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.

Film Score Friday: ‘The Lord of the Rings Symphony’ by Howard Shore by Jonathan Weilbaecher, Sep 16 2011

There are a few quintessential film scores in every generation. Amongst the first of the new century is the music from The Fellowship of the Ring, Howard Shore’s epic, sweeping and moving first score in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. At the end of the day, all three scores work together to tell the single story of the Lord of the Rings, weaving in and out of complex themes and structures more like an opera than a traditional film score.  

This epic master work has recently found new life with the release of The Lord of the Rings Symphony, a six movement piece that spans the entire trilogy. The music is structured into two movements per movie, emulating the two books in each volume of the trilogy. Each movie getting between twenty and forty minutes of their best musical moments, woven together like a single cohesive musical experience. 

So the first question on my mind as I hear about this release is how it sounds. Many times when there is a re-recording of a release, it doesn’t have that certain spark of the original recording, the music is all there, but it is just not quite the same. Thankfully, for this release the music is almost perfection, and several cases I even prefer the new recorded cues to the originals I have listened to for years.  

So yes, the music translates wonderfully to this new arrangement, and the heavy inclusion of choirs and vocalists is a big reason for it. The film’s music had the luxury of finding the most talented singers and musicians for the original recordings, and the people who played and sang on this release stands toe to toe with them. Even the end credits songs, which each have iconic and different singular sounds are covered with skill. I can easily see my self lightening to this album when I want a quick Lord of the Rings fix, it is that good.  

Normally I do my three favorite tracks, and my least favorite. With only six tracks on this release and none worth pointing out as a worst, I am instead going to just go over each movement: 

Movement One - The beginning, the mood setter, and the track with the most heavy lifting to do. One of, if not the, most iconic themes of the trilogy is that of the Hobbits. In the movies this theme is introduced very quickly as Bilbo explains Hobbits to the audience. When you start movement one, you are not yet sure how good the whole thing will sound. The music from the prologue is presented well, but it isn’t until the Hobbit music that you realize that you are in good hands. The best part is that it isn’t just a carbon copy, this version even has some of it’s own texture, which really brings it to life in this setting.  

Movement Two - This is the longest single movement from the album, and it is almost entirely brilliant. It starts with the elves and the etherial sounds of Rivendell, moves triumphantly to the Fellowship theme, and continues to wow as the second half of the first film is played out beautifully. There are two moments in this movement I want to focus on, the first being the single best version of the Fellowship theme I have ever heard.  

It is big, heroic and never fails to give me goosebumps. The second moment is a smaller moment that never stood out to me before on any soundtrack release. When the fellowship passes by the Argonath, statues honoring the kings of old, the music is just stunning. I know I picked up on it in the movies, but never on a soundtrack release, until now.  

Movement Three - Moving on to the second film now, movement three has some more amazing music. When you first hear the theme for the people of Rohan I almost lose it every time. The way it builds from the pieces of the fellowship theme, and a great version of the orcs music is just perfect. In context of the symphony I think it actually plays better, in fact I think it sounds better too. This movement also has some really great Isengard themes as well, really selling the point that this moment in the symphony represents the lowest, most hopeless point in the journey.  

Movement Four – This music represents the turning of the tide, when hope rode back into story. It begins with the elves marching to be at the side of man one last time and then transitions into my favorite moment in the entire symphony. The music that accompanies Theoden’s ride out to the Uruk-hi and Gandalf’s epic return is easily the most moving music Shore has ever written.  

Again it is the context of what music plays around this cue that elevates it even more. Also of note in this movement is a wonderful version of Gollum’s Song, the original version has much more of a nordic vide to it, and this version is sung a little more traditionally. I think this actually improves the song.  

Movement Five - We have finally come to music from the last of the films. There is a lot going on in this movie, and on the soundtrack the score does kind of jump around a bit. More so than either of the other two films, and the rearrangement of the music into this symphonic package really brings out the best of it. My favorite moment in this movement is the music for the lighting of the beacons, a thrilling, if a little hooky, moment from the movies that plays beautifully in this movement. Also a tiny moment from Faramir’s ride to Osgiliath is buried in here and is a perfect counter to all of the battle music that populates the rest of the track. 

