The Lord of the Rings Symphony

[Alatar]

It's well worth seeing Hobby. Granted, Shore conducted the one I saw which was a bonus, but I think the music can stand on its own strengths. I flew to London to see the performance I went to. If it was in the same town I was in I'd have gone twice!

I'd actually recommend spending the money on a good seat. It's not that there's much to look at, really, but I always feel the 10 or 20 quid you save is hardly worth saving. It wouldn't even take you to the cinema these days.

[truehobbit]

Well, the cheapest tickets are 25 €, the next category is 37 €. That's quite a bit of money for me, considering not only what I get paid for an hour's work but also what I normally pay for entertainment (by comparison, I pay between four and seven euros for a cinema ticket, and between eight and twenty-five for a concert or opera ticket).
They promise a nice show, with video material to accompany the music, so I think that would be nice - a different kind of entertainment from a concert.
I've also never been to this particular venue - Cologne's big arena for mass-events - so that might be interesting, too.
Though, to be honest, on the other hand it's exactly this 'mass-event' character of the show that makes me reluctant to go.

Actually, I think, the main incentive, apart from curiosity about the mix of music and video, which might be pretty to see, is really the fact that it's a part of Tolkien fandom and all my friends here are interested in it, so it seems silly to pass it by when it's coming to my own city. It's a "wanting to be part of the group" thing for me, to a large extent.

[Alatar]

I think I paid about €80 for my ticket. Plus flights and expenses. I suspect I spent over €200 to see the LotR Symphony. It was worth every penny.

Of course, I'm in full time work, so your situation is different Hobby, but I still maintain you're getting a bargain!

[JewelSong]

I flew to Atlanta for the day to see Shore conduct this. I think I paid at least $65 for my ticket, probably more. I can't remember what the plane fare was - something like $175 RT.

I bought myself brunch and went to this cool art show, and then after the concert, went out for a fantastic dinner at a damn nice restaurant with ConnieMarie and WillowWode and Trazzie and ShadowFax and a few others. I shared a bottle of wine with Traz and we each had at least two "fancy" martinis. You know, the healthy kind with the apple slice floating on top.

I POURED myself onto the transit to the airport, slept the entire way back to Boston and got home about 23 hours after I started.

It was an absolutely fabulous time. Worth every penny.

And you know, I hardly even LOOKED at the videos. I was basically soaking up the experience of the whole thing. The Atlanta Symphony was awesome. The choruses were first-rate, and Sissel (singer) did most of the femal vocals. Shore seemed surprised and humbled by his sudden "pop-idol" status. It was cool to hear the music all together in sequence and everyone was so appreciative of the performers and so pleased to be at the symphony.

It was just a blast. A wonderful time.

ETA:

I was wondering what choir there is in the first place - don't remember any choir from the soundtrack.

You're kidding, right? The soundtrack has an enormous amount of vocals throughout! Must be a while since you've listened to it!

[truehobbit]

Well, Jewel, I don't have a moot to combine it with - that's what I've been saying all the time, if it was combined with meeting folk, it would make it much more worthwhile.
(Though my Canadian friend is coming along if we go. )

And, different from your concert, Shore is NOT conducting this one.

Pity I forgot about the choir parts, but yes, I haven't listened to the music for about a year at least, apart from some little listening I did along with ttbk's project some months ago - I didn't think there could be much to do apart from some background hum-humming.
If there's interesting singing, I'll definitely kick myself for not trying to join.

Alatar, true about the different situation!
And I guess I'm just a different kind of fan altogether, too - as shown by my not listening to the score for a year, and things like that.

[TheTennisBallKid]

Choral voices, and the use of Tolkien's languages for the texts, make up a large, and important part of the score. You should listen again; go on, put TTT in your CD player, you know you want to! [/shameless promotion]


......


I haven't seen Shore conduct, but I'm hoping he's not done and that'll I'll get a chance to see him yet. (if not, heh, I'll just have to make doubly sure I see his opera version of The Fly ) I'd like to go again anyway, but seeing Shore would definitely be extra incentive....



ttbk

[JewelSong]

If there's interesting singing, I'll definitely kick myself for not trying to join.

