Exclusive: Howard Shore on his last Hobbit movie: 'It's hard to leave Middle Earth'

As 'The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies' brings Peter Jackson's film trilogy to a climax, Howard Shore talks about the joy of composing for Middle Earth.

Composer Howard Shore has just made his final foray into the fantastical world of Middle Earth, having written the music for the final Hobbit film, The Battle of Five Armies.

The Oscar-winning composer has got to know J.R.R Tolkien's world exceptionally well, having written the epic scores not only for the two previous Hobbit films but also for the The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Pictures: world premiere of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

"Tolkien's world is a wonderful place to live and to write," the composer tells Classic FM's John Brunning. "It's been a fantastic, creative world for me to work in."

The first exclusive track, 'Sons of Durin', accompanies a moment in the film when the Dwarf King Thorin realises he has to lead his band of dwarves into battle. Shore talks us through it in the clip below.

The second track, 'Courage and Wisdom', is a cue taken from towards the end of the battle, which, says Shore, "has elements of sadness to it". Shore explains in the clip below.

The composer has already moved on to pastures new. He is currently working on a concert piece for guitar and orchestra, commissioned for the guitarist Milos Karadaglic.