodo) narrates the adventure that first brought Hobbits into the affairs of Middle-earth’s more bellicose species. That tale begins six decades earlier, when the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) appears with a challenge for the younger Bilbo (Freeman), leaving a magic sign that brings a swarm of dwarves to the reluctant hero’s door.

With names like Balin and Dwalin (Ken Stott and Graham McTavish), Oin and Gloin (John Callen and Peter Hambleton) and Fili and Kili (Dean O’Gorman and Aidan Turner), the 13 dwarves are virtually indistinguishable apart from their facial hair — though one needn’t be Galadriel (Cate Blanchett’s future-seeing Elf queen) to recognize O’Gorman as a Kiwi heartthrob in the offing. In the absence of clearly defined characteristics, the unwieldy lot make Snow White’s companions seem downright three-dimensional. Speaking of 3D, the technique adds a level of dynamism to Andrew Lesnie’s swooping camerawork, which once again cuts from the closest of closeups to the widest of wide shots, in addition to plunging down and around elaborate enemy encampments, such as the underground Goblin-town, where spindly rope bridges teeter over gaping chasms.

But 3D also complicates the forced-perspective tricks Jackson used in the earlier films, making for odd, eye-boggling moments, especially in the crowded Bag End scene, where Gandalf somewhat unconvincingly towers among characters half his size. More disconcerting is the introduction of the film’s 48-frames-per-second digital cinematography, which solves the inherent stuttering effect of celluloid that occurs whenever a camera pans or horizontal movement crosses the frame — but at too great a cost. Consequently, everything takes on an overblown, artificial quality in which the phoniness of the sets and costumes becomes obvious, while well-lit areas bleed into their surroundings, like watching a high-end homemovie.

(A standard 24fps projection seems to correct this effect in the alternate version of the film being offered to some theaters, but sacrifices the smoother motion seen in action scenes and flyover landscape shots.) After Bilbo finally accepts his calling 40 minutes into the picture, such technical distractions virtually disappear as Jackson draws auds into his familiar world, particularly a troll-infested forest and the film’s darker, more expressionistic realms. Recognizing the limitations of their source material, Jackson and his co-writers pilfer freely from Tolkien’s other writings, including appendices to “Lord of the Rings” that reveal such details as where Gandalf goes during his long disappearances. With few exceptions, these insights bog down a tale already overtaxed by a surfeit of characters. The film introduces Radagast (Sylvester McCoy), a comical brown wizard with an ordure-streaked beard, and an unsatisfying subplot involving a Necromancer that’s clearly an early form of Sauron, out of place in this story. It also makes room for cumbersome reunions — or “preunions,” perhaps — with Galadriel, Elrond and Saruman in the elf city of Rivendell, hinting at the greater roles they will play in “.” The pic stands on firmer footing when embellishing the book’s more cinematic sequences into full-blown setpieces, such as a perilous cliffside passage complicated by the fact the mountains themselves appear to be doing battle, like giant stone Transformers. An expanded subplot pitting dwarf captain Thorin (Richard Armitage, nobly trying to match ’s smolder) against a battle-scarred and vengeance-bent orc helps disguise the fact that this particular road trip has no immediate villain. Still, Jackson and his team seem compelled to flesh out the world of their earlier trilogy in scenes that would be better left to extended-edition DVDs (or omitted entirely), all but failing to set up a compelling reason for fans to return for the second installment.

The film hints at a looming run-in with Smaug, but makes clear that this mission serves more to win back the dwarves’ lost kingdom than to protect the fate of Middle-earth. Bilbo’s arc, therefore, consists of proving his value to a mission that doesn’t concern him personally. In keeping with the child-friendly tone of the source book, “” is more comical, features a couple of amusing songs, and doesn’t dally on funerals the way “The Lord of the Rings” did. But it’s no kinder on small bladders or impressionable eyes, running every bit as long and violent as Jackson’s initial trilogy.

While it would have been fascinating to see del Toro’s take on “The Hobbit,” there’s something to be said for continuity. Few film series have achieved the consistency of look and feel maintained across these Middle-earth-set stories, and once the adventure gets going, Jackson reminds auds of his expertise at managing action on a scale that would have made David Lean wish he’d had CGI in his toolbox. That connection is clearest in the character of, once again performed by, who loses not only an unmistakably schizophrenic game of riddles to Bilbo, but also his precious ring. Below-the-line contributions, including those of composer and the entire production and costume design teams, support the illusion that we never left Middle-earth.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Production: A Warner Bros. Release of a New Line Cinema, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures presentation of a Wingnut Films production. Produced by Carolynne Cunningham, Zane Weiner, Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson. Executive producers, Alan Horn, Toby Emmerich, Ken Kamins, Carolyn Blackwood. Co-producers, Philippa Boyens, Eileen Moran. Directed by Peter Jackson. Screenplay, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Jackson, Guillermo del Toro, based on the novel by J.R.R.

