Lord of the Rings: At Dawn in Rivendell

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Given the massive, worldwide success of director Peter Jackson's adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings stories, it's hardly surprising that a Ring-inspired marketing boom has taken hold. But this powerful collection has deeper roots, the third volume by composers Caspar Reiff and Peter Hall and their Tolkien Ensemble, an ambitious effort to bring Tolkien's Ring Poems to musical life. This third volume of their work covers a range of Elven hymns, love songs, and Hobbit drinking chanteys, with Reiff and Hall conjuring up a musical world that's as wondrous and foreboding as its literary inspirations. The marvelously sepulcher voice of British horror film legend Christopher Lee (the films' Saruman) add an ominous edge to the poetry excerpts. Set against the composers' brooding orchestral backdrops, Lee's performances are riveting and often chilling. Fellow Tolkien enthusiast Queen Margrethe II of Denmark informs the rich musical collection with some equally evocative illustrations for the album's cover and lyric pages. --Jerry McCulley

Lord of the Rings: At Dawn in Rivendell, Music, Morten Ernst Lassen, Christopher Lee, Peter [composer] Hall, Caspar Reiff, Caspar / Hall, Peter Reiff, J.R.R. Tolkien, Morten Ryelund Sorensen, Katja Nielsen, Peter Halaburt, Caspar Reiff, Peter Hall, Helen Davies, Kristian Buhl Mortensen, Kristian Buhl-Mortensen, Signe Asmussen, Tom McEwan, Kurt Ravn, Drama, Folksongs, Miscellaneous, Miscellaneous Music, Musical Theater, Original Score, Pop, Soundtrack, Soundtracks & Film Scores, Spoken Word, Vocal, Vocal Music

Lord of the Rings: At Dawn in Rivendell
Average customer rating:

The best, from Tolkien Ensemble and from Christopher Lee!!

Worthwhile investment

in reference to other music for Tolkien's writingý

Songs: GREAT, Christopher Lee: should have done another take

The most atmospheric Tolkien settings on disc

Lord of the Rings: At Dawn in Rivendell
Tolkien Ensemble , and Christopher Lee
Manufacturer: Decca U.S.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
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Spoken Word | Poetry, Spoken Word & Interviews | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
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Leaving Rivendell

The Middle Earth Album

Memories of Middle Earth

The Children of Húrin

Music Inspired by The Lord of the Rings

ASIN: B000084HA0
Release Date: 2003-03-11

Tracks:

Verse Of The Rings
Song Of Gondor
A Walking Song (I)
Warning Of Winter
Malbeth The Seer's Words
A Drinking Song
The Long List Of The Ents (I)
Eomer's Song
Boromir's Riddle
The Bath Song
Song Of Lebennin
Gandalf's Riddle Of The Ents
Ho! Tom Bombadil
The Riddle Of Strider (I)
Song Of Nimrodel
Treebeard's Song
Farewell Song Of Merry And Pippin
Athelas
A Walking Song (II)
Elven Hymn To Elbereth Gilthoniel (III)

Amazon.com

Given the massive, worldwide success of director Peter Jackson's adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings stories, it's hardly surprising that a Ring-inspired marketing boom has taken hold. But this powerful collection has deeper roots, the third volume by composers Caspar Reiff and Peter Hall and their Tolkien Ensemble, an ambitious effort to bring Tolkien's Ring Poems to musical life. This third volume of their work covers a range of Elven hymns, love songs, and Hobbit drinking chanteys, with Reiff and Hall conjuring up a musical world that's as wondrous and foreboding as its literary inspirations. The marvelously sepulcher voice of British horror film legend Christopher Lee (the films' Saruman) add an ominous edge to the poetry excerpts. Set against the composers' brooding orchestral backdrops, Lee's performances are riveting and often chilling. Fellow Tolkien enthusiast Queen Margrethe II of Denmark informs the rich musical collection with some equally evocative illustrations for the album's cover and lyric pages. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

The best, from Tolkien Ensemble and from Christopher Lee!!.......2005-04-29

The songs in this collection carry a deep appropriateness to the mood and intention of the great story revealed by Tolkien. They were produced independantly of the movies, but do not clash with the fine music found in the movies. Rather, they are rich with an effect of songs retained from a lost age. I especially like the way that the Elven Hymn to Elbereth Gilthoniel (distinct from other versions produced by the Ensemble) begins within the preceding song - the Walking Song of the Baggins clan. This is just as it occurs in the book, when Frodo and Sam are walking in the woods (towards the Grey Havens). And the elven music is almost as lovely as it must have been, in person at the beginning of the Fourth Age!

