Howard Shore’s scores (say that three times fast) for Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy are iconic. With J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy franchise set to return in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, it’s only fitting that Howard Shore should be involved.
It was rumoured last year that Howard Shore was in talks to compose music for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and now it’s official. Shore has returned to compose the main title theme for the blockbuster Amazon Studios series, with the full episode scores composed by Bear McCreary. “With their deep understanding of the Tolkien legendarium, coupled with two of the greatest musical talents of our age, we’re thrilled that Howard and Bear are joining us on this epic journey to Middle-earth,” said Bob Bowen, Worldwide Head of Music for Amazon Studios. Bear McCreary is best known for his fantastic work on Battlestar Galactica, The Walking Dead, and Godzilla: King of the Monsters. In his own statement, McCreary said:
As I set out to compose the score for this series, I strove to honor Howard Shore’s musical legacy. When I heard his majestic main title, I was struck by how perfectly his theme and my original score, though crafted separately, fit together so beautifully. I am excited for audiences to join us on this new musical journey to Middle-earth.
According to Deadline, McCreary has spent the past year recording hours of music for The Rings of Power with “a full symphonic orchestra, alongside vibrant folk instruments and choral singers.” I can’t wait to see what Howard Shore and Bear McCreary have cooked up for The Rings of Power.
The official synopsis of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power:
Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth’s history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness. Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.
The first season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will debut on Prime Video on September 2, 2022.