The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Soundtrack

Note: I have no idea of the instruments they used, I just said what I heard. I hear my xylophone I heard was a oboe. I really have no idea, but that is just my interpretation of what I heard.Since I first heard the melodious tunes from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Soundtrack I anxiously been awaiting the next installment of music from The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug. My wait took a sudden end just last month when I bought the soundtrack.I have yet to see the movie so I cannot relate with all the themes but I know how a good soundtrack can stand by itself. The following is a review of each song.1: The Quest for Erebor (3:23) - 4.4-starThis song starts out desperately and then slowly molds into a Bilbo/Shire theme for a few seconds. It quickly gains its beat back and goes into a darker theme which is mainly deep, long sonorous notes. Nothing incredibly special (like "My Dear Frodo" from the first soundtrack), but still good.2: Wilderland (4:56) - 5-star"Wilderland" really sets up the move to build up the tension and action for the soundtrack and movie. It starts out with classic "Two Towers" kind of music then moves onto a deep, fast beat and a remnant of the spider's theme. At exactly halfway through it goes into a brilliant fast tone. Very good song!3: A Necromancer (Bonus Track) (2:54) - 4.3-starHere is where themes from "The Hill of Sorcery" come back in. We can almost hear the "Ring of Power" theme and a bit of the spider's theme.4: The House of Beorn (Extended Version) (4:52) - 4.4-starAs a filler kind of song, this track doesn't have all that much too it except for some slow kind of music you could probably hear in the LOTR soundtracks. Near the end of it we do get a rise in beat and a little bit of some themes that run throughout the rest of the movie.5: Mirkwood (Extended Version) (5:31) - 4.3-starAgain, as a song that fills in more dramatic parts, this song doesn't have that much to it. At the end, however, it does set up the music for "Flies and Spiders".6: Flies and Spiders (Extended Version) (9:35) - 4.6-starWhat I thought would be the crowning glory of the soundtrack, turned out to be a little disappointing. I thought, in this song, that we would hear versions of Radagast's theme, the spider's deep, dark theme and maybe a bit of Dwarvish/Misty Mountain attack, like in "Roast Mutton". We don't hear that in this song. Only a small bit of the spider theme is carried through.I gave it such a high-rating because it is still a good song. Just not as good as everyone expected. We do hear a little Ring of Power music, probably because of the relation to the spiders.Right before 8:00 we hear a great theme that is found in many of the other songs, including, "Girion, Lord of Dale".7: The Woodland Realm (Extended Version) (5:15) - 4.6-starWhat is found in "The Hidden Valley" is played right at the beginning of this song. We got a sort of deep rendition of Elven music and something that sounds like the music used for Rivendell but in a different manner. The song starts out well then goes into playing off small themes until about ¾ through where it plays some deeper, darker choral and string. Pretty good song.8: Feast of Starlight (2:48) - 5-starAs can be imagined from the song title, this song takes on a slow mood that transforms into beautiful, calm vocals. This song is the calm one of the bunch and is very good.9: Barrels Out of Bond (1:50) - 4.8-starThis is a very good, short song. It contains themes for the Dwarves found in "An Unexpected Party" but still maintains a serious mood. I can't wait to see where this plays on the movie.10: The Forest River (Extended Version) (5:10) - 5-starMuch is expected of this song. It has to effectively capture the chase between elves and dwarves without creating a dark mood. I believe Shore has done wonderfully. The theme played throughout the song is wonderful. Definitely deserves a 5-star.11: Bard, A Man of Lake-town (Extended Version) (3:18) - 4.3-starThe song starts out slowly, delivers some blows about halfway through then builds up tension slowly, revealing the theme for Bard. Nothing extraordinary about it but not bad.12: The High Fells (Extended Version) (3:38) - 4.6-starWhat sounds like Azog's theme is the first thing to start this song. It then drifts into quiet, background vocals. Then something of a Black Rider theme slowly builds from the back. It quickly takes form then drops off into a solo that sounds very much like Ben Del Maestro's work in "Forth Eorlingas" or "Osgiliath Invaded".13: The Nature of Evil (3:20) - 4.5-starIf one were to pick a sort of calm "evil" theme for LOTR and The Hobbit, the theme in this song would fit it perfectly. It isn't an exceptional song but I believe it effectively captures the evil the characters face.14: Protector of the Common Folk (3:37) - 4.4-starThis is a calm song that definitely plays off themes with the individual dwarves, like in "An Unexpected Party". It also effectively plays more themes for the quest for the Lonely Mountain. A good note the leave on from the first CD.Rating for the first disc: 64.2 stars out of 70! A very good CD that builds up well to the more dramatic parts of the film.Best song of the disc: Definitely "The Forest River". The song creates and maintains wonderful themes.1: Thrice Welcome (3:34) - 4.7-starA new theme, starting with fast string notes to long ones is introduced. Now exactly sure who it is for, but it is a very good theme. Later on in the song it is transformed into a little deeper and darker but is still good.2: Girion, Lord of Dale (Extended Version) (4:15) - 4.5-starThis song picks up where the last one left off, obviously introducing a character to the film. One can almost hear a bit of Radagast's theme for a few seconds but it is done differently. At a 1:32 we get to re-feel one of the best themes of the entire soundtrack. Shore is building up a feeling with the music and, though it takes awhile, he has done it in an enjoyable way.