. soprano. baritone. tenor. large mixed choir.

large boy choir. 'Hobbit Band'. Orchestra. large. Large symphony orchestra The music of film series is composed and produced by, who scored all three, to which The Hobbit trilogy is a prequel. The score continues the style of The Lord of the Rings score, and utlizies a vast ensemble, multiple musical forms and styles, a large number of leitmotives and various unusual instruments, adding to Shore's overarching music of the Middle Earth films.

Shore composed over nine hours of music, featuring 70 new musical themes and reprising 50 themes from the Lord of the Rings. Shore sketched and orchestrated the music for an immense ensemble consisting of a large symphony orchestra, additional stage 'bands' (featuring various none-orchestral instruments), multiple choirs and several vocal soloists.

While not quite as critically successful his Lord of the Rings compositions, Shore's score remained a financial success, peaking in the top ten album charts in multiple countries, and garnered various award nominations, and his setting of the 'Misty Mountains' tune becoming very popular. The score has since been performed as a Symphonic piece in four movements for orchestra and soloist. The score and its production were the subject of an hour-long documentary film created for the behind-the-scenes features of The Desolation of Smaug, and is also to be featured in dedicated book by musicologist Doug Adams, set to be completed in late 2017. With these three scores added to the, Howard Shore has composed over 170 leitmotifs for the Middle Earth films, creating by far the largest collection of themes in the history of cinema and one of the biggest collections for any cycle of musical compositions. Contents.

Principal leitmotifs Howard Shore continued his approach from the music of The Lord of the Rings films, and wrote 64-70 identified (not including ten or more newly reprised themes from the Lord of the Rings) that are used throughout the nine hours of the three scores. Combined with recurring themes from the Lord of the Rings, there are about sixty or more leitmotifs used through each of the three scores, which given their shorter length makes them somewhat more dense than even The Lord of the Rings scores. The main theme of the trilogy is The Shire theme. The main themes of the individual episodes are, in order, the Company theme, Smaug's theme and the Erebor theme. The opening of An Unexpected Journey also serves as an 'overture' of the series, introducing many of the principal themes and the full orchestral forces and colors, while The Battle of the Five Armies serves as a bridge to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The musical theme of Thorin Oakenshield.

It is based on the related Erebor theme, but is more stepwise like the Shire music, hinting at the effect that Bilbo will have on his life. Dwarves in-Exile: A weary and grim gradually rising and falling motif revolves around the exile and subsequent degradation of the fortunes of the Durin's folk of Erebor and more generally relates to the dwarvish suffering and fate. The House of Durin: This theme is usually set to male chorus and related both to Thorin and to the Dwarrowdelf theme from Lord of the Rings.

It is one of the main themes of the trilogy. Its first full statements are reserved to the second film, where it appears in the scene when Bard recalls the prophecy about the return of the King under the Mountain, and is featured in tracks such as 'My Armour is Iron' and 'The Hunters'. In The Battle of the Five Armies soundtrack, it is played in 'Beyond Sorrow and Grief' and ' and is featured prominently at the beginning of 'Sons of Durin.' .

An unnamed theme appears in the opening logos to the film, and again in the closing of the soundtrack and again in the Battle of the Five Armies. It is a major-key hybrid theme, created by combining the History of the One Ring theme, with the House of Durin theme. An Unexpected Party: After Bilbo meets Gandalf and as the Dwarves gradually arrive at Bilbo's House, the opening notes of the Dwarrowdelf theme are played repeatedly. Its also used in the Extended Edition when the Dwarves are introduced to Beorn. Ancient Enemies: an aggressive variation on the Dwarvish open fifths chorus. It represents the animosity of Dwarves and Orcs, especially between Thorin and Azog, and the war waged between the races. The Company theme: Represents the Dwarven Company, their quest to reclaim, and their crossing of the iconic and is the main theme of the first film, having appeared as early as the announcement trailer.

It is Howard Shore's rendition of Plan 9's melody that is used in the film, however, it is curiously absent from and The Shore and the filmmakers opted to reinforce the sequels' darker tone by removing the more heroic Company themes, creating a sense of absence in the listener. The melody of the company theme has two variants, not written by Shore, that may be considered as separate motifs: Plan 9's original 'Misty Mountains' composition (in which the melodic line is not informed by Thorin's theme like the Company theme proper) and 'Song of the Lonely Mountain'. A Secondary theme for the Dwarf company and the quest is used throughout the first score. It is a 'Dwarvish' variant on Bilbo's adventure theme, which was an early composition of Howard Shore. It appears in full in the Bonus Track, 'Erebor', accompanied by Uilleann pipes. Moon runes theme: a hybrid of the Erebor theme (in the high, 'Elvish' registers) and the Rivendell Arpeggios (in the low, 'Dwarvish' registers) is used for the reveal of the moon runes and again for the reveal of the hidden door itself.