Movement Six - The film might have twenty five endings, but the music for the last portion of The Return of the King is so good that I would have sat through twenty five more. The movement starts with the music from the final confrontation of good vs. evil. Frodo and Sam are on mount doom, Aragorn is leading the men of the west to the gates of Mordor, basically sh*t is about to go down. Seamlessly the music lays of the final battle, hitting on most of the iconic musical moments for the perfect amount of time.  

From this epic finale it then plays off with almost the entire music from the prolonged end of the trilogy, even the song Aragorn sings at his coronation is here. It is beautiful, every note, all the way to the very end with a version of Into the West and a wonderful cue that lives at the very end of the credits, fittingly closing the book on one of the greatest musical achievements in modern history.  

So yeah, I loved this symphony. It is perfect, amazing, beautiful, or just about any adjective you can use to describe something great. Even if you own the original soundtracks and the complete recordings (as I do) you will want to make sure to pick this up.  

Final Score The Lord of the Rigs Symphony: 5 out of 5

On the 4th and 5th of June 2011 the time had finally come: The Lord of the Rings Live concerts were gonna be played in The Netherlands. Starting with Fellowship of the Ring in 2011, The Two Towers in 2012, then The Return of the King in 2013, completing the trilogy. Played at De Doelen in Rotterdam by one of the great orchestras in the world, the Rotterdam Philharmonic, and with the choirs Groot Omroepkoor, Laurens Collegium, Nationaal Kinderkoor and Nationaal Jongenskoor. As all the The Lord of the Rings Live concerts, the orchestra was conducted by the great Ludwig Wicki and the female vocal parts were sung by Kaitlyn Lusk. With both concerts sold out in a couple of months, The Netherlands was ready to experience The Lord of the Rings like never before.

Being a fan of The Lord of the Rings movies and especially the musical scores, I was psyched to hear that the complete trilogy was gonna be played live during the course of 3 years. Bought my ticket the day they became available and then the waiting began. The reviews on this website gave me more and more excitement, I just couldn’t wait for the show. I made a deal with myself that I didn’t want to see any videos of the concert beforehand, I wanted to experience it on my own wit no images of previous shows in my mind.

On Sunday June 5th it was finally time.

Since I’d never been to De Doelen before I didn’t know what to expect from the concert hall, it turned out pretty big and the entourage was beautiful. The moment we walked into the hall, it wasn’t as crowded but within 10 minutes the hall was jam-packed. At 14:00 pm Meastro Wicki walked on stage: it was time to begin.

Right of the bat I was blown away by the sound, and how similar it sounded to the recordings of the films, of the orchestra. Everything was played perfectly, from the powerful Nazgul’s theme to the subtle Arwen’s Prayer. For 3 hours (not counting the intermission) the players kept this powerful delivering of the music and, as mentioned before here, nothing is as powerful as hearing a musical score live. 

The concert ended with a well deserved standing ovation for the players.

All I have left say is that I was completely blown away by the power and quality of the performance of the orchestra, choirs, Ludwig Wicki and Kaitlyn Lusk. For next year they’ve added a third day because of how incredibly it was received. People who attended the concerts already had a chance to buy tickets for next year's The Two Towers and as of June 7th the tickets are available for everyone, and they are going fast! (As it should be.)

Thanks for an incredible show and see you next year!

Daan Smit

Sydney FOTR report: The Sydney Symphony under Ludwig Wicki's expert baton and accompanied by the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and the Sydney Children's Choir gave a stirring, precise and uplifting performance of the score to Fellowship live to projection this weekend at the always breathtaking Sydney Opera House. I was fortunate enough to attend Saturday night's performance and I have to say that as good as the recordings are there is nothing (repeat nothing) like hearing the music live in such a setting. When I finally ;) got my hands on your book last year, Doug, I was able to listen to the music with new ears again but it was the performances I was already so familiar with. So Saturday night's performance was a very special gift, especially I has never been able to get to a LOTR Symphony. Two things really stood out, the energy that the orchestra put into the performance (that aleatoric music is a real cardiac work out for the strings) and the glory of the choral pieces. The choirs were well prepared, carefully microphoned, and sounded spectacular. The acoustics of the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall are tricky (great venue that has many flaws) and these were managed very well to balance the vocal/ sound effect rack with the live performances of the orchestra, soloists and choirs. What else can I say but bring on TTT in 2012.