¾ ways through a background version of "My Dear Frodo" can be heard. It plays slowly in the back with what sounds like a new theme, perhaps it will be exposed more later on.3: Durin's Folk (Extended Version) (3:04) - 4.5-starThis song works a lot off what we heard in the first Hobbit. It has some of the tunes from the Dwarvish and Bilbo company. It also plays some of the themes found in "My Dear Frodo". Ultimately, it remixes the lost of Erebor from the Dwarves. At the end it places a dark theme, suggesting something is off.4: In the Shadow of the Mountain (2:15) - 4.6-starHere a new theme is introduced that I would call a remix of the Dwarves mission, to take back their home. One can hear mixtures for the first version of the Dwarves mission. Definitely a good song to introduce the intentions of the Dwarven company.5: A Spell of Concealment (3:22) - 5-starWhat starts out with a "Hill of Sorcery"/"Radagast the Brown" theme quickly goes far deeper. Lass than halfway through an old theme is slowly brought up . . . the Nazgul theme in "The Coronal of Silver and Gold" of the third LOTR trilogy. In fact, a large part of "The Coronal of Silver and Gold" is redone. I can only wonder what the song matches up with in the show!6: On the Doorstep (7:46) - 4.7-starFor being such a long song that doesn't have any action parts, I believe Shore did wonderful. The first 5 minutes are slow but towards the last bit we hear many beloved themes and feelings from the first movie. The title of this song and the song itself, I believe, wrap up the Dwarves mission for the last time. This song puts it past the mission and the actual doing of it.7: The Courage of Hobbits (3:00) - 4.5-starWe get a Shire theme right in the beginning of this song and it works well. The rest is a slow mood and doesn't add up to much, but it isn't disappointing.8: Inside Information (3:48) - 4.8-starThe dark themes and secret planning kind of music used in the LOTR soundtracks comes back here to the Hobbit. It is done differently and what almost sounds like a xylophone at 2:00. I believe this theme is Smaug's. The song gets dramatic towards the end in a very interesting way. No other song in this series quite matches the uniqueness of this one.9: Kingsfoil (2:25) - 4.4-starA melodious and choral version of the wonderful theme we have spoken of before is done. This version is done a few more times throughout the rest of the CD.10: A Liar and a Thief 3:41) - 4.6-starRight away we have the xylophone-sounding theme again depicting sinister deeds or plots. This is a very good filler song and is done very well compared to a few of the others.11: The Hunters (Extended Version (9:55) - 4.8-starVery long songs can sometimes be a disappointment; a composer has to be very good to keep a 10-minute song from not going bad after a few minutes or just saving the good part till the end. However, Shore did good here. You can hear similarities with "Wilderland" and some bits of "Inside Information".12: Smaug (Extended Version) (6:29) - 4.2-starAs with "Flies and Spiders" a lot was expected of this song. Being able to grasp Smaug is a daunting challenge and, unfortunately, Shore didn't do it all that well. Smaug's theme is played. Towards the end we get a little more action but no special combinations.13: My Armor is Iron (5:16) - 4.7-starOnce again, as this song starts out, we here a reference to "The Coronal of Silver and Gold" that disappears then comes back on a little later. This theme is played over and over is different ways that are masterfully done throughout the song. You will also hear themes from "My Dear Frodo". At the end you will hear some more of that wonderful theme.14: I See Fire (5:00) - Ed Sheeran - 5-starIn the first soundtrack for the first Hobbit, Neil Finn did the credit song, "Song of the Lonely Mountain" and I had very mixed feelings about it. Not about this one! First time I heard the excerpt for it I said, "a guitar?! They used a guitar for the credit song!" I was mistaken in my first impression, this song is awesome.Ed Sheeran was a great pick for this song and though the song may not fit perfectly with the rest of the movie or CD, it is still very good. This is a song I will definitely have in my favorites!15: Beyond the Forest (5:27) - 5-starRemember that wonderful theme? This song wraps it all up. It starts out with a wonderful choral masterpiece and then goes into that remarkable theme.One of the best parts, though, is when Shore stepped out of his comfort zone. Normally, when a song builds up the tension to a breaking point, they drop it off into silence. Shore has done this multiple times, except for "The Treason of Isengaard" and this song. But not even "The Treason of Isengaard" was this magnificent. He built up the tension so high then he kept going with the theme! This is definitely the best example of that I have ever heard. If you don't buy the whole CD, then definitely, definitely buy this song. Gives me goosebumps it is so good!Rating for the first disc: 70 stars out of 75! This disc definitely did better than the first. It takes all the build up from the first disc and transform it into a masterpiece!Best song of the disc: Totally "Beyond the Forest". This song takes the weaknesses of a good song and destroys them in a strong finale for the whole movie.Best song of the entire soundtrack: Also "Beyond the Forest".Rating for entire soundtrack: 134.2 stars out of 145. Overall that is a 4.6 out of 5. Not bad! Great job Mr. Shore!With all the changes that were made in order to make this score, I would say they were worth it. I just hope the next installment can beat this one!My only complaint is that they didn't use the Misty Mountains theme at all, though, that might be what brought the new maturity to this score!