The Dwarf Lords: This early thematic idea for the Dwarves was largely unused in the final film, but made appearances in all three films: once when Dwalin tells Gandalf that Thorin is delayed because of a meeting in the Blue Mountains; again at the sight of the Hidden Door, and as an elegy in 'The Darkest Hour' in the third film. Themes for the Elves. The Woodland Realm theme: a choral motif which accompanies and the as they greet during the prologue. White Gems of Lasgalen: a subtle slurred, truncated variant of the theme for the Woodland Realm. The Valley of Imladris: Howard Shore wrote a serene diegetic piece of music for Rivendell, which he also utilizes in the underscore in a martial setting when Elrond's riders arrive.

Themes for Smaug. Dragon Breath: An accompaniment to Smaug's themes, echoing his breath. Smaug's theme: A menacing and discordant theme representing Smaug the Terrible. This is also the main theme of the second film.

Smaug's Malice: an ascending, inverted rendition of Smaug's theme. It is played when Bilbo hears Smaug's name and again throughout the following soundtrack. Themes for Nature. The Eagles: The eagle rescue at the end of the film passed through two different compositions, with three distinct melodic ideas associated with the Eagles throughout. The version used in the finished film was reused in the Battle of the Five Armies, creating a new theme for the eagles. There is also an alternate Eagle theme on the album. Stone Giants.

Themes for the Wizards.: In The Lord of the Rings, Shore saw Gandalf the Grey as a mediator figure, and intentionally wrote no theme for him. The Hobbit saw the character of Gandalf explored much more, providing Shore with reason to write a new, five-note theme for the wizard.: The order of the Wizards, the Istari, is also depicted by a theme of its own. The theme is mostly associated with Gandalf, who is featured much more prominently than the other wizards.: Radagast is represented by nervous table percussion and fiddle, complementing both his perpetual movement, his association with nature and his eastern-European inspired design.

This theme was left out of the finished film. Adams mentions several themes being associated with the Wizard, which perhaps includes a longer melodic line for fiddle and boy choir which appears on the album. In the film, the theme appears in the orchestra, without the solo fiddle or voices. Shadow Over Greenwood: an eerie call sung by the boy choir as Radagast discovers the sickness of Mirkwood forest. The theme is reprised when Gandalf reveals the Morgul blade to the White Council.

Themes for the Necromancer.: Shore applies a variant of the 'Evil of the Ring' motif to the Necromancer, often with an oboe mimicking the signature rhaita. The end coda is different, however, to Sauron's theme, which only appears when he is referenced (after the White Council sees the Morgul Blade) or exposed to Gandalf.: A Descending Thirds figure based on a similar figure used as an accompaniment motif in the Lord of the Rings.: A more frenetic, 'danger' motif for Dol Guldur, based on the Mordor Skip-Beat motif.: Another, more aggressive, variation on the 'Descending Thirds', hinting at the connection of Azog and Sauron. Here, the pattern ends with a musical 'barb'. By the battle of the Five Armies, the barb evolves into a long trumpet call, perhaps representing the army marshaled by Azog. theme: When the Dwarves get captured by the Goblins, Shore introduces a theme on percussion and shrill brass that contains hint of his 5/4-time Orc theme.

As the Goblin King is revealed, the theme appears on brass, and as the Dwarves make their escape, it is echoed by a deep male choir.: In the Lord of the Rings, the Warg's brief appearance was scored with 'the cruelty of the Orcs' motif. For the Gundabad Wargs of the Hobbit, Shore created a new theme, related to the cruelty of the Orcs, that represents the beasts. Themes for the Monsters of Middle Earth. Trolls motif: A loud, Waltz-time theme that plays in the track 'Roast Mutton'. The Troll theme mingles with the Weakness motif, quite possibly to denote the Troll Hoard. The music is first hinted as Bilbo stalls the Trolls and later during the Troll-hoard sequence. Spiders of Mirkwood: An eight-note figure that stands for the spiders that attack Radagast's house.

Their musical soundscape is expanded in the Desolation of Smaug, with two-note ideas being also related to them and their hive. Themes for the Quest of Erebor. Pine Glades of the Misty Mountains: Used in the finale of the first film. There is similar music used when the Dwarves first fall into Goblintown and again when the bridge they cross collapses. Whether it is a leitmotif or not is unclear, as it might be tracked. Since the High-Fells were originally supposed to appear in An Unexpected Journey, one of the bonus tracks, 'Edge of the Wild', has the same musical idea that would later be used in conjunction with them in the following film, making the music of the High Fells technically recurring. When Thorin picks up Orcrist, a short lyrical line appears in the celli, violins and oboe.

That line is perhaps recalled both as Bilbo draws out Sting in Gollum's cave, and again in the film when Orcrist is revealed to the Goblins. First appearance in Returning:. From An Unexpected Journey: Bilbo; Bilbo's adventure; Fussy Bilbo; Erebor, Thorin, Arkenstone, Dwarf Lords, Moon Runes, The House of Durin, An Unexpected Party; Woodland Realm, White Gems, Gandalf, Spiders, Smaug, Smaug's Malice, Dragon breath, Wargs, Azog, Dol Guldur, Threat of Dol Guldur, Necromancer. From the Lord of the Rings: The Shire, Hobbit end-cap, Hobbit Skip-beat, Rivendell Arpeggio, Weakness Motif, Sauron, The History of The One Ring, Mordor Descending Thirds, Mordor Skip-Beat, Threat of Mordor.