As I mentioned in the Ongoing Discussion I attended the FotR Live performance last Friday with 5 of my friends. It left us all in awe. I have now digested the performance for a few days and feel that I can put a couple of thoughts to words.

We arrived at the Tamperetalo music hall a good hour before the concert and were all excited, even those of my friends who were not as deeply versed in the music as I. The crowd was just starting to gather in the spacious lobby of the music hall and we went exploring to see what kind of presentation the Finnish Tolkien Society had there (it was announced that they would be presenting some of their activities and work). We did find out that they were indeed selling their publications and magazines but even more importantly they were selling Doug's book and one of my friends was curious and interested enough so he bought a copy. Obviously my fervent advertisement of this musicological marvel had paid off. :P

And then we heard the ringing fanfares echoing in the lobby (the lobby chimes) that beckoned us into the concert hall and we quickly ushered ourselves in, not wanting to miss a thing.

As we found our seats I had a good look at the orchestra and choruses congregating before us on the stage and I felt giddy with anticipation. Lights dimmed, the screen showing the LotR logo flickered. Our conductor Erik Eino Ochsner and the lovely and talented Kaitlyn Lusk arrived on the stage with a round of applause. My friends, at that moment I thought this would be a night to remember. With a subtle gesture from the conductor the magic began.

The familiar strains of Lothlorien theme trickled into the hall in women's chorus, the strings sighed the ancient, sad and ominous History of the Ring theme and opened the 3 hours spectacle with pitch perfect precision. Almost needless to say I enjoyed every moment of it. The interpretation of the music was near perfect, oftentimes so much that I was entirely lost in the film, forgetting that there was a live performance going on and yet was constantly reminded by the excellent performance that this was the time for the music to shine. As Shore himself says about these events: “Sitting in the crowd for the first time watching and listening, I felt as though I saw the music more clearly and heard the film in a completely new way. It was a wholly novel experience.”

And indeed it was just that for me.

To recount themes and how they are used is a bit futile here as most people know the music intimately and inside out. I spotted a few of the alterations Doug and others have mentioned that Shore has made to the score, namely adding certain passages or augmenting moments with choir originally intended for them but left out of the film. They both bridged silences and also gave this performance a unique feel of an independent concert work. But I will add about the themes that I too saw the music more clearly, identifying the specific moments of thematic interaction or use that had faded from my memory since I had not seen this film in a couple of years. This gave again clarity and added respect for the details in this music in a completely new way. To hear the most intimate passages now in the forefront when they would usually be in the background of soundmix was something of a revelation in places, small operatic gestures Shore so often refers to came all the more apparent and more powerful. The careful back and forth movement in the dialogue scenes, the entrance of a theme on a specific moment all seemingly effortlessly captured by the music and the performance.

And this performance as I said above was near perfect, the orchestra, instrumental soloists, Tampere Philharmonic Choir, Pirkanpojat Boy Choir and the boy sopranos Eetu Halme and Kalle Pääkkönen all contributing at the highest level. Kaitlyn Lusk's solos were especially magical and her talent so obvious, bringing me nearly to tears during Gandalf's Farewells in Moria and Gandalf's Lament in Lothlorien. The boy soloists were truly impressive and I was rooting for them through the whole piece. An inevitable problem with live performances became evident during the evening, namely the balancing of all the performing forces in the mix. Conductor Ochsner maintained an admirable balance of sound throughout but a few times the orchestral din threatened to drown the choral and soloist passages or the instrumental solos. But all in all everybody gave a powerful performance throughout, all textures and vivid colours coming together to form a grand tapestry of enchanting sound.