The soundtrack presentation of last year's An Unexpected Journey, compared to the music in the actual film, caused some headscratching, as quite a few centerpieces were replaced by altogether new music in the film, along with some questionable tracking and editing. Everything pointed towards a very hectic and stressful post-production and scoring process; and as a composer who writes, orchestrates and conducts all the music himself, and is heading towards the age of 70, it's not exactly healthy. So, for the second part, Desolation of Smaug, Shore left the orchestration and conducting duties to Conrad Pope, known for his longtime collaboration with John Williams. This allowed Shore more quality time solely for composing. And it was a good thing, too, because the result is arguably the most fascinating of all Middle Earth scores up to this point. Shore's score sketches are quite detailed, and he supervised the process, so you'll notice little to no difference in sound. And unless you are a trained ear, you won't even notice that the score was recorded with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra instead of the London Philharmonics. They already recorded pieces for Fellowship of the Ring, so they are obviously qualified.You know that a score is outstanding when it not only meets your expectations in quality, but also manages to surprise you with themes, and presents musical soundscapes that are completely surprising, yet fit perfectly. Very, very few movies present as vast a canvas for the composer to paint on and draw inspiration from as these Tolkien movies, and very, very few composers are able, and go to these lengths, to make the most of it. For example, the colours Shore uses to craft the musical landscape for Thranduil and his Woodland Realm are not only unique in his Middle-Earth work up until now, they are also fascinatng and spell-binding to listen to. Think of the music for Lòrien, but exotic in a different way, more aloof, laced with more arabian shades, and also slightly more threatening. The music for Smaug, not surprisingly, takes center stage in the score, together with the Dwarven themes. It is being developed into some bone-chilling pieces, and again showcases Shore's knack for picking unusual but thoroughly satisfying choices for instrumentation and language, by drawing inspiration from Chinese dragon mythology and incorporating fascinating Chinese textures, ranging from different cymbal techniques to Gamelan. The second half of "My Armour Is Iron" features Smaug's two themes performed by choir; personally, I find this horrifying statement is one of the most breathtaking things Shore has ever done. He also introduces new thematic ideas for Laketown, but, being in the world of men, he doesn't draw parallels to the noble music for Gondor or the Celtic nature of Rohan; he goes back to Fellowship of the Ring and builds on the soundscape of Bree (of which there also is a short, newly orchestrated reprise in "The Quest For Erebor"). Gnarly bassoons, prominent celli and a clavicord paint the picture, with staccato strings and winds supplying a poignant, almost medieval, fanfare for the place in "Thrice Welcome".As the movie brings us finally to Erebor and the Lonely Mountain, the established themes for the Dwarves are built upon, with new turns, some of them very majestic, of Thorin's theme, and some beautiful iterations of the Erebor theme, with chorus. Added to the palette is a theme derived from Fellowship's Dwarrowdelf music. With the huge male choir, the broad orchestrations with the aching horns, and the straightforward melodic lines, this is really Howard Shore in Tolkien mode at its best. A real showstealer is his music for Tauriel. Similar in shape to the opening of SIlence Of The Lambs, the theme takes on a very gentle appearance, for instance in "Feast Of Starlight" on solo oboe/english horn, or can be heard in heroic form with a driving brass rhythm in "Beyond The Forest" with supporting choir lines, or in spectacular fashion, meeting with the Woodland Realm theme, in "The Forest River", a riveting action track that is likely to remain unmatched this year.The amount of thematic material Shore juggles with on this 120 minute album, with such apparent ease, is more than remarkable. Shore draws closer and closer to a thematic complexity that was heretofore only known from Wagnerian opera. Not just themes from An Unexpected Journey are continued in different variations and make exciting turns, also Lord of the Rings motifs are included in well-placed moments, and are twisted, for example to weave the story of the Necromancer carefully into a logical musical context with Lord of the Rings. The real achievement lies in the fact that Shore varies these themes, which already went through workouts in Lord of the Rings, ad infinitum. Not to menetion the plethora of other new material Shore confronts us with, the music for