Returning from the Lord of the Rings (new themes): Gandalf's Fireworks, Legolas' Heroic feats, Elvish Medicine, The Forces of The Enemy, Bree, Minas Morgul. Themes for Bilbo. Bilbo Suspense Music (Bilbo the Burglar): This motif is a sneaky driving ostinato figure that follows Bilbo when he takes charge of the situation at a pivotal moment. It goes on to replace his fussy theme.

Themes for the Dwarves. Thrain's Theme: In the Extended Edition of the Desolation of Smaug, Thrain is introduced with a theme. His is a slow variation of the Erebor theme with a string arpeggio, referencing the Weakness motif.

Themes for the Elves. 's theme: Thranduil's theme bears the mark of the Weakness motif, hinting at the Elvenking's Weaknesses. The Elvish Host: The Woodland Realm is associated with a martial idea, related to the Elves tense relationship with the Dwarves. It is used when the Dwarves are thrown into the dungeons, and again when they are besieged by the Elves in the third installment.: A fast-paced, flamenco-like theme based on the first line of The Woodland Realm theme but differentiating in tempo and played over major harmonies.

Tauriel's theme: A powerful and melodic string rhythm appears as a theme several times. Later on, the theme is varied based on the scenario, including a more reflective variant for woodwinds. Both variants are sung in 'Beyond the Forest.' . Tauriel and Kili: A love theme that represents the relationship between the two characters. It appears in 'Feast of Starlight', 'Kingsfoil', and 'Beyond the Forest'.

In 'Feast of Starlight' and the end credits version of 'Beyond the Forest' the theme is preceded by a more Dwarvish introduction figure on brass and low voices. Some identify this figure as a theme for Kili's Runestone.

In The Battle of the Five Armies soundtrack, it is played at the beginning of 'Shores of the Long Lake' and is played near the end of '.' Themes for Smaug. Smaug's Fate: A choral combination of Smaug's various themes was used for when he is toppled by the statue of molten gold. It was then reprised for his eventual demise in the following installment. Themes for Nature. Beorn's theme: A deep and brassy theme played several times in the opening tracks. The harmony, based on the Nature theme, appears by itself as well, potentially as a motif for the Wilderland itself.

Themes for Laketown. Bard's theme: The theme reflects his ambiguity as a character. It becomes more heroic as Bard defies Smaug. Esgaroth Theme: A 10-note theme that represents Lake-Town.

It appears prominently in the tracks 'Protector of the Common Folk' and 'Thrice Welcome'. The Master of Lake-Town's Theme: The theme, played by woodwinds, strings and a clavichord, reflects his high position and his greedy nature. It is played in retrogrades when associated with his guards. A figure hinting at the opening pitches is used in the Forest River sequence. Alfrid's theme: The end-cap of the Master's theme is used as a motif for Alfird, his councilor. It appears briefly in 'Protector of the Common Folk' and several times in the film version of 'The Battle of the Five Armies.' .

's theme (The Black Arrow/Bard's Heroism): A motif to represent the Last Lord of Dale who injured Smaug. It goes on to represent the Black Arrow and the heroism of both Bard and Bain, Girion's descendents. Themes for the Necromancer. Bolg's Theme: Bolg is represented by another variation on the descending thirds, which Doug Adams seems to identify as a distinct motif, in spite of the similarity to Azog's theme. It appears at the end of the extended version of 'The Forest River' and appears in 'The Hunters.' . The Nine: A solo piece, related to the Istari theme, marks Gandalf's discovery of the resurrection of the Ringwraiths.

Themes for the Quest of Erebor. Mirkwood: The theme is built around slow succession.

Different variations are played when the Company wanders in the forest. As the company becomes lost in the forest, the motif is swallowed by the dissonant musical texture of Mirkwood. It's possible to classify the melodic line as a motif for the 'Elven road' and label the musical texture itself as the Mirkwood theme proper.: the Death theme (based on the Evil Times motif) becomes a prominent musical motif in the third film and it appears frequently throughout the final part of the story to signal loss and sorrow. It skirts the Woodland Realm theme as it actively revolves around Thranduil and the elves, the concept of mortality strongly present both in the war that rages in the last film of the trilogy and in the relationship between Kili and Tauriel (this short motif is embedded in their love music as a reminder of its tragic nature) and informs the theme of Dwarvish Suffering as well. The Forest River sequence features repeated string ostinatos that may constitute as a theme for the churning river. First appearance in Returning:.

