LORD OF THE RINGS symphony review
Robert John Guttke
December 1, 2003
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THE LORD OF THE RINGS SYMPHONY
Composed and conducted by Howard Shore
Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington
November 29
It's not every concert that features a male choir grunting like orcs.
And not every concert has the dwarf Gimli, a much taller John Rhys-Davies in
real life, signing autographs at interval.
Not to mention Aragorn, who is Viggo Mortensen when he's wearing a casual
suit instead of Middle Earth armour, being called on stage during a
five-minute standing ovation. Mortensen proved he could sing, too. Not every
concert has a smattering of elves and hooded wizards among the suits and
formal dresses either.
But the premiere of Howard Shore's Six Movements for Orchestra and Chorus
from The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which is heading for Sydney, was a
festive occasion on the weekend before the world premiere of The Return of
the King in Wellington.
It started with a standing ovation for the trilogy's director, Peter
Jackson, as he took his seat.
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Shore has written scores for more than 60 films, winning an Oscar and a
Grammy for the trilogy's first instalment. His credits include The Silence
of the Lambs, Philadelphia, Seven, Gangs of New York and 10 David Cronenberg
films.
But that is no guarantee a score can survive a live performance without a
film.
In the hands of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and four choirs, the six
movements followed the "rising dread then heroic response then more rising
dread" pattern of the trilogy.
Not everything went perfectly. Accompanying sketches of characters and
scenes by the designer Alan Lee projected on three screens seemed too
intermittent to contribute much and a young soprano mixed some beautiful
moments with others that suggested his soprano days are numbered.
The depth and complexity of the work grew as it built. The most memorable
phrase from the films, a Celtic-inspired piece that could be called Frodo's
theme for its association with the valiant hobbit, seemed more powerful each
time it returned.
By the final movements, the rich combination of orchestra and choir were
working magnificently with some evocative contributions from the lyric
soprano Jenny Wollerman and mezzo soprano Sarah McOnie.
Even if Jackson and his cast are not in the audience by the time the concert
reaches Australia, it will be an event in its own right. A rewarding
experience for fans of the films.
Peter T. Daniels
>
> The Lord of the Rings SymphonyBy Garry Maddox
> December 1, 2003
>
> Print this article
> Email to a friend
>
> THE LORD OF THE RINGS SYMPHONY
> Composed and conducted by Howard Shore
> But the premiere of Howard Shore's Six Movements for Orchestra and Chorus
> from The Lord of the Rings trilogy,
> Even if Jackson and his cast are not in the audience by the time the concert
> reaches Australia, it will be an event in its own right. A rewarding
> experience for fans of the films.
That says it all. It wasn't a symphony, except in the minds of the
publicists, and it wasn't primarily a musical event; it was a movie
tie-in publicity stunt. They probably charged a pretty penny for
tickets, too.
--
Peter T. Daniels gram...@att.net
Robert John Guttke
"Peter T. Daniels" <gram...@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:3FCB75...@worldnet.att.net...
Peter, I am beginning to think you are cynical. There is NOTHING in that
article that could bring anyone to your conclusions.... unless they wish to
view it that way... and obviously you just don't care for the topic.
Might I suggest avoiding this thread? You'd be happier... and perhaps so
would a few others.
~Numarie~
Sounds like it was a wonderful event and can't wait for THE SYMPHONY to be
recorded.............
Dr.Matt
Robert John Guttke <robert...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
>> >
>> > Print this article
>> > Email to a friend
Heh
--
Matthew H. Fields http://personal.www.umich.edu/~fields
Music: Splendor in Sound
Brights have a naturalistic world-view. http://www.the-brights.net/
John Harrington
news:cgNyb.137367$Ec1.5...@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
<snip>
> There is NOTHING in that article that could bring anyone to your
> conclusions....
Of course there wasn't. What, are you new to Peter Daniels' posts?
J
Peter T. Daniels
Um, the title of the work -- "Six Movements ..."?
> unless they wish to
> view it that way... and obviously you just don't care for the topic.
>
> Might I suggest avoiding this thread? You'd be happier... and perhaps so
> would a few others.
>
> ~Numarie~
>
> Sounds like it was a wonderful event and can't wait for THE SYMPHONY to be
> recorded.............
The DVD of RotK should be available next August or so.
Jerry Kohl
Exactly. And everybody knows that symphonies consist of movements; therefore,
the Six Movements are a symphony ;-) (They are also by Anton Webern, but that's
another story.)
--
Jerry Kohl <jerom...@comcast.net>
"Légpárnás hajóm tele van angolnákkal."
Peter T. Daniels
They also know that they consist of _four_ movements (sonata-allegro,
slow, minuet or scherzo, fast frequently rondo).
Robert John Guttke
"John Harrington" <bear...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:NINyb.23167$n56....@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net...
Well, yes actually I am. Is he always so.... well... without humor and
grumpy and a few other dwarves as well?
Robert John Guttke
Peter, Peter, Peter.... I said farewell to you in the elvish tongue, yet you
are still here.
Six parts doesn't make a symphony for you? Vaughan Williams has some that
come in four parts. I think you are quibbling.... and need to go outside
and get some fresh air.
Robert John Guttke
Peter! You HAVE been reading the liner notes! I am SO pleased!
Smack
>>Exactly. And everybody knows that symphonies consist of movements; therefore,
>>the Six Movements are a symphony ;-) (They are also by Anton Webern, but that's
>>another story.)
>
>
> They also know that they consist of _four_ movements (sonata-allegro,
> slow, minuet or scherzo, fast frequently rondo).
So, then, I suppose that disqualifies Franck's Symphony in D Minor,
Penderecki's 3rd Symphony, Gorecki's 3rd Symphony, among others. Is
that correct?
And, of course, it might be prudent to point out that before the 19th
century, it was well-known that the third movement of a symphony was
always a minuet, not this joke you call a scherzo. Therefore, perhaps
we should disqualify any work whose third movement is this so-called
scherzo. That is, unless we can accept the idea that our concept of how
a symphony must be presented can change over time.
--
Stephen Mack
Arka Music - Engraving, Copying, Transposing
www.arkamusic.com
"Nobody's smart enough to be wrong all the time." -Ken Wilber
Nightingale
>
> Peter, Peter, Peter.... I said farewell to you in the elvish tongue, yet you
> are still here.
I thought that meant *you* we leaving.
>
> Six parts doesn't make a symphony for you? Vaughan Williams has some that
> come in four parts. I think you are quibbling.... and need to go outside
> and get some fresh air.
>
Stay in & tune your radio to CBC Radio Two if you can get it. "Music For
a While" is on and they are playing Bach's Advent Cantata :-)
--
Blessed Cecilia, appear in visions
To all musicians, appear and inspire:
Translated Daughter, come down and startle
Composing mortals with immortal fire.
Robert John Guttke
"Nightingale" <si...@music.ca> wrote in message
news:bqgmpd$21o0hb$1...@ID-140164.news.uni-berlin.de...
> Robert John Guttke wrote:
> >
> > Peter, Peter, Peter.... I said farewell to you in the elvish tongue, yet
you
> > are still here.
>
> I thought that meant *you* we leaving.
Silly Rabbit.
> >
> > Six parts doesn't make a symphony for you? Vaughan Williams has some
that
> > come in four parts. I think you are quibbling.... and need to go
outside
> > and get some fresh air.
> >
>
> Stay in & tune your radio to CBC Radio Two if you can get it. "Music For
> a While" is on and they are playing Bach's Advent Cantata :-)
Jolly good. But don't much like Bach.
Nightingale
>>
>>Stay in & tune your radio to CBC Radio Two if you can get it. "Music For
>>a While" is on and they are playing Bach's Advent Cantata :-)
>
>
> Jolly good. But don't much like Bach.
>
>
Well, you've missed it anyway. Now there is an interesting concert on.
Here's the description from www.cbc.ca - "The Benjamin Britten
Celebration presents the Britten Chamber Music Ensemble from War
Memorial Hall in Guelph tonight on In Performance. The program features
the world premiere of Kulesha's Variations on a Theme by Benjamin
Britten, plus three works by Britten himself."
John Harrington
news:P6Qyb.7245$Yt4.6035@lakeread05...
> Peter T. Daniels wrote:
> > They also know that [symphonies] consist of _four_ movements
(sonata-allegro,
> > slow, minuet or scherzo, fast frequently rondo).
>
> So, then, I suppose that disqualifies Franck's Symphony in D Minor,
> Penderecki's 3rd Symphony, Gorecki's 3rd Symphony, among others. Is
> that correct?
Not to mention Mahler's 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 7th symphonies; Beethoven's 6th,
many of Mozart's and Haydn's (those having only 3 movements), etc.
But then the world would be a very strange place indeed if Peter Daniels'
memories, impressions, and beliefs had anything to do with reality.
John
Peter T. Daniels
>
> Peter T. Daniels wrote:
>
> >>Exactly. And everybody knows that symphonies consist of movements; therefore,
> >>the Six Movements are a symphony ;-) (They are also by Anton Webern, but that's
> >>another story.)
> >
> >
> > They also know that they consist of _four_ movements (sonata-allegro,
> > slow, minuet or scherzo, fast frequently rondo).
>
> So, then, I suppose that disqualifies Franck's Symphony in D Minor,
> Penderecki's 3rd Symphony, Gorecki's 3rd Symphony, among others. Is
> that correct?
>
> And, of course, it might be prudent to point out that before the 19th
> century, it was well-known that the third movement of a symphony was
> always a minuet, not this joke you call a scherzo. Therefore, perhaps
> we should disqualify any work whose third movement is this so-called
> scherzo. That is, unless we can accept the idea that our concept of how
> a symphony must be presented can change over time.
You'll have to take it up with Jerry's (whom you snipped) "everybody";
they're whose knowledge I was describing.
Peter T. Daniels
If the composer of the work himself doesn't call it a symphony, who are
you (or his publicists) to do so?
Peter T. Daniels
>
> Robert John Guttke wrote:
> >
> > Peter, Peter, Peter.... I said farewell to you in the elvish tongue, yet you
> > are still here.
>
> I thought that meant *you* we leaving.
"LOL!"
> > Six parts doesn't make a symphony for you? Vaughan Williams has some that
> > come in four parts. I think you are quibbling.... and need to go outside
> > and get some fresh air.
> >
>
> Stay in & tune your radio to CBC Radio Two if you can get it. "Music For
> a While" is on and they are playing Bach's Advent Cantata :-)
Suzuki's Christmas Oratorio is utterly delightful! And much more subtle
than anyone else's version that I've heard.
Peter T. Daniels
>
> Robert John Guttke wrote:
> >>
> >>Stay in & tune your radio to CBC Radio Two if you can get it. "Music For
> >>a While" is on and they are playing Bach's Advent Cantata :-)
> >
> >
> > Jolly good. But don't much like Bach.
> >
> >
>
> Well, you've missed it anyway. Now there is an interesting concert on.
> Here's the description from www.cbc.ca - "The Benjamin Britten
> Celebration presents the Britten Chamber Music Ensemble from War
> Memorial Hall in Guelph tonight on In Performance. The program features
> the world premiere of Kulesha's Variations on a Theme by Benjamin
> Britten, plus three works by Britten himself."
Did they turn out to be any particular works?
Robert John Guttke
I dunno, John, he seems kinda of delightful in a predictable prickly sort of
way. Cute, like a deranged porcupine or sea urchin, ya know?
>
Jaakko Mäntyjärvi
>>>
>>> ~Numarie~
>>>
>
> Peter, Peter, Peter.... I said farewell to you in the elvish tongue, yet you
> are still here.
Actually, 'farewell' in Quenya is 'namarië', not 'numarie'.
--
Regards,
Jaakko Mäntyjärvi
Helsinki, Finland
To reply by e-mail, remove EQUALS.
"Nil significat nisi oscillat. Du vap. Du vap. Du vap."
Dr.Matt
Nightingale <si...@music.ca> wrote:
>Robert John Guttke wrote:
>>
>> Peter, Peter, Peter.... I said farewell to you in the elvish tongue, yet you
>> are still here.
>
>I thought that meant *you* we leaving.
>
>>
>> Six parts doesn't make a symphony for you? Vaughan Williams has some that
>> come in four parts. I think you are quibbling.... and need to go outside
>> and get some fresh air.
>>
>
>Stay in & tune your radio to CBC Radio Two if you can get it. "Music For
>a While" is on and they are playing Bach's Advent Cantata :-)
And besides, Danielle Charbonneau has a sexy voice. :)
Dr.Matt
You were expecting, perhaps, that they would be platonic forms?
Peter T. Daniels
>
> In article <3FCC11...@worldnet.att.net>,
> Peter T. Daniels <gram...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
> >Nightingale wrote:
> >>
> >> Robert John Guttke wrote:
> >> >>
> >> >>Stay in & tune your radio to CBC Radio Two if you can get it. "Music For
> >> >>a While" is on and they are playing Bach's Advent Cantata :-)
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Jolly good. But don't much like Bach.
> >> >
> >> >
> >>
> >> Well, you've missed it anyway. Now there is an interesting concert on.
> >> Here's the description from www.cbc.ca - "The Benjamin Britten
> >> Celebration presents the Britten Chamber Music Ensemble from War
> >> Memorial Hall in Guelph tonight on In Performance. The program features
> >> the world premiere of Kulesha's Variations on a Theme by Benjamin
> >> Britten, plus three works by Britten himself."
> >
> >Did they turn out to be any particular works?
> >--
> >Peter T. Daniels gram...@att.net
>
> You were expecting, perhaps, that they would be platonic forms?
I was expecting Nightingale, another Britten devotee, to identify them!
John Harrington
<snip>
> Suzuki's Christmas Oratorio is utterly delightful! And much more subtle
> than anyone else's version that I've heard.
Which others have you heard?
J
Robert John Guttke
"Jaakko Mäntyjärvi" <jman...@pp.htv.fi> wrote in message
news:3FCC448...@pp.htv.fi...
Robert John Guttke wrote:
>>>
>>> ~Numarie~
>>>
>
> Peter, Peter, Peter.... I said farewell to you in the elvish tongue, yet
you
> are still here.
Actually, 'farewell' in Quenya is 'namariė', not 'numarie'.
I stand corrected, and appreciative of the fact. My spelling in ANY
language is dreadful.
Bernard Hill
>, Robert John Guttke <robert...@worldnet.att.net> writes
>
>
>Six parts doesn't make a symphony for you? Vaughan Williams has some that
>come in four parts. I think you are quibbling.... and need to go outside
>and get some fresh air.
>
Not to mention of course, VW's Sinfonia Antartica which has 5 movements
and was derived (shock, horror!) from a film score which he wrote.
Bernard Hill
Braeburn Software
Author of Music Publisher system
Music Software written by musicians for musicians
http://www.braeburn.co.uk
Selkirk, Scotland
Peter T. Daniels
The other one I have on CD is Herreweghe; on LP Richter, and I can't
check which other ones; plus whatever might have come over the radio
from time to time.
Nightingale
> In article <bqgmpd$21o0hb$1...@ID-140164.news.uni-berlin.de>,
> Nightingale <si...@music.ca> wrote:
>
>>Robert John Guttke wrote:
>>
>>>Peter, Peter, Peter.... I said farewell to you in the elvish tongue, yet you
>>>are still here.
>>
>>I thought that meant *you* we leaving.
>>
>>
>>>Six parts doesn't make a symphony for you? Vaughan Williams has some that
>>>come in four parts. I think you are quibbling.... and need to go outside
>>>and get some fresh air.
>>>
>>
>>Stay in & tune your radio to CBC Radio Two if you can get it. "Music For
>>a While" is on and they are playing Bach's Advent Cantata :-)
>
>
> And besides, Danielle Charbonneau has a sexy voice. :)
>
Yes, she does have a beautiful voice :-)
Nightingale
> In article <3FCC11...@worldnet.att.net>,
> Peter T. Daniels <gram...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
>
>>Nightingale wrote:
>>
>>>Robert John Guttke wrote:
>>>
>>>>>Stay in & tune your radio to CBC Radio Two if you can get it. "Music For
>>>>>a While" is on and they are playing Bach's Advent Cantata :-)
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Jolly good. But don't much like Bach.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>Well, you've missed it anyway. Now there is an interesting concert on.
>>>Here's the description from www.cbc.ca - "The Benjamin Britten
>>>Celebration presents the Britten Chamber Music Ensemble from War
>>>Memorial Hall in Guelph tonight on In Performance. The program features
>>>the world premiere of Kulesha's Variations on a Theme by Benjamin
>>>Britten, plus three works by Britten himself."
>>
>>Did they turn out to be any particular works?
>>--
>>Peter T. Daniels gram...@att.net
>
>
> You were expecting, perhaps, that they would be platonic forms?
>
>
LOL!
Nightingale
I was expecting my post to have shown up.
Here is the playlist for yesterday's show
http://www.cbc.ca/insite/IN_PERFORMANCE_TORONTO/2003/12/1.html
They only played Suite for Violin and Piano Op. 6 & Suite no. 3 for solo
cello, Op. 87 by Britten, don't know why they mentioned 3 pieces in the
program description.
Michael Haslam
I'd speak up for the above maligned porcupines and sea urchins if I had
the time.
MJHaslam