News is out on the internet about Howard Shore’s upcoming soundtrack for the first of Peter Jackson’s three Hobbit movies.  The release date is given as December 11th – so no month-in-advance November release this time, alas.  As with the three Lord of the Rings soundtracks, there will be a regular edition and a special edition; you can see the artwork and read the track listing here.  Neil Finn’s ‘Song of the Lonely Mountain’ is confirmed as the closing credit number, as we reported here.  The track listing is interesting as it seems to confirm what has been speculated for a while about where the first movie will end; but I’ll say no more on that, for those who wish to stay spoiler-free!  Hop on over to Fandango.com to read for yourselves, if you wish!
Category: Music
Thanks to Ringer Alan for alerting us of Amazon.com’s pre-order for ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ soundtrack. Two versions will be offered – a standard release and a Special edition. Both will have two discs and release December 11th 2012.  No cover art has been revealed, but we assume that will be forthcoming. Jump over to Amazon to snag what is sure to be Howard Shore’s latest triumph! [Special Edition] [Standard]
As we wrap up our “World Hobbit Day” festivities, we at TORn are pleased to bring you one final piece of our celebratory specials via an exclusive interview with Aivale Cole (nee Mabel Faletolu).

For fans of Howard Shore and the music of The Lord of the Rings films, Aivale (credited as Mabel Faletolu on the soundtrack of The Fellowship of the Ring) perhaps needs no introduction. For the rest, you probably recall that most heartrending of voices that engulfs the broken Fellowship as they emerge from the darkness of Moria and grieve over Gandalf’s fall into Khazad-dûm.
That piece was sung by none other than Aivale, a vocalist hailing from Wellington, New Zealand. Back in 2001, she recorded the solo piece with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
Join us in this exclusive interview as we catch up with Aivale who, after more than a decade, takes us back to that “crazy but exciting” time when she worked with Howard Shore and Peter Jackson, and also shares a rather amusing anecdote involving Ian McKellen.
Doug Adams, author of the book “The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films“, announced early this morning via his blog that today, August 20, 2012, marks the beginning of the recording sessions for The Hobbit in London.
Fans of Howard Shore‘s scores for the Lord of the Rings films and Doug’s monumental companion book to them will also find much excitement in the news that Doug has also signed on to write another companion book titled “The Music of The Hobbit Films”.
Today the musical world of Middle-earth begins expanding once again. Today, you can no longer say that you know every note of Shore’s music for Tolkien’s world. In fact, you only know about half of it. (This is a ballpark figure; I have no idea how long the three Hobbit films will be!) Today the subject of The Music of the Hobbit Films exists not just in concept, but in reality. Today a new journey begins …
Read Doug’s entire story here. And hop in to our boards to speculate about the songs, recurring themes, and new themes that we might expect in the upcoming films.
For those attending viewings of ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ this weekend, you may find yourself listening to the end of Howard Shore’s ‘The Bridge of Khazad Dum’ playing as part of the brand new ‘Man of Steel’ teasers. If you have seen The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, you know (SPOILERS) that when Gandalf falls at the bridge, we have an amazingly emotional and dramatic score to accompany this significant event. I get chills just thinking of the scene. Now, for better or worse, that same theme is used to build emotion for the next attempt to revive the Superman franchise. How do you feel about it? Share your thoughts in the comments, our forum and on Facebook! If you somehow managed to go through the last 10 years without owning Howard Shore’s award-winning score, we highly suggest you pick up today! (There are obviously many versions of the score to own, so browse around a bit) [LOTR:FOTR Score] [Kevin Costner Voiceover Teaser] [Russell Crowe Voiceover Teaser]
A treat for all you Billy Boyd fans out there; we reported back in March that Beecake, the band of which Boyd is a part, were set to release a new EP this June. That EP, ‘Please Stay’, is available now for digital download, from iTunes and (title track only, it seems) from Amazon. You can find more details at Grammy or at Beecake’s own website. And – there is a fabulous video to go with the title track! For Pippin-lovers and lovers of good music – enjoy:
Many thanks to Michael J Ferns, who directed the music video, for letting us know about it.