From the Lord of the Rings: The Shire, Hobbit Outline, Hobbit Skip-Beat, Bilbo's Song; Battlefield Heroism, the Fellowship, The History of The One Ring, Sauron, Mordor Descending Thirds, Mordor Skip-Beat, Threat of Mordor, Servants of Sauron, Evil Times, Weakness Motif, Galadriel, Rivendell, Rivendell Arpeggios, Nature's Reclamation, Orcs. From the Hobbit: Bilbo's theme; Bilbo's Adventure, Sneaky Bilbo; Erebor, Thorin, The House of Durin, Dwarf Lords, Arkenstone; Dragon Breath, Smaug, Smaug's Malice, Dragon Sickness, Smaug's Fate; Laketown, Bard, Bard's Family, Bard and the People of Laketown, Politicians of Laketown, Alfrid, Girion; Woodland Realm, Thranduil, Legolas, Tauriel, Elvish Host, Tauriel a End Kili; Death Motif, Dol Guldur, Threat of Dol Guldur, The Nine, Azog, Bolg, Wargs, Ancient Enemy, unnamed title theme. Returning from the Lord of the Rings (new themes): Mithril, The Forces of the Enemy. Themes for Smaug. Dragon Sickness: The dragon-breath motif and Smaug's Malice theme are shifted from the dragon to Thorin and play in tandem during scenes that illustrate his dragon sickness. The dragon breath motif is inlaid with a rhythmic, dissonant string pattern. Themes for the Dwarves.

Dain II 'Ironfoot's theme: A heroic theme played by woodwinds, trumpets, and bagpipes. It appears in 'Ironfoot' and 'Battle for the Mountain', and it is played in the movie during Dain's arrival to the Lonely Mountain and the beginning of the battle. It is backed up by a march figure, perhaps its own motif for the Dwarven army.

Thorin's Fate: Thorin has yet another thematic idea, sung by a solo Soprano (one of the only instances of female voices incorporated into Shore's Dwarvish music) that speaks of his ultimate fate. It is played after he breaks out of the Dragon Sickness and opts to assault the Orc Armies, and again before his demise. War Preparations : A harsh motif that is played with drums and horns in the tracks 'The Ruins of Dale' and 'Mithril', representing the militarization of Thorin's company. Themes for Laketown. Bard's family's theme: A gently rising and falling theme which, after being hinted at in the second movie, is first played in full during 'Fire and Water'.

Hobbit An Unexpected Journey - Arkenstone Edition The Band

A heroic rendition of the theme appears during the end of 'Battle for the Mountain'. It also appears in the extended version of 'Ironfoot'. Bard's Leadership Theme: A short motif that appears in 'Shores of the Long Lakes', 'Ironfoot', and 'Dragon-Sickness'.

In the film, it is played when Percy recounts Bard's shooting the dragon. Bard and the People of Laketown: A combination of the Laketown theme and the ending of Bard's theme, which is played either as action music or as an elegy. Themes for Dol Guldur.

Gundabad theme: A driving, offbeat theme for Mount Gundabad and its forces. It is first played out in 'Bred for War', and features prominently in 'Ravenhill'. Some identify the underlying Rhythm as a separate musical idea. Ogres theme. Returning from The Lord of the Rings New themes While revisiting the themes from the Lord of the Rings, Howard Shore also made a unique choice to return to hitherto singular musical expressions, such as the music heard when Bilbo gives Frodo the Mithril vest, thereby turning them into themes, after the fact. This technique allowed him to use The Hobbit scores in order to inform the music of the Lord of the Rings without rescoring and keeping both trilogies similarly dense with themes by using The Hobbit to 'add' themes into The Lord of the Rings.

Existing themes The first film is the most reliant on existing themes, and that reliance was expanded upon in the final film, including multiple cases of tracked music. Nevertheless, most themes are introduced in more devolved expression and evolve to their starting point from The Lord of the Rings.

There are, nevertheless some puzzling thematic connections:. The final framework story opening the first film showcases the themes for Gandalf's Farewells and the Journey Back.

Both are meant to be used as book-ends with the ending of Return of the King, and the Journey Back even shares similarities to Bilbo's Adventure which was used on the album version. Gandalf's Farewells is used in Lord of the Rings in scenes that do not involve the departure of the wizard, much like this scene, the explanation being that it is most likely being used in an opposite meaning, of expecting to meet again with the wizard, be it Bilbo in the framework story, or Frodo on Mount Doom, who (believing Gandalf to be dead) is about to die.

Two of the variations of the Shire theme, the Hymn and Playful variation, which are mostly associated in The Lord of the Rings with Frodo and with Merry and Pippin, respectively, are applied to Bilbo in the first score: The Hymn variation in the finished film when Gandalf explains his choice of Bilbo to Galadriel, and the playful variation when Bilbo runs out of his door. However, the themes do have a broader association and the former in particular prefigures Frodo's choices more so than scoring Bilbo's. Galadriel's theme, in a martial setting, is used for Elrond's Riders assaulting the Warg riders. More so than scoring the moment, the music seems to connect it to the arrival of the Host of the Eldar in The Lord of the Lords, or perhaps to prefigure the encounter with Galadriel in the White Council. The 'Ringwraith' theme is used for the final confrontation of Azog and Thorin in the first film. While the theme is most strongly associated with the Wraiths, it is first and foremost an 'offspring' of the broader theme for 'The Power of Mordor', which the composition also alludes to.