To mention the most memorable moment in this concert is near impossible as they came thick and fast one after the other. The above mentioned solos of Kaitlyn Lusk, the Amon Sûl scene with its pounding Ring Wraith music, aleatoric fanfares in Give Up the Halfling, the proud french horn solo of Gondor's theme, The fulgurous choral fury of Moria, all the appearances of the History of the Ring theme, the bucolic and nostalgic Shire themes, Watcher in the Water again with the deliciously aleatoric bubbling and mayhem, Isengard theme's numerous outings, The Nature's Reclamation soloist moment, Boromir's noble and tragic end. The list goes on and on. The amount of orchestrational details that came alive and audible in the live perfomance gave the familiar music a new cast and had an electrifying power to it. With the added bonus of the film playing in the background I was at the edge of my seat most of the performance. It was a supreme emotional (but curiously also intellectual) experience that testifies of the keen and lasting spell of the Ring and its music and the power it has over us time and time again.

So three hours (plus an intermission full of giddy praise and awed discussion) later we were leaving the concert hall behind in an elated mood, stepping out to the warm spring night and all six of us made a promise that if The Two Towers Live projection came to town (hopefully next year) we would definitely be there.

To repeat the oft coined phrase, certainly a night to remember.

-Mikko-

Concert review: The St. Louis Symphony's "Lord of the Rings" rules at Powell Hall Friday through Sunday, April 1 through 3
Written by Chuck Lavazzi

Were it not for the huge movie screen suspended above the Powell Hall stage this weekend, you might be forgiven for thinking that the large orchestra, augmented percussion battery, and chorus were going perform the first work in the Ring cycle – and in a way, you’d be right.

The evening did, after all, present the first of a series of dramatic works revolving around a cursed ring of power that brings doom to those who try to use it. The story unfolds in a mythical world filled with dwarves, dragons, and monsters. It’s a tale of magic, betrayal, honor, and redemption through sacrifice that begins with the rise of dark powers and ends with the passing of the world of magic and the coming of the world of men.

Superficial similarities aside, however, this wasn’t the opera Der Ring des Nibelungen: Das Rheingold but rather the film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. And while Howard Shore’s ambitious and striking score may not be in the same class as Wagner’s, it does use the same narrative approach, with specific musical motifs identifying key characters and dramatic concepts. In some respects, in fact, Shore may have the advantage, since his musical toolbox has a number of items – including microtones, Middle Eastern and Celtic influences, and aleatoric/improvisational techniques – that were not available to the German master. And which he probably would have rejected as Teutonically Incorrect in any case.

I won’t bore you by repeating what everyone else has already said about Peter Jackson’s beautiful and compelling adaptation of Tolkien’s novel. By now you’ve already made up your mind about it, and in any case, the real story here is not so much the movie as the added depth and power it derives when accompanied by a live performance of the score. I don’t care how good your surround sound system is, there’s simply no substitute for real musicians in a real hall.

Yes, soprano soloist Ann De Renais uses a wireless microphone, as do boy sopranos Blaine Clark and Graham Markowitz, but otherwise this was Howard Shore unplugged. Under the baton of guest conductor Erik Ochsner – who seems to have carved out a nice niche for himself in that gray area between traditional concert music and film scores – the symphony sounded like the finely tuned instrument it has become over the years. Even the more rhythmically tricky and aggressively “modern” parts of the score – the whole Durin/Moria sequence, for example – sounded flawless.

Mr. Ochsner seemed very engaged with and friendly towards the musicians under his baton – not an easy task given the need to divide his attention between the printed score and the film (complete with the visual equivalent of a click track) playing out on a monitor mounted on the podium.

Like Mr. Ochsner, Ms. De Renais has made LOTR concerts a regular part of her career, but her resume also includes substantial operatic and concert appearances. Perhaps that’s why she was clearly emotionally engaged during her solo passages rather than simply acting as just another pretty voice. Given that everyone was riveted to the screen, she could probably have gotten away with the latter, but a real professional doesn’t just coast – and she didn’t.

