Recordings of the music for The Lord of the Rings film series

The music of The Lord of the Rings film series, composed by Howard Shore to accompany Peter Jackson's films, exists in multiple recordings. It was heard by cinema audiences in the "theatrical" version, also released on DVD. Three single-disc albums were then released, forming briefer concert-pieces that broadly aligned with the narrative content of each film. Limited Deluxe CD versions contained additional bonus tracks. Extended versions of the films were released on DVD, with additional scenes and their accompanying music. A multi-disc set, The Complete Recordings, covered the entire score of the extended versions of the films on CD. A CD, The Rarities Archives, accompanied a 2010 book by Doug Adams. Finally, Shore edited The Lord of the Rings Symphony in six movements from the score, for concert performance.

Soloists
For the three films Shore worked with many vocal and instrumental soloists.

Vocal Cast Performers Instrumental
 * Alto:
 * Hilary Summers (contralto)
 * Annie Lennox (light alto)
 * Boy Soprano:
 * Benedict "Ben" Del Maestro
 * Edward Ross
 * Blake Heslop-Charman
 * Mezzo-Soprano
 * Sheila Chandra
 * Janet Roddick
 * Enya
 * Soprano
 * Elizabeth Fraser
 * Emilíana Torrini
 * Sissel Kyrkjebø
 * Isabel Bayrakdarian (lyrical soprano)
 * Miriam Stockley (lyrical)
 * Aivale Cole (née Mabel Faletolu; lyrical)
 * Renée Fleming (operatic soprano)
 * Billy Boyd (Pippin) – tenor
 * Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn) – baritone
 * Miranda Otto (Éowyn) – mezzo-soprano
 * Sir Ian Holm (Bilbo Baggins) – baritone
 * Sir Ian McKellen (Gandalf) – baritone
 * Liv Tyler (Arwen) – soprano
 * Dominic Monaghan (Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck) – tenor
 * Elijah Wood (Frodo) – tenor
 * Andy Serkis (Smeagol) – baritone
 * Sir Peter Jackson provided a tamtam hit when Aragorn enters Edoras
 * Other actors like John Rhys-Davies (as Treebeard), Alan Howard (voice of the ring), Bernard Hill (Theoden) and Orlando Bloom (Legolas) recited verses or provided narration, without a melody.
 * The "Elvish Impersonators": Jannet Roddick, David Donaldson, Stephen Roche ("Plan 9") and David Long: Fiddlek, Hurdy-Gurdy, Rommelpot, Jaw Harp, Harmonium, Whistle, Bodhran, Goblet Drum, Castanets, Tambourines, drones, Zither; possibly Dan Bau, Hasapi, Conga and Bongos
 * Dermot Crehan – Fiddle, Sarangi, Hardanger fiddle, Double Fiddle
 * Sir James Galway – flute, tin whistle, low whistle


 * Ulrich Herkenhoff – pan flute
 * Edward Cervenka – Hammered Dulcimer, cimbalom
 * Mike Taylor: Tin Whistle, Low Whistle, Fiddle
 * Jan Hendrickse: Rhaita, Nay Flute
 * Sylvia Hallett: Sarangi, Dilruba
 * Edward Hession: Musette
 * Tracey Goldsmith: Musette
 * Jean Kelly: Celtic Harp
 * Greg Knowles: Dulcimer, Cimbalom
 * John Parricelli: Six-String Guitar, Twelve-String Guitar
 * Gillian Tingay: Celtic Harp
 * Sonia Slany: Monochord
 * Robert White: Drones/Bodhrán
 * Alan Doherty: Nay Flute, Tin Whistle
 * Alan Kelly: Bodhrán

Original soundtracks
Recordings of the score were originally issued on single-disc albums, that closely followed the theatrical release dates of the films or presented earlier versions recorded during the film's editing. The music on the disc was arranged as a concert-piece while also keeping reasonably with the plot progression of the film. Many of the cues are edited to create concert suites of some of the themes, such as the Ringwraith theme (in "Black Rider"), the Durin theme (in "Journey in the Dark"), the Rohan theme (in "Riders of Rohan"), and the Gondor theme (in "The White Tree").

All soundtrack albums of the trilogy have been released through Reprise Records, Enya's label at that time of the first soundtrack's release. While the cover art for The Fellowship of the Ring uses an original compilation of film characters, the covers for The Two Towers and The Return of the King reflect the respective film posters.

Limited Deluxe versions of the Original Soundtracks were also released, with bonus tracks covering "Farewell to Lorien" (from the Extended Edition) and the song "Use Well the Days", as well as a documentary (made by Shore's wife, Elizabeth Conotoir) following Shore's creation of the music and his work with the soloists and director.

