DG Shares a Howard Shore World Premiere – “The Noble Wood (I Roderyn)” from The Hobbit
The single is taken from the forthcoming composer-curated anthology which also features music
from The Lord of the Rings, Naked Lunch, Crash, The Fly and more, recorded live in Paris
It is performed by the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, conducted by Ludwig Wicki, with the orchestra’s principal oboist Olivier Doise as soloist
The album is out on 21 March 2025, to coincide with the inaugural London Soundtrack Festival
Listen to “The Noble Wood (I Roderyn)” here and watch the performance video here
Deutsche Grammophon is delighted to announce the release of Howard Shore’s “The Noble Wood (I Roderyn)”. The world premiere recording is taken from the European premiere of this atmospheric piece arranged by the composer from themes written to represent the Woodland Elves in The Desolation of Smaug (the second instalment in The Hobbit trilogy). The track features on the forthcoming album Howard Shore: Anthology – The Paris Concerts, curated by the multi-award-winning Canadian composer himself. It will be available to stream/download from 7 February 2025 and will be followed by “The Fly Main Title” on 28 February.
“I related to Tolkien’s work and his love of nature, which I also share,” says Howard Shore about the new track. “I wrote the music from my heart. ‘The Noble Wood (I Roderyn)’ from The Hobbit is for solo oboe and orchestra. Olivier Doise gives a stunning performance of the oboe solo with the outstanding Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, conducted with such grace by Ludwig Wicki. Their interpretation was beautifully captured in this recording from Radio France and Deutsche Grammophon.”
Howard Shore: Anthology – The Paris Concerts will be released on 21 March 2025 – digitally, as a 2-CD set and on vinyl. Recorded during Radio France’s 2023 “Week-End Howard Shore”, it reflects the rich variety of the composer’s output, presenting highlights from such diverse scores as The Fly, Naked Lunch, Ed Wood, Crash, Esther Kahn and Eastern Promises, as well as The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, together with his concert piece for solo piano: Catania. The Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France is conducted by Ludwig Wicki and Bastien Stil, while Mike Schäperclaus conducts Le Balcon in the chamber works.
A 2‑LP set comprises Catania and the pieces from The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Esther Kahn and Eastern Promises. A deluxe vinyl version includes the complete album repertoire on 3 picture discs whose images reflect the films. The LPs are packaged in a special gatefold sleeve which features lyrics in Tolkien’s Sindarin language as well as English.
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. His long and hugely successful career will be celebrated at the brand-new London Soundtrack Festival (19–26 March 2025). At the LSF gala concert on Saturday 22 March the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir, under the baton of Ben Palmer, will perform a selection of works by Shore, who will also be presented with the inaugural London Soundtrack Festival Inspiration Award.
Upcoming Howard Shore Live to projection concerts:
27, 28 February, 1 & 2 March 2025 – Radio City Music Hall, New York (The Return of the King)
28 February & 1 March 2025 – Fibes, Seville (The Fellowship of the Ring)
15 & 16 March 2025 – Volkswagen Arena, Istanbul (The Two Towers)
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)
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