A round of applause is due, as well, to Chorus director Amy Kaiser and Children’s Choir artistic director Barbara Berner. Shore asks his singers to do a number of things not ordinarily required on the concert stage (such as singing in Elvish and rhythmically grunting and chanting in Dwarfish), so it’s to their credit that it all sounded so polished. A tip of the topper is due, as well, to the encyclopedic program notes from author Doug Adams, whose Music of Lord of the Rings blog appears to be the final word on the subject.

It would, I think, be easy to dismiss mass market events like the Lord of the Rings concerts as the musical equivalent of the slightly stale popcorn sold at the Powell Hall bar, but that would require one to overlook the sheer magnitude of the task involved and the amount of dedication and talent it takes to pull it off. We are, after all, talking about roughly three and one-half hours of music here – most of it unfamiliar and some of it rather challenging. Everyone concerned deserves hearty congratulations.

And besides, how often do you see Powell Hall this packed? Yes, it meant that getting to the restroom at intermission was pretty much impossible and some folks who brought their drinks into the hall apparently didn’t understand that leaving empty cups on the floor is lousy etiquette, but if it awakens a few more people to the glory of live music in a classic concert hall then it’s worthwhile in my book.

The full title of this book is The Music of The Lord of The Rings Films: A Comprehensive Account of Howard Shore’s Scores With CD. It’s the subtitle that tells the real story - a comprehensive account of Howard Shore’s Scores. For film composers and students of film composition, there hasn’t been a book of this caliber and depth since Henry Mancini’s Case Study of a Film Score: The Thorn Birds. I would place the work done by Doug Adams on Howard Shore’s work, the film music equivalent of what Donald Francis Tovey did for Beethoven. The book is that rich.

[...]

Don’t be fooled by the coffee table look and feel of the book. This is a serious work. And the story line/compositional analysis of each theme is more than you’d ever get in a film scoring class. 

"This wonderful book is indispensable for fans of the films and students of movie music itself. Elegantly researched and written, smartly organized and beautifully published ..."

"[T]he finest film music book ever published ... "

Zenith Award

Doug Adams, The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films

Every now and then, a rising star reaches a pinnacle so significant that you just know the mark they leave will last for generations. This year (and we don’t give this award every year) probably belongs to Doug Adams, whose excellent analysis and tribute to the work of Howard Shore marks a significant milestone in film music criticism. It may have taken seven years to gestate, but the time allowed Adams to refine his approach to the material, carefully paring away potentially distracting elements that might have stolen the focus from the music itself.

"It speaks to the longevity of the “Lord of the Rings,” films that ten years later, movie tie-in books are still being released. It speaks to the power of Howard Shore’s soundtrack and author Doug Adams presentation that “The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films,” is the best LOTR movie-related book and worth the wait."

"Adams, with this book, sets a standard for film books, fan-friendly publications and music scoring aficionados all at once. It succeeds on every level and can rightly claim the labels of “magnificent,” “masterpiece,” and “landmark” without any pretense. It will remain relevant and appreciated as a companion to the films and the score and Tolkien’s original work as long as they remain."

For serious fans of Shore's LotR music score. Five stars aren't enough for this book ~ I give it a galaxy of stars. Without doubt the best book I've added to my Tolkien library this year, maybe ever.

Under the slipcover, the book is bound in a black cloth cover with the elvish ring inscription embossed in gold. It's basically divided into two parts: Description of the major themes with musical examples, then a mavelously descriptive annotation of the scores for each of the three films. The rarities CD included in the back is filled with musical gems that have never before been released. I particularly loved the Shire/The Hobbits mock-up on the Synclavier and the sweetly poignant Frodo's Song that had originally been intended to be the last song of Return of the King until it was replaced by Into The West.

Love love love love this book. I plan to spend many happy months poring over it with the Complete Recordings sounding in my ears. Did I mention it's also laden with movie photos and sketches by Alan Lee?