Looking for Richard
Howard Shore
" Peter Jackson chose Howard Shore for LOTR because of this score "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
Since the success of The Lord of the Rings, Howard Shore (alias the respective composer behind the massive underscore of the trilogy) has seen enormous publicity coming his way. All of a sudden, people were interested to delve into the career of Shore, on the lookout for more of that LOTR brilliance. All of a sudden this dark composer was worthy of that investment. I however was on the lookout at that specific moment that Howard Shore showed director Peter Jackson that he was the one and only composer for the job. I think I have found my answer.
Looking for Richard is a score that is deeply influenced by what people merely recall as LOTR music. Whether it is the enormous religious writing, thick orchestral mood or brassy fanfares, there is enough momentum here to put you back into Middle Earth. The directorial debut of actor Al Pacino may have slipped under the radar due to the documentary approach, the score nonetheless received a large sound due to the assistance of The London Philharmonic Orchestra and the religious sounding choir.
The score opens with "Richard, Duke of York", a choral appetizer that unleashes a brewing sound of brass and choir, leaving no direct main theme to memorize but it nonetheless is an interesting track all the same. And "Queen Margaret" delights the listener further at the end with a rise of strings, recreating a bit the sound of The Lord of the Rings.
The next 2 tracks are large suites, "Lady Anne Neville" is in the vein of Henry V through the classical style of the score and the use of the choir, making it interesting if anyone would immediately notice it once you would place it in between the music of Doyle. "George, Duke of Clarence" has short blasts of either heavenly choral music or dark Latin signing, the track nonetheless is an exquisite development for choir and dark deep string lines, delving you deep into a dungeon with King Richard himself.
After that, "Ghosts" sets the tone first with an almost exact fanfare (after 25 seconds) of choral magnitude from the Bridge of Kzahad Dum track whilst carrying interesting layers of brass and organ build up, making it both interesting and powerful at the same time. The last track which is "Henry, Earl of Richmond" is loaded with the choir, and be ready to receive between 2.30 and 3.30 the most explosive use of choir ever heard. At the end we receive the return of the heavenly choral music of track 4, which makes it one of the only returning moments of the score.
So, while Looking for Richard takes a lot of time to develop to those 2 final tracks, I can't help but wonder that Peter Jackson was brewing on ideas for LOTR while listening to this music. This is LOTR in feel and tone, only it lacks the musical themes and motifs of that specific trilogy. So that is the absolute positive side of Looking for Richard. The weaker side is the fact that it does take a bit of time to get into the flow of the album, and that actual themes aren't really remembered. But who needs themes if you have a deep orchestral flow and a choral voice during the entire listen?
Tracklisting
1. Richard, Duke of York (4.09)
2. Queen Margaret (3.13)
3. Lady Anne Neville (10.29)
4. George, Duke of Clarence (11.42) Excellent track
5. William, Lord Hastings (5.22)
6. Ghosts (4.05) Excellent track
7. Henry, Earl of Richmond (6.02) Excellent track
Total Length: 45.02
Looking for Richard is a score that is deeply influenced by what people merely recall as LOTR music. Whether it is the enormous religious writing, thick orchestral mood or brassy fanfares, there is enough momentum here to put you back into Middle Earth. The directorial debut of actor Al Pacino may have slipped under the radar due to the documentary approach, the score nonetheless received a large sound due to the assistance of The London Philharmonic Orchestra and the religious sounding choir.
The score opens with "Richard, Duke of York", a choral appetizer that unleashes a brewing sound of brass and choir, leaving no direct main theme to memorize but it nonetheless is an interesting track all the same. And "Queen Margaret" delights the listener further at the end with a rise of strings, recreating a bit the sound of The Lord of the Rings.
The next 2 tracks are large suites, "Lady Anne Neville" is in the vein of Henry V through the classical style of the score and the use of the choir, making it interesting if anyone would immediately notice it once you would place it in between the music of Doyle. "George, Duke of Clarence" has short blasts of either heavenly choral music or dark Latin signing, the track nonetheless is an exquisite development for choir and dark deep string lines, delving you deep into a dungeon with King Richard himself.
After that, "Ghosts" sets the tone first with an almost exact fanfare (after 25 seconds) of choral magnitude from the Bridge of Kzahad Dum track whilst carrying interesting layers of brass and organ build up, making it both interesting and powerful at the same time. The last track which is "Henry, Earl of Richmond" is loaded with the choir, and be ready to receive between 2.30 and 3.30 the most explosive use of choir ever heard. At the end we receive the return of the heavenly choral music of track 4, which makes it one of the only returning moments of the score.
So, while Looking for Richard takes a lot of time to develop to those 2 final tracks, I can't help but wonder that Peter Jackson was brewing on ideas for LOTR while listening to this music. This is LOTR in feel and tone, only it lacks the musical themes and motifs of that specific trilogy. So that is the absolute positive side of Looking for Richard. The weaker side is the fact that it does take a bit of time to get into the flow of the album, and that actual themes aren't really remembered. But who needs themes if you have a deep orchestral flow and a choral voice during the entire listen?
Tracklisting
1. Richard, Duke of York (4.09)
2. Queen Margaret (3.13)
3. Lady Anne Neville (10.29)
4. George, Duke of Clarence (11.42) Excellent track
5. William, Lord Hastings (5.22)
6. Ghosts (4.05) Excellent track
7. Henry, Earl of Richmond (6.02) Excellent track
Total Length: 45.02