JONATHAN PETERS: Symphony No.1 "Journey of the Ring"

Jonathan Peters

Symphony No.1 "Journey of the Ring"

© 2005 Jonathan Peters (783707173306)

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This is NOT your average Tolkien fan music inspired by the "The Lord of the Rings"...it's MUCH more. Read what people are saying about this CD for yourself...

notes

Travel with Frodo on his Journey from the Shire to Mount Doom and back! This massive hour long orchestral work by award-winning composer Jonathan Peters takes you through the entire novel depicting all of the major chapters, events and peoples. An amazing cross between a movie sound track and a classical symphony. It has been called the "unofficial sound track to the book" by fans. Read the reviews below...they speak for themselves!


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Jonathan Peters is an award-winning composer whose music has been performed both in the United Sates and Europe. Besides working as a composer he currently teaches piano and music theory in Southern California.



Other Recordings by Jonathan Peters

"Beauty Beckons"
(music that depicts life, the universe and everything beautiful)

"The Sweet Sadness - songs of melancholy"
(songs dealing with the soul's search for true and lasting happiness)

reviews

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  • author: Madeleine Lessard

    This was great! All the emotions are so accessible, but so deep and true to the story also. Even my ten year old brother could tell what part of the story we were at by listening to a little bit.

  • Great music!
    author: Anne Marie - FrodoandSam-aholic

    Very good version of the story, great classical music, sounds like an movie soundtrack. Best of the music I've heard out there inspired by this masterpiece of a story. Thank you, Mr. Peters! God bless.

  • Quality Work
    author: The Tolkien Music List

    This is not the first symphony to have been based on _The Lord of the Rings_; nor, I’m sure, will it be the last. _Journey of the Ring_’s distinction lies rather in its being the first orchestral score to emerge in the shadow of Howard Shore. The ubiquity of Shore’s film score makes it inevitable that a listener of Tolkien-inspired music in its wake – irrespective of a composer’s intent – will draw comparisons between the two works. In the case of Jonathan Peters, a perceptive listener may also ask to what degree his new symphony is engaged in a dialogue with (or counterpoint to) Shore’s opus. There are moments in _Journey_ that sound unmistakably “Shorean.” I’m not alleging imitation here; but the structure of Peters’ symphony seems to betray some influence of the films. For example, his tripartite division of the movements follows Peter Jackson’s sequence rather than Tolkien’s. A more apt comparison is Bill Brown and Jamie Christopherson’s orchestral score for the EA video game, _The Battle for Middle-earth_, which takes a few recognizable Shorean motifs and then weaves them into its own, independent composition. As orchestral Tolkienian works go, _Journey_ is much closer in spirit to Craig Russell’s Middle Earth suite than to de Meij, in that it presents a series of sound portraits rather than a traditional, four-part, symphonic progression. However, unlike Russell, who is almost exclusively character-centered, Peters opts for an event or scene-based narrative, following the well-trodden _cursus_ of the books from the Shire to the Grey Havens. Peters recorded his symphony without the luxury of live musicians, making judicious use instead of orchestral samples from the Vienna Symphonic Library. The result is generally quite pleasant. Sampling tends to sound more artificial the louder its source. Peters manages to overcome this handicap by and large, especially in his avoidance of bombastic overkill (a temptation Shore does not always resist). The result is a full, warm sound with depth and texture. You still have to suspend disbelief at times, but hey, that’s what fantasy is all about folks! It is difficult to gage whether a _Lord of the Rings_ virgin would be able to fully appreciate the development of each scene, since making sense of some of the tempo changes and shifts requires some knowledge of the books (or the movies). I myself preferred Peters’ more thematic pieces – like Lothlórien – which allow the listener more time to enjoy the moment than some of the action sequences. During the latter, I often found myself trying to keep up with the plot. Much more work for the listener, but a tribute to Peters’ musical storytelling. The Battle of the Pelennor Fields is articularly intricate in structure, capturing each moment of that prolonged combat, the fair and the foul. Overall, _Journey_ is worth a listen; or more likely several listens. Tolkien-Music.com says check it out. Reviewer: Chris Seeman

  • The Best Lord of the Rings Cd Ever.
    author: John Bolin

    I realy like this Lord of The Rings, the Music reflects nicely on the book.

  • Wonderful sound storybook
    author: Carlos Jimenez

    The music is wonderfully arranged and takes you through the story as though you were reading, almost pinpointing various stages of the story.

  • Excellent composition
    author: Racel Shunk

    This CD really captured the whimsey and drama of the books, but you don't have to be a Tokien fan to love this music.

