 The Geeks of Doom commented that Shore, who recorded the soundtrack at Abbey Road Studios and AIR Lyndhurst in London, re-used some of the "magisterial musical motifs" from his music for "The Lord of the Rings" soundtrack, but that he "uses his established themes to launch into a completely original sonic adventure with turns both optimistic and dark, true to the mutual visions of Jackson and Tolkien".The soundtrack was performed by the London Philharmonic orchestra, London Voices and Tiffin' boy choir, as well as featured vocal and instrumental soloists, namely soprano Clara Sanabras, Richard Armitage as a cast performer and Neil Finn for the end credits song.The two-disc special edition contains six bonus tracks and six extended tracks.