The Complete Recordings
Starting in 2005, a year after the extended release of The Return of the King, Reprise Records began to release one multi-disc set for each part of the trilogy. These annually published collections, titled The Complete Recordings, contain the entire score for the extended versions of the films on CD, along with an additional DVD-Audio disc that offers 2.0 stereo and 5.1 surround mixes of the soundtrack. Each album also comes with extensive liner notes by music journalist Doug Adams which reviews all of the tracks and provides information about the process of composing and recording the score, as well as a detailed list of all musical instruments, people and organizations involved. These Annotated Scores have been made freely available by New Line on the promotional website for the soundtracks (see below). The cover artwork uses common elements for the three albums like the film series' logo and an inscription in Tolkien's tengwar letters. The background of each album cover differs though in that it shows an aspect from the map of Middle-earth drawn by Christopher Tolkien that fits the title of the release and the location of the plot: The Fellowship of the Ring depicts the Shire, Rhudaur and Eregion in dark red, the cover for The Two Towers shows Rohan and Fangorn in dark blue while The Return of the King shows a map of Gondor in dark green.

In 2018, Rhino Entertainment re-released the Complete Recordings. The original CD box sets were re-released, with Blu-ray Audio discs replacing the DVD-Audio discs. The scores were also released on vinyl in limited edition, individually numbered sets. Additionally, the scores for The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers were made available on digital download and streaming platforms for the first time.

The Fellowship of the Ring
The Complete Recordings for The Fellowship of the Ring which unlike the other two albums, was conceived as an isolated film score, span just over three hours of music on three CDs. The set was released on 13 December 2005. It was re-released on CD/Blu-ray audio, vinyl, and digital platforms on 6 April 2018.


 * Track listing

The Two Towers
The Complete Recordings for The Two Towers span over three hours of music on three CDs. The set was released on 7 November 2006. It was re-released on CD/Blu-ray audio, vinyl, and digital platforms on 27 July 2018.


 * Track listing

The Return of the King
The Complete Recordings for The Return of the King span almost 3 hours and 50 minutes on four CDs. The accompanying DVD-audio disc is double-sided to accommodate all of the material. The set was released on 20 November 2007 on CD/DVD-Audio and digital download. It was re-released on CD/Blu-ray audio and vinyl on 21 September 2018.


 * Track listing

The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films
The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films is a 2010 book by Doug Adams. The book contains a detailed look at the themes and leitmotives in the film's music, along with snippets of sheet music and illustrations, and a companion CD, The Rarities Archives.

Symphony
Howard Shore reworked the music from the films and original soundtrack releases into movements for the concert hall, eventually creating the complete The Lord of the Rings Symphony, a more structured six-movement work for orchestra, choir and soloist. The suite has been performed in various concert halls around the world, accompanied by a light and visual art show by Alan Lee and John Howe. A DVD titled Howard Shore: Creating the Lord of the Rings Symphony—a composer's journey through Middle Earth has been released. The 50-minute-long DVD features extensive excerpts of the concert given by Shore and the Montreal Orchestra, Grand Choir and Children choir at the "Montreal en Lumiere" Festival, interspersed with spoken commentary by Shore, who recounts his approach in composing the music for the three films and then reworking it into the LOTR symphony. On 13 September 2011, Shore released "The Lord of the Rings Symphony" on CD and MP3 format. The double-album was recorded in Lucerne, Switzerland and performed by the 21st Century Symphony Orchestra & Chorus (including treble Loris Sikora, Boy Soprano Manuelle Polli, Mezzo-Soprano Kaitlyn Lusk and Bass-Baritone Marc-Olivier Oetterli) under the direction of Ludwig Wicki.

Track listing
"Movement 1" – 11:25 "Movement 2" – 34:04 "Movement 3" – 18:15 "Movement 4" – 10:28 "Movement 5" – 15:26 "Movement 6" – 26:13
 * 1) The Prophecy
 * 2) Concerning Hobbits
 * 3) The Seduction of the Ring
 * 4) The Black Rider and Treason of Isengard
 * 1) Rivendell
 * 2) The Ring Goes South
 * 3) A Journey in the Dark
 * 4) The Bridge of Khazad Dum
 * 5) Lothlorien
 * 6) The Great River
 * 7) Amon Hen
 * 8) The Breaking of the Fellowship
 * 1) Foundations of Stone/Glamdring
 * 2) Gollum
 * 3) Rohan
 * 4) The Black Gate Is Closed
 * 5) Evenstar
 * 6) The White Rider
 * 7) Treebeard
 * 8) The Forbidden Pool
 * 1) The Hornburg
 * 2) Forth Eorlingas
 * 3) The Last March of the Ents
 * 4) Gollum's Song
 * 1) Flight from Edoras
 * 2) Minas Tirith
 * 3) The Lighting of the Beacons
 * 4) The Steward of Gondor
 * 5) Cirith Ungol
 * 6) Anduril
 * 1) The Fields of the Pelennor
 * 2) The Paths of the Dead
 * 3) The End of All Things
 * 4) The Return of the King
 * 5) The Grey Havens
 * 6) Into the West