The Lord of the Rings (Soundtrack from the Animated Film)

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This disc contains the original motion picture soundtrack to the 1978 animated adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Although the film was universally decried, the soundtrack has actually developed a cult following of its own. The score was composed and conducted by Leonard Rosenman, who likewise co-produced this recording. Other notable scores bearing his inimitable style include those for Cobweb, East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause, and the more science fiction-oriented Fantastic Voyage and Beneath the Planet of the Apes. For Lord of the Rings, Rosenman leans heavily on his pre-cinematic influences and studies in the avant-garde. According to Laurie Battle's liner notes, exclusive to this 2001 reissue, it may be a result of the influence that Arnold Schoenberg's style had on Rosenman that informs many of the themes found throughout this score. The methodology could be likened to Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf," as musical themes quickly develop, representing specific characters and their interactions. The settings — or locations of action — are also individualized with specific motifs, the most notable being the march-like rhythms representing Mordor. Although never established independently, these musical landmarks contrast as well as interact to form mini-vignettes that owe as much to Pierre Schaeffer's musique concrète as to anything remotely traditional in motion picture scoring. The entire contents of the original double-LP set are contained on this disc. The eight-panel liner notes foldout features full-color stills from the animated film as well as the insightful essay and track-by-track commentary from Laurie Battle.