In fact, this use of theme comes shortly before the revelation (in the following film) that Azog is a servant of the Necromancer, which later in that film turns out to be Sauron and using the theme in the broader sense of 'The Servants of Sauron' is consistent with several of its applications in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, including two statements in the Prologue and one unused statement in 'Amon Hen.' In fact, the signature chords of theme underline much of the music for the Goblins and Wargs which dominates the parts of the composition leading up to the statement. Azog's own theme is also derived from one of the Mordor accompaniments which is often used in conjunction with the Ringwraith theme.

'Gondor Reborn' was briefly quoted in the finale of the film. This is the closest that any of the scores come to using themes 'romantically', as a pure suggestion of mood (which in and of itself is a valid technique, utilized by Wagner and Strauss, as well). However, based on dialogue from the third film, a tenuous connection can be made between the success of the quest and ultimate victory of Gondor in the War of the Ring. The most likely explanation is that Shore utilized this theme, which has a strong connotation of 'good winning over evil' and extrapolated it from its narrow association with Gondor into a broader sense, applying it (once) in this scene. Soloists As with The Lord of the Rings, many soloists performed music for the three films. To support the more Dwarf-centric story, the singers of the end-credit songs were all men, compared to the female ensemble on The Lord of the Rings, including, who performed 'Song of the Lonely Mountain' in An Unexpected Journey, and and for following installments. Appears as a cast performer in the film itself.

Also performs a song (of his own composition) in the extended edition of An Unexpected Journey and Barry Humphries performs two songs (one only in the Extended Edition). Within the score, Howard Shore also utilized soprano voices, featuring Clara Sanabras and Grace Davidson. Songs As with The Lord of the Rings, the scores from The Hobbit were also largely vocal works, including choirs and soloists, as well as diegetic music and songs for the end-credits of each film. Source Songs. 'Blunt the Knives': composed by Stephen Gallaghar. Performed by the Dwarf cast and Plan 9. 'Misty Mountains': composed by Plan 9 and David Longe.

It is transformed into a theme that appears in Shore's underscore. 'The man in the Moon': Composed and performed by James Nesbitt. 'Down in Goblin Town': Composed by Stephen Gallaghar, Plan 9 and David Longe. 'The Torture Song': Composed by Stepehen Gallaghar, Plan 9, David Longe and Fran Walsh. End-credits songs. Song of the Lonely Mountain: Composed by Stephen Gallaghar and Neil Finn.

Orchestrated and arranged by Victoria Kelly under the supervision of Howard Shore and performed by Neil Finn and sons and the London Metropolitan Orchestra. It is another setting of the 'Misty Mountains' melody. 'I See Fire': Composed and performed by Ed Sheeran. 'The Last Goodbye': Composed by Billy Boyd.

Orchestrated and arranged by Victoria Kelly under Shore's supervision. Performed by Billy Boyd and the London Metropolitan Orchestra. Diegetic Music Howard Shore composed 'The Valley of Imladris' - a digetic piece for lute, lyre, wood flute and harp that is performed in Rivendell, a recapitulation of a piece of music introduced in the underscore previously as Elrond rides into Rivendell to meet the Dwarves. Shore also composed the horn-call at the end of Battle of the Five Armies, which is in fact a statement of the Erebor theme. Other sound effects used in Mirkwood and the Treasure Hoard scene, while none-diegetic, were performed by the orchestra and feature on the album. Other diegetic music was composed by The Elvish Impersonators, Stephen Gallaghar and members of the cast, including the aforementioned source songs and a 'trumpet fanfare' that sends the Dwarves off to the Mountain.

The melody of the 'Misty Mountains' song goes on to feature in the underscore. Instrumentation As with The Lord of the Rings, Shore used an immense ensemble, including a large symphony orchestra (the number of the core musicians ranging from 94 to 106 players) as well as 150 singers in the various choirs and several vocal soloists. The orchestra is augmented with up to 50 instrumentalists arranged in various stage bands, with as many as sixteen of which may play simultaneously to the full orchestra and choir. There are additional instruments used in trailers, behind the-scenes music and diegetic music. A dedicated concert of any of the scores would require a minimum of 230 players, as with The Lord of the Rings concerts. 'Song of the Lonely Mountain' Released: 2012 Soundtracks for The Hobbit have been released in an extended, two-disc form, offering over two hours of music each and liner notes by Doug Adams. The music is, for the most part, presented as it is in the film and by the film order, but some pieces were re-edited to augment the listening experience into something more akin of a concert program.

The recording is nevertheless incomplete, especially given alternate music used in some of the film scenes, although fans have since unearthed much of it and a rarities CD is attached to the upcoming book. The music for the trailer of An Unexpected Journey was released for free by New Line. The soundtrack album for An Unexpected Journey was released on 11 December 2012. It has been released in both Standard Edition and Special Edition, with both coming in a 2-disc format. The Geeks of Doom commented that Shore, who recorded the soundtrack at and in London, re-used some of the 'magisterial musical motifs' from his music for, but that he 'uses his established themes to launch into a completely original sonic adventure with turns both optimistic and dark, true to the mutual visions of Jackson and Tolkien'. The soundtrack was performed by the London Philharmonic orchestra, London Voices and Tiffin' boy choir, as well as featured vocal and instrumental soloists, namely soprano Clara Sanabras, Richard Armitage as a cast performer and Neil Finn for the end credits song.