Worthwhile investment.......2004-07-18

This CD was purchased just for the fun of it. I had no idea it would become one of my favorite records to play. The Drinking Song and Bath song are so folk-like and "Hobbit-y". I sing them all around the house. My favorite is Treebeard's song. The way it was written really brought Fangorn to life and sounded as if I too could here the sighing of leaves in the autumn. This disc is finished by A Elbereth Gilthoniel, a gorgeous, very elven interpretation of the poem in the books. And if you keep listening after the final strains of 'the starlight on the western sea' you will here Bilbo sing the road goes ever on (a good song, though I like the one in the film better.
GOOD CD!

in reference to other music for Tolkien's writingý.......2004-05-28

The recent movies - prepared with able musical help from Howard Shore and Enya, among others - give another perspective from which to judge this work.
First, it was prepared before the movies, and I feel cheated that none of it could be included in the cinema soundtrack. The movies really do short Tolkien's poetry and verse, while this sound recording provides an excellent interpretation of music produced by men, hobbits, the Onodrim, and the Eldar. Above all, I really love the interpretation of "A Elbereth Gilthoniel."
So... GET THIS ALBUM! It will entirely reward those who want to lose some time in Middle Earth!

Songs: GREAT, Christopher Lee: should have done another take.......2004-02-04

If you love good music and LOTR this is Defenetly for you. The Tolking Ensamble have put a lot of thought, love, heart, work, etc. into this CD. The songs are great, the four hobbit songs actually get 7 out of 5 stars!

The only down side? Christopher Lee. Yes, he is a great actor, and played Saron to perfection. However, he seemed to be working out his anger from not getting into the third movie during the recording of this CD. All of his readings had a very hard, angry edge to them that actually made them unplesent. As a quick example he spoke the riddle of Strider as he would a curse instead of the promise which it is. I do not want to insult him or attack him, I just think he didn't put his best into what he was doing and I think that the Tolking Ensamble was to enamored with haveing such a great actor to work with.

Now to return to the praise this CD deserves, I am waiting impatiently for the fourth CD (though I think there will be more then that). I love the songs on this CD and suggest you get the first two as well! (evening at Rivendell and Night at Rivendell) What I plan on doing is taking all three CDs and making my own compilations from them, (keeping it legal of course). Get this CD and when you need a boost of energy program your CD player to play those four hobit songs and befor you get through one set you will be belting out the songs with the CD!

The most atmospheric Tolkien settings on disc.......2003-12-21

The Tolkien Ensemble has been creating the most atmospheric Tolkien settings on disc - and some of the best and most exquisite - using an approach formed from an effective combination of folk and classical music.

At Dawn in Rivendell strikes me as superior to its predecessor, A Night in Rivendell, and in some ways even better than the first album of the three, An Evening in Rivendell. Mostly somber in air, despite some lively hobbit songs, it offers fine music well sung. A few tunes aren't going to evict from one's mind settings of the same poems by the Hobbitons or Broceliande, but they're still fine and keenly done. I liked little touches like the unexpected rhythms in "The Bath Song" and the setting of "Song of Nimrodel" with lute. (The tune is quite unlike genuine Renaissance lute songs, but the lute accompaniment is very much in period.)

Christopher Lee's recitation of several poems not set to music fits in well. Usually accompanied by a choir holding low notes as a somber background, Lee makes a vivid addition. His deep voice is perfectly suited to the Ring-verse and Boromir's riddle, though his acting is perhaps a bit hammy. As a special treat, Lee performs Treebeard's two songs, rhythmically talking his way through most of them, a la Rex Harrison, with the instruments holding the tune. But in parts of "In the willow-meads" he actually sings. Perhaps not too well, but perfectly in character for Treebeard.

Of the half-dozen excellent musical albums of Tolkien settings created to date, the Tolkien Ensemble has made half of them. They have particularly captured the smell of Elves, so absent from a certain series of films.

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