  • ...the music spoke truth about the emotions one feels
    author: Dale Foster

    Jonathan Peters: Symphony No. 1 "Journey of the Ring" is a beautiful remembrance of the magic J.R. Tolken shares within his books, and why I enjoyed them in the first place. The composition of the music spoke truth about the emotions one feels during these pinnacle parts of the story. I am very pleased with this CD and would gladly recommend it to anyone that is a lover of this story.

  • Hear the story of the hobbits come to life!
    author: William Wilson

    Journey of the Ring is not just another soundtrack for The Lord of the Rings. It's more like a musical telling of the story. After the hobbits lose Gandalf and travel into Lothlorien, you hear it. The grief they are feeling, the awe they must feel at this mystical forest, it's all in there. Having recently read the books I was delighted to experience it again through Jonathan Peters Journey of the Ring. It's a must for any Lord of the Rings fan or any lover of Fantasy.

  • Beautiful musical rendition of the book
    author: Jessica

    This CD is a beautiful, well-paced musical journey through Middle Earth, encompassing all the major events of the books. The themes are original and moving, drawing the mind and imagination to the settings, characters and events which inspired them. My favorite tracks are the peaceful harp duet of Lothlorien (4) and the exciting, hoof-pounding tones of the Riders of Rohan (6)

  • "Journey of the Ring" an incredible listening experience!
    author: Nathan Page

    The "Journey of the Ring" is a life-packed symphony, filled with exciting themes which portray the lives and characteristics of those living in Tolkien's mystical land of Middle Earth. This symphony is masterfully written, portraying emotions found in the writings of Tolkien—suspense, joy, grandeur, happiness, and exhilaration! This CD is a must-have! Whether you are a “Lord of the Rings” fan or not (I myself have only yet read the "Hobbit"), this CD is certainly worth listening to, for it is of itself an extraordinary masterpiece.

  • Could be a movie soundtrack on its own.
    author: Larry

    An excellent rendering of the feelings evoked by the Tolkien work. The music is very good and the orchestration very well done. A minor drawback is the volume levels: some of the quiet passages could be louder and some of the louder ones could be toned down. Could very well be used as a soundtrack for parts of the movie.

  • Beautiful, melodic, worthy of its inspiration
    author: Allison

    As a keen admirer of the LOTR series, I was very pleased with the faithfulness with which the music in this cd reflected the feelings, the aura of this popular and intricate book. The music flows freely, moving you along the tale with ease, packed with beautiful melodies and complex arrangements. Even on its own, apart from its inspiration, this cd is simply wonderful music. I highly recommend it to ANYONE; devotees of LOTR, or simply classical music lovers.

  • A beautiful and emotional journey though the realms of Middle Earth
    author: Jacob

    With emotions and colors as wildly varying as the realms of Tolkien's Middle Earth, this symphony captures the essence of the epic fantasy which inspired it.

  • the most professional and enjoyable piece of fan music I�ve ever heard.
    author: Aaronagorn

    If you're into the the Lord of the Rings you probably know that there's a lot of 'fan' based music out there and while some of it is pretty good, the majority of it isn't. A lot times you get the epic 'rock n roll of the rings'style. (Gosh, I hate those!) I'm sorry but rock n roll and the Lord of the Rings do not match. Other times you get the cheesy 'fan fiction' ballads. (Annoying) And then every once in awhile you'll get a nice Celtic/Folk style piece which is pretty good but you never really hear anything too professional. I guess what I'm trying to say is that good fan music is usually few, far and in between. So where does 'Journey of the Ring' stand in the line of all this? Way up front. This CD is the most original, professional and enjoyable piece of fan music I've ever heard. Most of the time when you buy a CD there's usually only a few good tracks out of the whole bunch. But with 'Journey of the Ring' practically every track is memorable and moving and it does an outstanding job of taking the listener through the many locations and events of J.R.R. Tolkien's books. It really doesn't even sound like 'fan' music. It's more like the 'unofficial soundtrack to the books'. While it may have the structure and flavor of a soundtrack, it differs from a movie soundtrack in that there are no images to go with the music. Soundtracks have kind of a curse where the listener can't help but see in their mind the scene from the movie that fits the track. It is almost as if a soundtrack is incomplete because the movie half of it is missing. But in the case of 'Journey of the Ring' that curse does not exist because without pictures the listener must use his own imagination to put the music to the words of the books. Now one may try and compare this CD to Howard Shore's movie soundtracks but if you stop and think about it, how can you compare them? Howard Shore has his vision of the books, Jonathan Peters has his. Sure we may all think that no one can beat Howard Shore's Hobbit theme but I look at it as a fresh approach to the subject. A chance to re-enkindle the wonder which the books brought to us. And boy does it do it in a sweet way. I put this CD on my "must own" list of fan music and soundtracks. Congratulations to Mr. Peters for this outstanding achievement and I look forward to his future projects. This is one composer to keep your eye on.

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