Music to Listen to While You Read, Part III - Lord of the Rings

As promised in part II, here are some CDs I like to listen to while I read The Lord of the Rings: The Tolkien Ensemble has done a beautiful job setting all of the songs in The Lord of the Rings to music. Their work is collected in four CDs: An Evening in Rivendell, A Night in Rivendell, At Dawn in Rivendell and Leaving Rivendell. The sound is more classical than I expected, but it really grew on me. Another album I listen to is Broceliande's Starlit Jewel. This is another interpretation of songs from Lord of the Rings, but with a more ethereal sound. The CD also includes songs from The Hobbit. Finally, there is Johan de Meij's Symphony No. 1, also known as The Lord of the Rings Symphony. Composed and recorded long before the movies, this symphony is a series of movements inspired by the books and titled Gandalf, Lothlorien, Gollum, Journey in the Dark, and The Hobbits.