Happy New Year's one and all. I'm drawing my New Year's reverie to a close a bit early this year... not for any particular reason. I've been writing all day, and went out with friends earlier in the evening, so I'm quite ready to usher 2008 in from the comfort of my own cozy little hobbit hole.

"2008"... it looks strange typed out. Somehow more real. I suppose it is more real. This is 2008! The year of the Music of LOTR book is officially upon us now. Good grief!

Anyway, pomp and circumstance behind, here is the new Ongoing Discussion thread, ready and waiting for your bleary-eyed Jan. 1 posts. Remember, I'll be seeing you all from New York later in the week. Stay tuned. In the meantime, in the words of Samwise Gamgee... I think I'll just have another ale.

Happy New Year!

-Doug


Known Issues: There is currently no convenient way to edit your posts after they've been published. Proofread carefully. If you must make corrections, simply post a revised draft and I'll delete the original as quickly as I can.

Last month's posts are accessible here.

More images from the making of The Complete Recordings have been added. Check the album at right, click the image of your choice for details and a better view. (Or click here now for the full slide show.)

It's Christmas Eve here in the states. A few tiny snowflakes dance in the light outside my window while Ralph Vaughan Williams' Hodie (A Christmas Cantata) sings through my iPod headset. Though it's technically a week early, Christmas more than New Years always puts me in a year-end mindset.

2008 promises to be a tremendously exciting year, and I thought it would be appropriate tonight, my mind fixed on the future, to announce that I've officially been invited to attend the two live performances of The Fellowship of the Ring in Lucerne, Switzerland on February 23 and 24. I believe I'll be speaking with Howard Shore before each performance, and possibly have some other fun planned. More details will be available soon, no doubt. I'm beyond excited about all this, of course. So Merry Christmas to one and all... and bring on 2008!

I'm posting this at the crack of midnight on Dec. 22, but if you're still not done with your holiday shopping, it's worth noting that renowned film music historian/writer Jon Burlingame has listed all three LOTR:CRs in his holiday gift guide. Other notable entries: Goldsmith's complete Alien score, Herrmann re-recordings, Williams' Images and more. Read the full piece here.

No that's not a typo. ROTK: CR is once again on shelves at Amazon.com, and even available for U.S. delivery by Christmas, if you're a last minute shopper. Click here to get things started.

The unused disc design for The Two Towers box set was quite a hit last week, so I thought I'd release few more images relating to the making of The Complete Recordings. Please see the new album at right. Click the image of your choice for a bigger version and details.

I'll likely add to this album periodically, so watch for updates.

...there lived a hobbit.

This weekend marks the fifth anniversary of the US release of The Two Towers. It seems impossible that it's been so long already! To mark the occasion, I thought I'd share a little behind-the-scenes glimpse at the production of The Two Towers: CR. Seen here is the original design for the disc art. The blue weaving was deemed to be not Rohan-esque enough, and was eventually replaced by the muted browns and horse head shapes we now know and love. I agreed with the choice, but always thought the blue design was attractive on its own terms. Click the image for a better look. Enjoy!

Chris Lund of Cinema Replicas was kind enough to send in a batch of his pictures from the recent LOTR Symphony performance in Stockholm. See the slide show to the right, click the pic of your choice for a larger version.

If anyone else has more pictures, please email them in.

For those interested in such goings on, I'm heading back to NY on January 3 and 4 to continue digging through the LOTR archives in search of more Rarities Archives fodder. Last time I was there I made it through the majority of Fellowship. I hope to finish the first film and dig into The Two Towers in earnest this time out.

Here's something for the German-speaking crowd. Andy Machals and his team have begun assembling a German translation of the Annotated Scores, and are doing a wonderful job. This is a work in progress, of course, but you can point your browser HERE to see what they've accomplished thus far. They've clearly put a lot of work into their site, and the result is very professional. I only wish my German were better!

It's officially December, so it's time to relocate the Ongoing Discussion. Last month's thread is available here.

Known Issues: There is currently no convenient way to edit your posts after they've been published. Proofread carefully. If you must make corrections, simply post a revised draft and I'll delete the original as quickly as I can.