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From Amazon.com:
This soundtrack marks composer Howard Shore's 12th collaboration with director David Cronenberg, and it's safe to say the two men have an almost symbiotic relationship at this point. Like its immediate predecessor, A History of Violence, Eastern Promises is a crime drama; this time around, however, it is set not in a very American town but among Russian gangsters in London. Shore evokes the milieu by incorporating "slavic" touches from a cimbalom (a type of hammered dulcimer), a balalaika (a triangular stringed instrument), and a tárogatóto (a woodwind) in his orchestrations, but thankfully he doesn't overdo it and turn the score into cheesy folklore. This is a taut, somber CD, where the main themes are performed by a solo violin (check out in particular "Nine Elms"). But the most arresting track may well be the slow, majestic "Slavery and Suffering", a traditional revolutionary song performed by the Red Army Choir. --Elisabeth Vincentelli
Disc 1
1. Eastern Promises
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2. Tatiana
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3. London Streets
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4. Sometimes Birth and Death Go Together
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5. Trafalgar Hospital
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6. Vory v Zakone
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7. Slavery and Suffering (As Used in the Film Eastern Promises) - Howard Shore, Traditional
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8. Nikolai
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9. Kirill
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10. Anna Khitrova
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11. Eagle and Star
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12. Nine Elms
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13. Like a Place in the Bible
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14. Trans-Siberian Diary
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Wonderful! - 
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Eastern Promises Review
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This is my first Howard Shore CD so I'm not bias one way or the other about his music. I loved this disk from beginning to end. A terrific example of comtemporary thematic composition featuring just the proper degree of ethnic instrumentation and flavor. I saw the film and it is a bit dark, but Shore music rarely hints at the extreme violence depicted and is simply beautful. Emotionally and technically the LPO and all featured artists are quite up to the task of Shore's compositions, thank you very much, and the bass lines are wonderful throughout. The Red Army track is a nice addition as well. Enjoy.
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Promises Kept: Shore's Somber Score for "Eastern Promises" - 
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Eastern Promises Review
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David Cronenberg's "Eastern Promises" proved to be one of the grittiest and darkest films of the year engaging a topic that is simply gut-wrenching. Howard Shore's approach to the film is at once somber and tense. His focus on strings, especially solo violin, through most of his score gives background to characters in a very dark setting. The tone is in great part Russian (including of course some traditional source music and instrumentation), as befits the plot and several characters. As a soundtrack the recording is incredibly effective for music on a rainy autumn day. Shore again exhibits his amazing versatility in writing a serious and moving score. This is a work far removed from "The Lord of the Rings," but that should not be seen as a critique, just recognition of another fine effort from one of the great composers of this time. An outstanding solo performance by violinist Nicola Benedetti, and solid production values with adequate packaging by Sony.
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More bittersweet minimalism from Shore -
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Eastern Promises Review
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This score was much better than Howard's work for A History of Violence in my opinion because it wasn't forced,but had a nice,steady flow to it--what I think he's best at.As usual,the music stands alone much better if you experience it in the context of the film first,but it's still great mood music.The music tends to be spacious over-all,and then brought into focus by the amazing violin soloist:it's like velvet rubbed against the soul.
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The newest masterpiece from Howard Shore has arrived! -
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Eastern Promises Review
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I will try not to sound cheesy, but i can't help myself, when a new Shore-composition comes out. The master of music has turned to the softer, more simple melodies, and that is most understandable, after the grand opera of the Lord of the Rings. Shore transforms easily to the small pieces of Cronenberg, his long time collaborator of two decades. The Maestro (And I grant only him and John Williams the title "maestro")uses hungarian and russian folk insteruments, such as the tarogato and the cimbalom, and they sound so new, so different. As a hungarian, it's so nice for me to know that he incorporates these interesting, center-eastern european music into his sophisticated, intimate western tunes. The clarinet and the violin also get major parts in this score, and Shore prevails again with, in my opinion an Oscar-worthy effort. I highly recommend this CD, because it is one from the more hummable pieces of Shore, similar like the superb The Departed, but much more eastern flavored. These could be put together as siblings, because they represent a certain stage of Howard Shore's career. I wonder where he's going next, because the man is on top of his game most definately. But he and I (and millions of Shore-likers too) want to have him do the Hobbit or another great epic. Let's pray to the God of Music. Until then, listen to this wonderful work of the Academy Award winning composer, Howard Shore.
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