Deutsche Grammophon’s Howard Shore Paris Anthology Is Out Now
The album takes listeners into the composer’s colourful soundworld,
with performances by the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and Le Balcon
Music from The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Naked Lunch, Crash and more
was recorded in Paris during Radio France’s Howard Shore Weekend in May 2023
Listen to the album here
A performance video for “A Black Shadow” from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
will premiere at 5pm CET on 21 March 2025, giving fans a visual companion to one of the soundtrack’s most evocative pieces
Shore will be presented with the inaugural London Soundtrack Festival
Inspiration Award at a Royal Festival Hall gala concert tomorrow evening
“I am pleased to be collaborating with the Deutsche Grammophon label on the release of these recordings. The forces assembled at Radio France of l’Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Le Balcon, the choirs, soloists and conductors were superb. These great artists in performance at the Maison de la Radio et de la Musique were breathtaking. You can now relive the experience thanks to these beautiful recordings.”
Howard Shore
Howard Shore: Anthology – The Paris Concerts comes out on Deutsche Grammophon today, 21 March 2025. Curated by the multi-award-winning Canadian composer himself, this much-anticipated double album presents highlights from many of his best-loved scores, including the soundtracks to The Fly, Ed Wood, Crash, Eastern Promises and, of course, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. It was recorded during Radio France’s sold-out Howard Shore Weekend, with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France (OPRF), conducted by Ludwig Wicki and Bastien Stil, and Le Balcon, conducted by Mike Schäperclaus. The DG release coincides with the first ever London Soundtrack Festival, whose inaugural Inspiration Award will be presented to Howard Shore tomorrow evening as part of a gala concert at the Royal Festival Hall.
The album is available digitally, as a 2-CD set and on vinyl. The 2‑LP set comprises the pieces from The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, Esther Kahn, and the Concertino from Eastern Promises, as well as the solo piano concert work Catania. Meanwhile the deluxe vinyl version offers the complete album repertoire on 3 film-themed picture discs. The LPs are packaged in a special gatefold sleeve which features lyrics in Tolkien’s Sindarin language as well as English. STAGE+ subscribers can also explore the filmed versions of the Paris concerts here.
Howard Shore’s music has graced over a hundred films and won him a string of awards, including 3 Oscars, 3 Golden Globes and 4 Grammys. He has also written for opera, ballet and the concert hall. DG’s new anthology showcases music of different styles and eras, from Catania, performed by solo pianist Jean-Paul Gasparian, to the epic, orchestral-choral grandeur of Shore’s The Fellowship of the Ring soundtrack, featuring the Maîtrise (children’s choir) and Chœur de Radio France.
There are contrasting suites from some earlier film scores, reflecting the sinister tones of The Fly; the cool sax lines of Naked Lunch (Stéphane Guillaume ably taking on the solo part made famous by Ornette Coleman); the mysterious ambience of Ed Wood, where Lydia Kavina plays the theremin, as she did for the original, 30 years ago; and the eerie metallic sounds of harps and electric guitars heard in Crash. Also included are a gently hypnotic extract from Esther Kahn and the Eastern European-influenced Concertino from Eastern Promises, for solo violin (Raphaëlle Moreau) and chamber ensemble. And, as we might expect, the album opens in Middle-earth, with a beautiful moment from The Hobbit, starring the OPRF’s principal oboist Olivier Doise.
London Soundtrack Festival
22 March 2025 – BFI IMAX – Screenings & Intros with David Cronenberg & Howard Shore: Crash · Dead Ringers
– Royal Festival Hall – David Cronenberg & Howard Shore in conversation · LSF Gala Concert
23 March 2025 – BFI IMAX, Screening & Intro with Howard Shore: The Lord of the Rings trilogy
24 March 2025 – Barbican Hall, Concert & Post-show talk with Howard Shore:
The Silence of the Lambs – Live to Projection
Upcoming Howard Shore Live to projection concerts:
4 April 2025 – Olympiahalle, Munich (The Two Towers)
13 April 2025 – Movistar Arena, Santiago (The Two Towers)
8, 9 & 10 May 2025 – Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco (The Two Towers)
17 & 18 May 2025 – Prince Mahidol Hall, Bangkok (The Two Towers)
23, 24 & 25 May 2025 – Boettcher Concert Hall, Denver (The Fellowship of the Ring)
27, 28 & 29 June 2025 – Heinz Hall, Pittsburgh (The Fellowship of the Ring)
13 & 14 June 2025 – Walt Disney Theater, Orlando (The Return of the King)
5 & 6 September 2025 – Grand Théâtre de Québec, Quebec (The Two Towers)
18 – 21 September 2025 – Queen Elizabeth Hall, Antwerp (The Return of the King)
31 October & 1 November 2025 – DeVos Performance Hall, Grand Rapids (The Fellowship of the Ring)
9, 10 & 11 January 2026 – Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Montreal (The Two Towers)
