Howard Shore Has Seen 'Return Of The King' Cut


Howard Shore, composer of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, has told Province that he has had the privilege of viewing the rough cut of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.

"I can tell you that having seen The Return of the King, it is a great film," says Canadian composer Howard Shore. "It is amazing."

Shore has the mammoth task of creating a musical score for all three sections and this places him in a privileged position because if he is to do his job properly, he must see each movie well in advance. "You're ultimately dealing with a nine- to 10-hour film," Shore explains. Furthermore, music is an ongoing part of the creative fabric. "You're creating a large musical work, a 10-hour piece, using all the Tolkien languages."

He's been spending hours watching Return of the King and in the early stages he doesn't even think about putting notes on paper. "It's the beginning process because you just want to absorb it and feel something about it. Then comes the more technical process. How does the music relate to the film? What are the tempos? What are the colours?". Once the composing is done, the performance and recording aspect takes over in London with Shore conducting the 100-piece London Philharmonic Orchestra and a 100-voice massed choir.

Thanks to 'JD' for the heads up!

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