Track listing Standard edition Disc 1 No. Title Length 1. 'My Dear Frodo' 8:04 2. 'Old Friends' 4:29 3. 'An Unexpected Party' 3:57 4.

'Axe or Sword?' 'Misty Mountains' (Music by, and Janet Roddick; performed by and The Dwarf Cast) 1:42 6. 'The Adventure Begins' 2:06 7. 'The World is Ahead' 2:18 8. 'An Ancient Enemy' 4:58 9. 'Radagast the Brown' 4:54 10.

'Roast Mutton' (Contains excerpts of 'Misty Mountains' by Donaldson, Long, Roche and Roddick ) 4:03 11. 'A Troll-Hoard' 2:39 12. 'The Hill of Sorcery' 3:51 13.

'Warg-Scouts' 3:05 Disc 2 No. Title Length 1. 'The Hidden Valley' 3:50 2. 'Moon Runes' 3:20 3. 'The Defiler' 1:15 4. 'The White Council' 7:20 5. 'Over Hill' (Contains excerpts of 'Misty Mountains' by Donaldson, Long, Roche and Roddick ) 3:43 6.

'A Thunder Battle' 3:55 7. 'Under Hill' 1:54 8.

'Riddles in the Dark' 5:22 9. 'Brass Buttons' 7:38 10. 'Out of the Frying-Pan' 5:54 11. 'A Good Omen' 5:46 12. 'Song of the Lonely Mountain' (Lyrics and Performance by, music by Finn, Donaldson, Long, Roche and Roddick ) 4:10 13. 'Dreaming of Bag End' 1:49 Special edition The two-disc special edition contains six bonus tracks and six extended tracks. Title Length 1.

'My Dear Frodo' 8:03 2. 'Old Friends' (Extended Version) 5:00 3. 'An Unexpected Party' (Extended Version) 4:08 4. 'Blunt the Knives' (Lyrics by J. Tolkien, music by Stephen Gallagher; performed by The Dwarf Cast, exclusive bonus track) 1:01 5. 'Axe or Sword?'

'Misty Mountains' (Performed by and The Dwarf Cast) 1:42 7. 'The Adventure Begins' 2:04 8. 'The World is Ahead' (Contains excerpts of 'Misty Mountains' by Donaldson, Long, Roche and Roddick ) 2:19 9. 'An Ancient Enemy' 4:56 10. 'Radagast the Brown' (Extended Version) 6:37 11. 'The Trollshaws' 2:08 12. 'Roast Mutton' (Extended Version) 4:56 13.

'A Troll-Hoard' 2:38 14. 'The Hill of Sorcery' 3:50 15. 'Warg-Scouts' 3:02 Disc 2 No. Title Length 1. 'The Hidden Valley' 3:50 2. 'Moon Runes' (Extended Version) 3:39 3. 'The Defiler' 1:14 4.

'The White Council' (Extended Version) 9:40 5. 'Over Hill' (Contains excerpts of 'Misty Mountains' by Donaldson, Long, Roche and Roddick ) 3:42 6. 'A Thunder Battle' 3:54 7. 'Under Hill' 1:54 8. 'Riddles in the Dark' 5:21 9.

'Brass Buttons' 7:37 10. 'Out of the Frying-Pan' 5:55 11. 'A Good Omen' 5:45 12.

'Song of the Lonely Mountain' (Lyrics and Performance by, Extended Version) 6:00 13. 'Dreaming of Bag End' 1:56 14.

'A Very Respectable Hobbit' (Exclusive Bonus Track) 1:20 15. 'Erebor' (Exclusive Bonus Track) 1:19 16. 'The Dwarf Lords' (Exclusive Bonus Track) 2:01 17. 'The Edge of the Wild' (Contains excerpts of 'Misty Mountains' by Donaldson, Long, Roche and Roddick; Exclusive Bonus Track) 3:34 Reception Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating A+ Movie Music UK Music Muse MovieCues Tracksounds Movie Wave The full score was nominated at the, and 'Song of the Lonely Mountain' received a nomination for the. 's reviewer wrote favourably about the album, but noted that the soundtrack was not as 'sweeping and epic as that for Jackson's The Lord of the Rings', attributing this to the smaller scale of Bilbo's adventure as compared to the events of The Lord of the Rings., however, was very positive and observed that The Hobbit soundtrack fitted the style and tone of The Lord of the Rings, writing that the opening for An Unexpected Journey was much better than that of. In 2013, the score for An Unexpected Journey ranked ninth out of one hundred by Classic FM'S top film scores.

The album charted in several countries, reaching the top ten album charts in Korea and the United States. It was also awarded a golden in Canada. ' Released: 2013 The soundtrack album for The Desolation of Smaug was released on 10 December 2013 in both Standard Edition and Special Edition.