Bard, Beorn and also the spiders of Mirkwood, each a distinct entry into the vast catalogue of themes. He also conceived a theme for the rise of the Nazgul, written for boy soprano, depicting the etheral notion of infinite life. An overlooked gem could be Beorn's theme, heard extensively in "Wilderland" and "The House Of Beorn", for which Shore takes the opening harmonies of his Nature theme and wriggles a rising, then falling motif around it. In "Bard, a Man of Laketown", Bard's theme is introduced, a restrained, but driven, theme on strings and winds, heard shortly in heroic form in "The Hunters".Choral music has always been an integral part of Shore's Middle-Earth palette, and it returns here also, more prominently than in film 1, and in more than a few mesmerizing ways. You will hear elven beauty, Dwarvish roughness, menacing dragon choir, and also the more modern "Sprechstimme" technique, paired with aleatoric orchestra - something Shore already introduced us to in The Two Towers, where he used it to depict the voices of the dead in the Dead Marshes sequence. And, since Shore stays true to the ideas behind his writing, even in these details, the Sprechstimme is used with a similar intention in Desolation of Smaug. The most beautiful choral work up until now in the Hobbit trilogy comes in "Beyond The Forest", complete with boy choir, which ranks amongst the most beautiful work Shore has done for Middle-Earth. It should be mentioned that a boy soprano is featured very prominently in the score, also for downright bone-chilling moments, like Gandalf investigating the tombs of the Ringwraiths. The juxtaposition of this pure voice against rumbling percussion and the dark images is amazing.Probably unavoidable, seeing the gigantic marketing machine for this trilogy, was another song not written by Shore. Ed Sheeran was suggested by Katie Jackson (the daughter), so they called him in; he watched the film, wrote and performed the song right afterwards (meaning the same very day), went away the next day, finished. He probably should have listened to the score to see what kind of music his song is embedded in too, because his product is a jarring experience after the music before. Whether a song like this, which doesn't even have a melodic hook like "Song of the Lonely Mountain", written and performed within 20 hours, does justice to the importance of the film and its heritage, is up to you to decide. For me, it doesn't belong in this universe, and I will always regard it as such. It's outclassed by Shore's music anyway.The special edition comes with extended score tracks, which add material that isn't earth-shattering, but fleshes out tracks nicely. The booklet is improved over An Unexpected Journey, featuring more detailed liner notes by Doug Adams, a two page note by Peter Jackson, and score excerpts from Shore's handwritten sketches, clarifying the themes. Also added is a printed score excerpt from Shore's score on a foldout, out of which you can get some bonuses with an app. The Decca packaging is still incredibly impractical, so if you can, get the Water Tower product, it's easier to handle.For the fifth time in a row, Howard Shore managed the incredible feat to keep the sound and quality of his Middle-Earth scores up - after having already written 13 hours - while injecting an own distinguishable character. Desolation Of Smaug finally cements the opinion that I had when An Unexpected Journey was released, namely that if there ever was a composer put on this earth to write and complete a single work, it has to be Howard Shore, writing his Tolkien opus. In a film music industry where nowadays composers get pushed into the same mold more and more, and individuality is almost completely lost, Desolation Of Smaug so far beyond its competition that no words can't sufficiently describe it.

Très bien

Gostei muito do produto. Comprei a trilha sonora dos três filmes e veio em entregas separadas, mas chegou dentro do prazo adequado e tem a qualidade esperada. Recomendo!

Regalé el cd. Y gustó mucho. Un acierto para la persona a la que se lo regalé.

llego en tiempo y forma y esta excelente.

Dovevo acquistare 2 cd, oltre a questo titolo anche The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, visto i prezzi ho pensato per la prima volta di orientarmi verso l'usato, pagati rispettivamente euro 5 e 3,60 + spedizione, ho scelto il venditore con il punteggio di feedback più alto e credo sia doveroso indicare il nome, reBuy reCommerce GmbH IT, spedizione dalla Germania.La spedizione è stata veloce e i cd sono stati consegnati prima del tempo in una confezione che li ha protetti in modo eccellente.Direi che i cd sono praticamente pari al nuovo, le custodie sono perfette e prive di graffi, i libretti sono in ottimo stato, sembra che non siano mai stati sfogliati, i cd sono privi di segni, l'audio è perfetto!Direi che sono pienamente soddisfato da questa esperienza!