Well, there is a LOT of interesting singing (at least I think so!) some of it in Elvish and some in other languages (dwarvish? But that's the men's chorus!)

The choir was singing a good part of the time - and there was a children's chorus as well and a boy soprano.

I know what you mean about combining it with a Moot - you are right, that was a great deal of fun...but when I orginally bought the ticket to the concert, no Moot was planned! It just sort of...evolved spontaneously when people figured out who was going to the concert. And of course, the place was filled with Tolkien fans...so I wouldn't have been alone, in any case! It was just...well, an event. Of course, having Shore conduct was extra-special, but I think I would have gone regardless.

(There was someone on TORC a couple of years ago who sang in the LOTR Symphony and she said she had a great time. I don't remember her name, though!)

[Alatar]

Well I was supposed to go over with a friend who had to cancel at the last minute. I called my cousin in London and arranged to meet up with him beforehand so we could see the show and I was staying with him overnight also.

I wandered London all afternoon on my own, bored silly. This, despite that fact that there were a bunch of Londoners I could have mooted with had I only known. Unfortunately this was before I became active on TORC or B77. I've been kicking myslef ever since.

[Alatar]

kams just posted something on TORC that you should read Hobby

http://forums.theonering.com/viewtopic. ... 04#3394804

[truehobbit]

Thanks for the link, Alatar!

I did get a ticket for 25 Euros - my friend, who's coming with me and who's been in this location, said it was very high up, but if it's not full (which is possible, I think, as there's hardly any advertising for this, AFAIK), maybe we can sit closer to the stage, depending on how they handle this in the Arena (at the Philharmonics here, you are welcome to choose a better seat than you've paid for, if any are available).
Besides, a little hobbit like me prefers higher up seats to seats in the stalls, when there's no real rise in the ground.

As to kams report, wow, it sounds great!
I was thrilled to hear that what he attended was conducted by Markus Huber, too, and that he enjoyed it so much.
I can imagine that when people don't hear live music much that alone must be amazing to them. One of my reasons for not getting a more expensive ticket is that I was thinking that in this location, which isn't a concert hall, the music will probably be amplified - so, for me, that's not really live music anymore.

Btw, I watched "Dogma" a week ago on TV. There were some bars of music that seemed to be directly out of LOTR. So I thought maybe it was meant as an ironic comment of some sort, but saw that "Dogma" preceeded LOTR. So I watched out whether they'd show the end-titles, and indeed, the music is by Howard Shore.

Looking forward to it nevertheless.

[Alatar]

Glad you're going hobby!

P.S. Kams is female... she's actually coming to Ireland in a couple of weeks!

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Kams is going to Ireland? Cool! Please give her my best, Al.

[truehobbit]

Cool - are you meeting up with her, Alatar?

(I had no idea kams was a "she" - but, then, I don't think we've ever posted together, I just know the name and think it sounds like a guy's name - LOL. )

[Alatar]

Yeah, she's staying at my house on her last night. I'm right by the airport.

[TheTennisBallKid]

Neat! I'm jealous.

Btw, I watched "Dogma" a week ago on TV. There were some bars of music that seemed to be directly out of LOTR. So I thought maybe it was meant as an ironic comment of some sort, but saw that "Dogma" preceeded LOTR. So I watched out whether they'd show the end-titles, and indeed, the music is by Howard Shore.

The Rivendell arpeggios? That's something of a stylistic trademark for Shore, which has been present in his scores, in one form or another, for pretty much his whole career...

...BTW, hobby, what's the music in your avatar?



ttbk

[Alatar]

There was a review of this version on TORN as well:

CSO's "Rings" binds movies, symphony Composer Howard Shore's adaptation of “The Lord of the Rings” scores shows soundtracks aren't just for pops concerts anymore.
By Kyle MacMillan
Denver Post Fine Arts Critic

Although famed composers ranging from Sergei Prokofiev to Aaron Copland have written music for movies, the classical music world has tended to look down their noses at it.

But that attitude is changing.

The San Francisco Symphony and Brooklyn Philharmonic are now regularly programing such music, and, in September 2004, cellist Yo-Yo Ma released an album devoted to the film works of Ennio Morricone.

