Howard Shore’s iconic score for Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy is regarded as one of the greatest soundtracks ever produced. He’s visited Middle-earth for six movies now, and with Amazon’s prequel series The Rings of Power just around the corner, he was called to action again!
It simply wouldn’t be a Middle-earth show without at least some input from Shore. And while he isn’t the composer for the entire show — that duty falls to Bear McCreary — he did compose the title theme!
Based on the appendices to J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings books, The Rings of Power is set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before the events of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. After years of peace, evil is beginning to creep over the land. Watch the official teaser below:
“With their deep understanding of the Tolkien legendarium, coupled with two of the greatest musical talents of our age, we’re thrilled that Howard and Bear are joining us on this epic journey to Middle-earth,” said Bob Bowen, the head of music at Amazon Studios, per Deadline.
Bear McCreary composed the score for The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power
Bringing back Shore for the show’s main theme is undoubtedly a power move from Amazon. However, the score for the rest of the show is done by Bear McCreary, whose notable work includes the iconic theme to The Walking Dead, as well as the score for all six seasons of Outlander.
Taking over the reins for an adaptation of Tolkien’s work is no easy feat. After Howard Shore’s masterpieces, there’s a huge amount of pressure on McCreary’s shoulders. He believes that his score will meet expectations. “As I set out to compose the score for this series, I strove to honor Howard Shore’s musical legacy,” McCreary said. “When I heard his majestic main title, I was struck by how perfectly his theme and my original score, though crafted separately, fit together so beautifully. I am excited for audiences to join us on this new musical journey to Middle-earth.”
If you want to hear some of Bear’s beautifully crafted pieces, you can head over to Amazon Music for some samples. Currently, they have the themes for Sauron and Galadriel available for streaming.
The Rings of Power showrunners worked with J.R.R. Tolkien’s grandson on the new show
Shore and McCreary aren’t the only notable names helping with this series. The Rings of Power showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay got advice from novelist Simon Tolkien, grandson of J.R.R.
“The first time we met Simon Tolkien, we had to pinch ourselves — here we were, sitting across the table from the grandson of J.R.R. Tolkien himself,” McKay told Entertainment Weekly. “And that was only the beginning of what has proven to be an extremely enriching and rewarding dialogue. His insights, attention to detail and passion for both the characters and the overall architecture of The Rings of Power are woven throughout the pages of our story. Working with Simon has been the experience of a lifetime.”
Simon Tolkien himself gave a rather muted stated to the publication: “I have enjoyed assisting Amazon Studios in connection with the series, and in particular providing input to JD Payne and Patrick McKay on matters including my grandfather’s original writing.”
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premieres on September 2 on Amazon Prime.
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels