After next week's performance in Luzern, Howard Shore will be off to Ireland where the RTÉ Concert Orchestra will present a concert of his music conducted by Ludwig Wicki. Shore will provide the introduction.

The program and ticket details are below. Here, too, is a short interview that Shore did with The Independent, regarding the upcoming show.

Hi everyone,

Very happy to announce that I'll be giving a pre-concert talk with Howard Shore at this upcoming concert in Luzern. If you're anywhere near Switzerland, I simply must insist that you attend! The program is scheduled to include the following:

18.30 Uhr, Konzertsaal: 
«Nerakhoon» (2008)
Suite für Mezzo-Soprano, Chor and Streicher 

«Mythic Garden»
Concerto für Violoncello und Orchester

P A U S E

«The Lord of the Rings Symphony» (Auszüge) 
   «The Fellowship of the Ring» (2001)
     The Prophecy
     Concerning Hobbits
   «The Return of the King» (2003)
     Hope and Memory
     The White Tree
     The Steward of Gondor
     Cirith Ungol
     Anduril
     The End of All Things
     The Return of the King
     The Grey Havens
     Into the West 

Please come say "hello" if you are in attendance!

The Lord of the Rings Live to Projection concert series has just added a huge number of 2013 performances in cities around the world. See the formidable list below!

Attention Netherlands-based readers: Howard Shore's The Return of the King: Live to Projection is playing Concert Hall De Doelen in Rotterdam on April 19, 20, and 21!

A pair of upcoming LOTR performances made the news today. The Two Towers will play in Ireland on Sunday, October 28, 2012 when the RTÉ Concert Orchestra presents a Live to Projection concert in the O2. Details and tickets are HERE.

But before that, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Opera Chorus and Shanghai Youth Choir will present Howard Shore's LOTR Symphony on Sunday, July 29, 2012. Details and tickets for that performance are right HERE.

Sounds like a pair of pleasant Sundays!

The Ottawa Citizen is running a piece today regarding the upcoming National Arts Centre Orchestra performances of The Fellowship of the Ring. Thought these tidbits might be of interest:

[Shore] is not giving away much about his approach to the score for The Hobbit except to say, “If you like the scores to the other films, you’ll like the way I’m approaching The Hobbit.” 

He is into the crunch right now on The Hobbit with recording set to begin in August. That pressure prevents him from being in Ottawa for the performance. 

Asked whether some of the music for The Hobbit will hint at the Lord of the Rings, he’s coy. 

“I have crafty little ways of dropping bits here and there. There are characters that are in both, Bilbo, Gandalf, Galadriel and Elrond. It’s so connected to The Lord of the Rings.”

Read the full piece HERE.

It's been quite some time since we've run a Live to Projection review, so big thanks go to Erik Ammerlaan for sending this great review of The Two Towers at De Doelen!

*****

Attention New Yorkers:

I'm catching up on posts today, so please forgive the fact that this is a slightly out-of-date.

Shore's new Cello Concerto premiered in April, and Allison Silvieus provided a short write-up in The Millbrook Independent:

Cellist Sophie Shao followed Marcovics’ performance in Howard Shore’s 2011 world premiere, Mythic Gardens. The concerto was commissioned for Shao, made financially possible by Linda and Stuart Nelson.  

Shao, native to Houston, Texas, studied with Shirley Trepel, former principal cellist of the Houston Symphony. She received a B.A. in religious studies from Yale and an M.M. from the Yale school of Music. She is a faculty member at Vassar college and Bard College’s Conservatory of Music.  

Shao performs throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia. The New York Times praised her “eloquent, powerful” interpretations. According to Peter Laki, visiting professor of music to Bard, she will appear this year as soloist with the BBC Concert Orchestra and Keith Lockhart in performances of the Elgar and Shostakovich concerti two-week tour. She can also be heard on EMI Classics, Bridge Records and on Albany Records.  

While Howard Shore is most well-known for his score of Lord of the Rings, he is an expert in concertos as well. Mythic Gardens “is based on the composer’s feelings upon visiting three sumptuous gardens in Italy—Cimbrone in Ravello on the Amalfi coast, the Medici gardens in Florence and the Villa Litta near Milan,” according to Peter Laki, visiting professor of music to Bard. 

The first movement, Cimbrone was peaceful, yet displayed Shao’s impressive finger movement with sections of quick-tempos as well. The second peace, Medici was similar to Brubeck’s in that it was slow and mellow, achieving a depth of musicality by the orchestra and feeling by the audience. The final Visconti Borromeo Litta ends with a vibrant, full orchestra accompanying Shao.  

The evening ended with two full orchestra concertos by Lutoslawski and Bartók. Hearing the two concertos in one concert was a rare opportunity because one affected the other. Bartók composed in total freedom, whereas Lutoslawski composed during the communist regime of Stalin. ASO performed both well and the connection between the two was evident.  

While the whole night was filled with musicality, Marcovics and Shao were the highlight. Their naturalness as musicians intrigued the audience, who responded in loud praise to both musicians.

With the premiere of Shore's Cello Concerto just a week away, I thought maybe it would be interesting to take a quick look at an article from today's (April 20, 2012) Chestnut Hill Local:

I’ll be honest: while I’ve been to hundreds of plays and concerts, I went to an orchestra performance for the first time this year. As a caretaker to an elderly family member, I found myself at the Bryn Athyn Orchestra’s spring matinee performance. In my late 20s, I was certainly one of the youngest people in attendance. 

[...]

As for myself, I think the assertion that there will never be another great classical composer is incredibly arrogant. Perhaps, being so young and still waiting for my chance to stun the world, it’s my naiveté that leaves me so galled. But it seems to me that reflexive assumptions about the impossibility of unknown future greatness would be the death knell of any arts organization. 

Bach, Vivaldi and Mozart, et al, have plenty of company on my iPod: they’re joined by Hans Zimmer, Howard Shore, Yann Tiersen, John Williams and Philip Glass. I would certainly consider attending live performances of music by these and many more living composers. 

Of course, the panel discussion would not have been complete without some hearty vilification of cantankerous critics: “corrosive”, “poisonous” and “a destructive force” were just some of the phrases used to describe injustices at the hands of music writers. Some attendees bemoaned the role of the Inquirer in perpetuating bad criticism.

You can read Alaina Mabaso's full article HERE. Even if I don't agree with every sentiment expressed, it's an intriguing thought piece ... especially framed by the debut of Shore's new concert work.

Fellowship of the Ring Performances March 3-4 in Taiwan

NEW YORK, Feb. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ — New York-based Erik Ochsner will conduct the Kaohsiung City Symphony Orchestra in the Asian premiere performance of the Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring: Live to Projection (Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts in Taiwan). The performances feature Howard Shore’s Academy Award(R)-winning score performed live, synchronized to film.

In 2011, Erik led successful performances of Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring: Live to Projection (FOTR) with the St. Louis Symphony and Tampere Philharmonic (Finland). In February 2012, Erik made his Iceland Symphony Orchestra debut conducting the Lord of the Rings Symphony. In March 2012, he makes his debut with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra with live-to-projection performances of Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. Future 2013 engagements include Adelaide, Athens, Berlin, Indianapolis, London, Melbourne, Milwaukee, Nurnberg, Ottawa, Stuttgart and Sydney.

Erik conducted the Chinese premiere of Schoenberg’s Pierrot lunaire at the 2007 Beijing Festival of Contemporary Music. He has worked closely with the composer Tan Dun for worldwide productions and workshops, including Tea: A Mirror of Soul and as assistant conductor and chorus master for the Shanghai workshop of Tan Dun’s The First Emperor, a Metropolitan Opera commission.

Erik assisted the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s world premiere performances of The Map with Yo-Yo Ma in Boston, Tanglewood, and Carnegie Hall. Tan Dun personally invited him to conduct members of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic in the composer’s Secret Land for 12 Celli and Concerto for Six.

Erik is music director and founder of the SONOS Chamber Orchestra. They have performed six U.S. premieres, and two world premieres. This season Erik will conduct SONOS in the U.S. premiere of Fredrik Sixten’s Requiem, plus works by Jon Leifs, and Johann Christian Bach. www.SONOSchamberorch.org

The music of The Lord of the Rings is among film music’s most complex and comprehensive works. This unique performance sets the score to the film, but allows the music to bear the narrative weight, creating a new and dramatic live concert experience.

“This amazing music and fantastic drama have moved me since day one: it is always thrilling and moving,” Ochsner described. “What an amazing satisfaction at the end of each and every performance!” 

KAOHSIUNG MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, KAOHSIUNG, TAIWAN Saturday/Sunday March 3-4 

Tickets: http://www.ksaf.com.tw/2012/program_detail.php?fno=38 

 www.erikochsner.com

Dan Schweiger has just posted a new interview with Howard Shore in which he discusses Hugo, A Dangerous Method, The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit ... the whole panoply!

Howard Shore: "I’m actively composing now on The Hobbit. I love Tolkien, and I love Peter’s work. He creates such incredible films, which makes it even better for a composer. These films are endlessly interesting to me. I never tire of them, because the Rings films are fascinating worlds to work in. But scoring them doesn’t get any easier, I have to say! You would think after The Return of the King that you’ve done everything. Now there are two films ahead and it’s just a mountain to climb really, but it feels good. The Hobbit is quite inspiring."

Read Schweiger's full piece HERE.

This is undeniably out-of-date, but I'm leaving it here purely out of posterity .. and because I just released it was online! If my disclaimer hasn't yet put you off, enjoy my appearance on AM Northwest (and click through if you want to see the "Pumpkin Workout" I referenced on Twitter at the time).

October 23, 2012
October 24, 2012
October 25, 2012
October 26, 2012

Cliquez ICI.

Merci à Guillaume!

Time to update the performance calendar!

The recently recorded Lord of the Rings Symphony will play Reykjavik, Iceland on February 16 and 17, 2012 while Michigan's Grand Rapids Symphony will complete their Live to Projection series with The Return of the King on February 17 and 18.

I'll be particularly impressed if any single individual can attend all four performances!

When I signed on to The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films, I expected it to be a highly exciting, entirely behind-the-scenes type of job. Taking the stage, and sitting in on TV news and talk shows was never part of the plan. But "best laid plans" and all that ...

The last few weeks have been an absolute whirlwind of planes, trains, and rental cars. I don't know if my crash courses in everything from vocal modulation to remedial TV blocking have paid off in any great way, but they were certainly fascinating.

I'm glad Of Rings and Myths came right in the middle of the madness, since it was a wonderful change of pace. My deep gratitude to the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra for their dedication and musical sensitivity, and to J.R. Cassidy for his creativity, musicianship, and for issuing the invitation in the first place. I'm never one to put too much stock in reviews, but since I technically never got to experience this performance from the outside, these outside views were most welcome ... and most kind.

Cincinnati.com wrote:

" ... [A] one-of-a-kind program ...

The KSO’s “Of Rings and Myths” was part performance, part academic lecture on comparing and contrasting two epic tales about powerful rings. The orchestra, under the direction of conductor James Cassidy, alternated between selections from Howard Shore’s score to the film adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Rings” series and Richard Wagner’s “Ring” opera cycle.

[...]

What made the concert different was what took place between the selections. Doug Adams, the author of the 2010 book “The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films,” was what you might call the star of the show.

Introducing each musical excerpt, Adams explained what the audience would hear – what Wagner and Shore intended to accomplish in the way they used rhythm and strings and brass, and how the two composers created musical moods relating to themes such as love, death, heroism and conflict.

[...]

Adams knew what he was talking about, but it was just as rewarding to let the orchestra perform, and some of the best moments of the two-hour performance were those when the band played, uninterrupted, for five minutes or so. Accompanying the orchestra were three featured vocalists: sopranos Jennifer Cherest and Kara Shay Thomson and tenor Ric Furman; and the KSO Chorale – which was charged with such tasks as singing certain songs in tongues native to Middle-earth.

The finest vocal performances occurred during the Wagner pieces. Furman and Thomson shined during the excerpt of “Brunnhildle the Valkyrie and Siegfried’s Heroism,” where Thomson’s Brunnhildle tries to dissuade Furman’s Siegfried from falling in love with her."

MusicInCincinnati.com wrote:

"If Richard Wagner were alive today?

No doubt about it, he would be making movies. His idea of Gesamtkunstwerk, or “complete art work,” uniting word, music, drama, visual art, etc. has come true in the realm of cinema.

How natural, then, that James R. Cassidy, innovative, “can do,” music director of the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, would find a link with Wagner in film-making. And not just a philosophical one. Music for films has long been where classical music “went” when audiences began abandoning contemporary art music.

J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings,” published in the 1954-55, draws from the same wellspring of North European mythology as Wagner’s four-opera “Der Ring des Nibelungen” (“The Ring of the Nibelung”). Director Peter Jackson made Tolkien’s novel into the tremendously popular “Lord of the Rings” films in 2001-03. Hugely successful along with them was the musical score by Howard Shore.

The KSO, KSO Chorale and three superlative vocal soloists joined with “Lord of the Rings” expert Doug Adams to compare and contrast Shore and Wagner Saturday night in Florence Baptist Church at Mt. Zion (Florence, Kentucky). Adams, a Chicago based musician and writer, author of “Music of the Lord of the Rings Films,” provided narration for the concert, which comprised excerpts from both composers’ music and a comparison of the two “Ring” tales (Wagner wrote both the words and music for his four operas). It was a giant-sized task, 15 hours of opera and 11 hours of film score condensed into 92 minutes of music, but accomplished with considerable success.

[...]

... [T]he program, written by Adams, was meticulously planned and well presented. Adams' narration was pointed, intelligent and well keyed to the music (though familiarity with the two "Rings" was definitely an advantage). The 72-member KSO performed admirably, with strength in all sections, give or take a fumble or two now and then (notably by brass and percussion). Concertmistress Manami White gave just the right Celtic lift to her solo in “Concerning Hobbits,” Shore’s charming evocation of the Shire. And the trumpets, which definitely could be heard, were resplendent in such excerpts as Wagner’s “Entry of the Gods into Valhalla.”

Best of all were the singers, sopranos Kara Shay Thomson and Jennifer Cherest and tenor Ric Furman. Cherest possesses a beautiful but lighter voice, while Thomson and Furman seemed eminently capable of walking off the stage into a production of Wagner’s “Ring” at any time.

Although the “Ring” stories were told concurrently, the first half was primarily Shore's music. A comparison was drawn between the “Forging Theme” from Wagner’s “Das Rheingold” (with anvils) and Shore’s metal-heavy depiction of the industrial wasteland of Isengard. Similarly, Adams contrasted the birdsong motif from Wagner’s “Siegfried” and “Nature’s Reclamation” from Shore’s “Two Towers.” The Chorale, which sang Tolkien’s languages (Dwarves, Elves, etc.), gave vicious voice to the Orcs in their 5/4 rampage. Soprano Cherest displayed a voice of crystal clarity in excerpts from “Return of the King.”

The second half focused on Wagner. Adams contrasted the ringwraiths from “Fellowship of the Ring” with Wagner’s “Valkyries,” the latter given splendid voice by Thompson backed by Cherest in their famous “Ride.” Also heard were Wagner’s “Magic Fire Music,” “Forest Murmurs” and the battle of Siegfried and the dragon Fafner from “Siegfried.” Cherest and the Chorale lit up “The Grace of Undómiel” from “Return of the King” (Shore), which made a nice contrast with the love story of Wagner’s Siegfried and Brunnhilde. Furman, who looks, acts and sounds like a Siegfried of the future, sang Wagner’s hero with heft and beauty, yielding nothing to Thompson’s formidable Brunnhilde, and leaving one wishing to hear more from him."

Of course, leave it to the message boards to offer the pithiest -- and maybe most genuine -- comments. One poster at FilmScoreMonthly.com offered:

"The KSO did a great job, and Doug Adams narrated the evening in an eloquent and efficient manner that tempts me to call him "film music's David Hyde Pierce" from now on. But I won't.

[...]

I enjoyed the mix of people that came to this, it would be terrific to have more events like this one that bring different audiences together."

I have to admit, I got a good chuckle out of that one! All in all, the program was received exactly as I'd hoped it would be. There's so much incredible music in the performance, it almost can't help but be uniquely satisfying. I expect we'll have a chance to do this show again sometime soon!

As soon as Rings and Myths was over, I was back on the road for a press tour. In the space of just over two weeks, I managed to see Los Angeles, CA; Chicago, IL; Florence, KY; Cincinnati, OH; Dallas, TX (layover); Portland, OR, Seattle, WA, San Francisco, CA; Oakland, CA; and San Jose, CA. I'm sure those who travel for business on a weekly/daily basis are scoffing at my pusillanimity here, but that's a tall order of planes, trains, and rental cars as far as I'm concerned! And a press tour is not exactly a cakewalk -- just ask poor Harry Belafonte! There are a lot of early mornings and tight schedules. I mean, it's not digging ditches, but you do have to stay on your toes while constantly in motion.

I'm glad this was all able to come together, of course. My own goofy schedule almost prevented me from making the rounds, so I'm very thankful to all the producers and publicists that stuck with me while I tried to iron out early October.

And I certainly hope we help spread the word! Shore's Lord of the Rings in Concert performances are amazing. I know I'm likely preaching to the choir here -- literally in some cases -- but these shows are not to be missed. They're so difficult to describe. It's like an evening theater, a symphonic performance, and a premiere screening of a film all tossed together. Of course, it's not exactly any of those things, but maybe that's why it's so special. I hope my soundbite descriptions in the media have done some justice. I always leave feeling like I should have been just a bit more articulate, but I think everyone feels like that.

If you care to judge for yourself, you can see and hear a good bit of the resultant press below. Beware, my comments are redundant since I'm essentially pitching the show anew to each city. But if you want to watch me get slightly tireder upon each appearance, feast your senses!


- KING5-TV:





- 7Live









- KGO TV (video)


- Celluloid Dreams Radio (mp3 download)


 - KMJ Radio (mp3 download)


There's certainly more material to air -- I hit a ton of outlets -- but I'm not sure how much of will be directed toward the internet. Still, if you haven't yet slaked your thirst for media, I'm told there's more to come, so I'll keep adding to this post and announcing via Twitter and Facebook.

I'm fairly comfortable with the press appearances at this point. And I've been lucky: I haven't had to deal with anyone that seemed disinterested in either the concerts or the book. I know that's an interviewer's job, of course, because I used to dabble in that line of work. But that's also enabled me to recognize insincerity pretty quickly, so I was glad to be working with such great people.

That said, my passion is the work, not the promotion. And right now I'm only a few weeks away from the start of the next project. You may have heard a little about it. If not, I'll fill you in as soon as I'm able.

I couldn't be more excited ...

Back soon,

D

Article HERE. Performance tomorrow night!