I loved the soundtrack for The Fellowship of the Ring, and when the second movie came out, I was equally impressed with composer Howard Shore's continued work on the score.

The first film was whimsical and light in places, reflecting the Shire and its Neverneverland perfection. It had to run to gauntlet of emotions from light and pure to powerful and pressing as they fellowship fought for their lives, to the sorrowful, the ethereal realm of the elves and the final battle and redemption of Boromir.

Under Shore's hand, The Two Towers is darker, more intense. It does not have the range of Fellowship simply because we are past the Shire and its tranquil beauty. But the score for Two Towers is just as moving.

Think back on the brilliantly filmed scenes and imagine them without the emotional score of this film and you begin to understand just how brilliant conceived this music is. Howard Shore has firmly controlled the scores to make the soundtracks as important as the film in creating the magic of the ring.

- Rambles
written by DeborahAnne MacGillivray