Mutant, in partnership with Sparks & Shadows, and Amazon MGM Studios are proud to present Bear McCreary's epic soundtrack to the second season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
Composed again by Mutant favorite, and Emmy® Award-winner Bear McCreary (The Singularity, God of War) this sophomore season features a wide array of score and song, including new songs featuring renowned vocalists Rufus Wainwright and Jens Kidman, respectively.
For the first season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, McCreary wove a tapestry of symphonic orchestra, bombastic percussion, and folk instruments from across Europe and North Africa, combined with solo vocalists and choirs singing in the iconic languages of J.R.R. Tolkien’s books. For the gripping second season, McCreary has built atop that foundation with dynamic new themes and colors, including Bulgarian women’s choir and gadulka for Rhûn, children’s choir for the pastoral city of Eregion, Hardanger fiddle for new character Estrid, and deathly whispers for the terrifying Barrow-wights.
After collaborating with the iconic Fiona Apple for the first season’s “Where the Shadows Lie,” McCreary continues the tradition by inviting two featured vocalists to join him on new songs for the Season Two score. Grammy-nominated artist Rufus Wainwright brings thoughtful introspection to his rendition of “Old Tom Bombadil.” “The Last Ballad of Damrod,” a song about a vicious Hill-troll, is brought to terrifying, screaming life by Jens Kidman, the unforgettable lead singer of Grammy-nominated Swedish extreme-metal band Meshuggah. Even while balancing these many diverse and eclectic musical influences, McCreary always refers to Tolkien’s writings for inspiration. “I am honored to continue forward on this journey, bringing the events of Tolkien’s Second Age to life on the screen,” says McCreary.
Series stars Sophia Nomvete, Benjamin Walker, Rory Kinnear, and Daniel Weyman also lend their vocal talents to several songs on the soundtrack. Nomvete’s dwarven character of Princess Disa is a lead resonator who sings to the mountain, while Walker, who plays an Elven king, sings a sorrowful tune in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Elvish language. Kinnear, who joins the show this season as the first live-action version of fan-favorite character Tom Bombadil, and Weyman, who portrays the mysterious Stranger, also collaborate on a reprise of “Old Tom Bombadil.”
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth's history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness.
