Bought it yesterday from Barnes & Noble.
IT
IS
GREAT!
This score fulfills the promise made in FotR, the dedication maintained in TTT, and the hopes of most score collectors. This is phenomenal material.
We hear reprisals of most of the major themes, especially The One Ring Theme (which is featured in some truly haunting passages... particularly in the "End of all Things"), Sauron's/Barad-dur Theme (which is particularly fierce in this bout), and, in stunning beauty and profound religious yet personal power, the Hobbit Hymn (Frodo's Theme).
However, there are two new great themes here, the most obvious being the Gondor Theme (which is heard briefly in FotR during Elrond's Council in the movie). Featured prominently in the last trailer, this theme is as impactful as the Fellowship Theme and the Rohan Theme. It really gets one's fire going, especially the rendition in "The White Tree." Wow. Then, there's the Grey Haven's Theme. It couples well with the Hobbit Hymn and is one of the most soul-stirring themes I've heard in a long time.
The hightlights of the score are surely the last few tracks. What's interesting here is that these tracks pretty much only feature the Hobbit Hymn, The One Ring, and the Grey Haven's themes (although you will hear a reprise of the Shire Theme). The music from tracks 11 to 17 (particularly "The Fields of the Pelennor," "The Black Gate Opens," "The End of All Things," "The Return of the King," and "The Grey Havens") are the best in the series IMO. At times, the music reaches truly operatic moments, especially in in "The End of All Things."
So, if you've loved the previous two scores, there's no reason you won't love this one. While I won't say it's my favorite yet, it very well may attain that level of preference in the future.
