The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring CR - 01. Khazad-dûm

With a menacing growl, Khazad-dûm is transformed into an even less inviting environment. The Balrog has awoken. Shore’s all-male choir returns, now with the Maori grunters, performing the text of “The Balrog.“ “It’s 60 men,“ says Shore. “A choir of 50, and 10 grunters!“ Here the composer begins forging an unrelenting dread, barreling from stark choral textures to a surging mass of overlapping tonalities—like a ritual gone horribly wrong. The Dark Places of the World figure debuts in the low brass, searing t