The cover of the Special Edition features the design used for the special edition of the soundtrack for An Unexpected Journey on a purple background. The scoring process was documented in an hour-long feature of the behind-the-scenes footage of the film. The soundtrack was orchestrated by Conrad Pope and James Sizemore, with Conrad conducting the orchestra.

It was performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Wellington University Gamelan Orchestra, London Voices and Tiffin' boy choir, as well as featured vocal and instrumental soloists, namely soprano Grace Davidson and singer Ed Sheeran. The latter's Song, ', was released as a single. Track listing Standard edition Disc 1 No.

Title Length 1. 'The Quest for Erebor' 3:23 2. 'Wilderland' 4:56 3. 'The House of Beorn' 3:42 4. 'Mirkwood' 4:27 5. 'Flies and Spiders' 7:51 6.

'The Woodland Realm' 4:26 7. 'Feast of Starlight' 2:49 8. 'Barrels Out of Bond' 1:50 9. 'The Forest River' 4:54 10.

'Bard, a Man of Lake-Town' 2:30 11. 'The High Fells' 2:37 12. 'The Nature of Evil' 3:20 13. 'Protector of the Common Folk' 3:36 Disc 2 No. Title Length 1. 'Thrice Welcome' 3:33 2. 'Girion, Lord of Dale' 3:33 3.

'Durin's Folk' 2:28 4. 'In the Shadow of the Mountain' 2:15 5. 'A Spell of Concealment' 2:51 6. 'On the Doorstep' 7:46 7. 'The Courage of Hobbits' 3:00 8.

'Inside Information' 3:48 9. 'Kingsfoil' 2:25 10. 'A Liar and a Thief' 3:40 11. 'The Hunters' 9:04 12. 'Smaug' 5:24 13. 'My Armor is Iron' 5:16 14. ' (Written and Performed by ) 5:00 15.

'Beyond the Forest' 5:25 Special edition The special edition contains one bonus track and twelve extended tracks. Title Length 1. 'The Quest for Erebor' 3:22 2. 'Wilderland' 4:56 3. 'A Necromancer' (Bonus Track) 2:54 4. 'The House of Beorn' (Extended Version) 4:52 5. 'Mirkwood' (Extended Version) 5:31 6.

'Flies and Spiders' (Extended Version) 9:35 7. 'The Woodland Realm' (Extended Version) 5:14 8. 'Feast of Starlight' 2:48 9. 'Barrels Out of Bond' 1:50 10.

'The Forest River' (Extended Version) 5:10 11. 'Bard, a Man of Lake-Town' (Extended Version) 3:18 12. 'The High Fells' (Extended Version) 3:38 13. 'The Nature of Evil' 3:20 14. 'Protector of the Common Folk' 3:35 Disc 2 No. Title Length 1.

'Thrice Welcome' 3:33 2. 'Girion, Lord of Dale' (Extended Version) 4:15 3. 'Durin's Folk' (Extended Version) 3:04 4. 'In the Shadow of the Mountain' 2:15 5. 'A Spell of Concealment' (Extended Version) 3:22 6. 'On the Doorstep' 7:46 7. 'The Courage of Hobbits' 3:00 8.

'Inside Information' 3:48 9. 'Kingsfoil' 2:25 10. 'A Liar and a Thief' 3:41 11. 'The Hunters' (Extended Version) 9:55 12. 'Smaug' (Extended Version) 6:29 13. 'My Armor is Iron' 5:16 14.

Hobbit An Unexpected Journey - Arkenstone Edition The Night

' (Written and Performed by ) 5:00 15. For comparison, John Williams' 16-hour composition to Star Wars contains just over fifty leitmotifs. Mikko Ojala the two instances.

He stressed elsewhere that the initial Elvish Blades composition is not part of the Dwarves in-Exile motif that precedes it in the Troll Hoard. Ojala that 'Interestingly this music is combined often with a rhythmic string pattern to represent the dragon-sickness.' Doug Adams in the liner notes: 'the heaving furnace-like chords that once breathed fire into Smaug's bellows are now inlaid with dissonant string pulsations.and the melody line is rendered with queasy microtonal colorations.'

. The sound effects of the Treasure Hoard utilize a Gamelan Orchestra, Tibetan Singing Bowls, Shakuhachi, Gongs and a Tanpura, echoing the rattling jewels. In Mirkwood, the effects include thumping hearbeats on timpani and sounds of bowed and struck string instruments, waterphones, bowls and gongs. The transceleste is a xylophone-like instrument of hollow metal bars that are tuned to the Indian microtonal shruti scale.

A harpsichord was also recorded and tested, but the composer and filmmakers opted for the clavichord. Oscar Gimenez the sound of Kouxian being used.

Shore wrote the music for the main trailer for An Unexpected Journey and for the Gamelan music in The Desolation of Smaug trailers. There are even alternates between the standard and extended editions of the soundtrack, with some material appearing only on the standard soundtrack and some - only on the extended version. See also. For comparison with another leitmotivic score, see. References.