Then there's "The Lord of the Rings Symphony." In an effort to get his music performed not only on the screen but in concert halls as well, movie composer Howard Shore fashioned his scores for the blockbuster trilogy into a popular six-movement symphony.

Orchestras have typically relegated movie music to their pops series, but Friday evening's regional premiere of the symphony in Boettcher Concert Hall - the first of three performances - was part of the Colorado Symphony's classical lineup.

Much of the usual crowd was present. But the concert featuring Shore's work also attracted different, often younger-than- usual attendees, many of whom have probably rarely if ever been to the symphony's concerts.

Shore's three scores obviously did a first-rate job of supporting and enhancing the action on the screen as it happened, but a major question was whether the music could communicate on its own.

And, for the most part, it does. It no doubt helps that guest conductor Markus Huber draws a focused, intense performance from his forces, which include the Colorado Symphony Chorus and Colorado Children's Chorale.

Shore skillfully evokes a broad spectrum of emotions, handling as effectively the thundering, climactic scenes, when the fate of the world hangs in balance, as the small, intimate moments.

Little about this tonal, largely conventional music is especially innovative, but Shore employs the choirs in unusual ways and draws on several international folk traditions. He incorporates instruments such as the accordion and cimbalom and uses a Celtic-flavored melody for the hobbits' theme.

At the same time, he manages to artfully incorporate two pop songs, persuasively rendered by soprano Kaitlyn Lusk, offsetting them elsewhere with more conventional classical fare.

As would be expected of a symphony derived from movie scores, the work is episodic in structure. It does not have the architectural unity and flow of a standard concert work, yet it still manages to hang together.

That said, the symphony becomes repetitive at times in the second half.

[truehobbit]

The Rivendell arpeggios? That's something of a stylistic trademark for Shore, which has been present in his scores, in one form or another, for pretty much his whole career...

Wow, I didn't know that!
His idee fixe, huh?
Don't know what the "Rivendell Arpeggios" are (I guess I should look it up in your listening to the score thread ), but I think, yes, it was something like arpeggios.

...BTW, hobby, what's the music in your avatar?

That's some bars from the choir "Oh Isis and Osiris" from the Magic Flute.
It's probably weird, but the mood of this piece for me sums up the atmosphere of LOTR in a way, and the words even fit, too, to a certain extent.
I posted the text and a link to a sound-file here a while ago.

[Old_Tom_Bombadil]

It's probably weird, but the mood of this piece for me sums up the atmosphere of LOTR in a way, and the words even fit, too, to a certain extent.

That, and she sings bass in her choir.

KIDDING!



"Isis und Isis" is a beautiful aria with chorus sung by the the wise and benevolent Sarastro, leader of the Illuminati. It's a prayer to Isis and Osiris:

O Isis und Osiris, schenket
Der Weisheit Geist dem neuen Paar!
Die ihr der Wand'rer Schritte lenkert
Stäkt mit Geduld sie in Gefahr.

Laßt sie der Prüfung Früchte sehen;
Doch soltern sie zu Grabe gehen,
So lohnt der Tugend kühnen Lauf,
Nehmt sie in euren Wohnsitz auf.

Translation

O Isis and Osiris, bestow
The spirit of wisdom on this young couple!
You who guide the wanderers’ steps,
Strengthen them with patience in danger.

Let them see the fruits of trial;
Yet if they should go to their deaths,
Then reward the bold course of virtue;
Receive them into your abode.

[truehobbit]

That, and she sings bass in her choir.

I think I might.

We just performed Monteverdi's Marian Vespers, where the alto goes down to e.

Thanks for the quote and translation!
(Although I just linked to one in my post )

I think the music in this piece expresses an acceptance of fate and a hard task, but it's calm and as though trusting in some higher hope, no dramatic gestures or anything. Simply, what Frodo's face expresses in that picture, too, IMO.

[JewelSong]

Shore composed the music for "DOGMA?" That is just too cool. Another reason for me to like that quirky film. (I am still determined to order a "Buddy Christ" for my dashboard!)

So glad you decided to go to the concert, Hobby!