If you haven't been to the Radio City LOTR site lately, it's time to re-click and refresh. The site's new audio into features a radio spot voiced by none other than Gandalf himself, Sir Ian McKellen. This was our mystery recording session from a few weeks back. As I've mentioned in the Ongoing Discussion, this was a particularly exciting day for me. Through the immense generosity of the powers that be, I was allowed to write this spot, and thus enjoy the overwhelming thrill of hearing Sir Ian give voice to my words!
Come share in the power, indeed!
UPDATE: Hope you enjoyed the preview--the taste of things to come, as it were. Sir Ian will be back soon... along with the new Radio City LOTR site!
Jim Lochner's Film Score Click Track and Film Score Monthly Online are announcing their upcoming joint coverage of this fall's Radio City Fellowship performances. Jim's a great guy and a wonderful writer... and if nothing else, I hope that his piece will finally allow us to have that long-promised coffee that we keep missing when I'm in NY. (Sorry, Jim!)
This is just the first of the press coverage to come, and I'm extremely happy to see it coming from our old stalwart Film Score Monthly.
Wasn't I just musing on the start of spring? How did it come to be that the summer solstice will officially begin later this month? I suppose a combination of airplanes, appearances, deals and deadlines can cause one to lose a few hours here and there, eh? Nevertheless, I'll try to give you an overview update on the latest goings-on ongoing... and there's plenty to digest.
Radio City is now coming together in a very big way. I know we've not had many announcements on that front lately, but behind the scenes, gears are turning. Many people I've spoken with are waiting on the schedule/travel accommodations before purchasing tickets. Although nothing's yet announced, I think it's fair to say that you can expect to see the side events lasting throughout the weekend. We'll likely have the first events on Friday, October 9, though I'm not yet sure if things will kick of before or after the opening concert. And it's entirely possible that the book release will be the first fête of the weekend! I presume I don't have to tell you how exciting that is to me. I'm also told that the hotel partnership should be solidified and announced very soon. Airfare is low at the moment, and likely to climb soon, so you may want to take the airfare plunge now, then book your room later.
We've lined up a very impressive NY night spot for some of the after hours events, and the list of celebrity guests continues to grow. I wish I could say more, but I can't yet.
The book layout is still churning along out in Los Angeles. I haven't seen it yet, but I'm repeatedly told I'll have something to look at "soon." See, I'm not the only one who leads people on with promises of great things to come! ;)
Those of you following the newly implemented Twitter Feed will note that I've been working on The Rarities quite a bit lately. Howard introduced some beautiful new ideas into the mix during the past month or so -- in essence, he's looking for a way to give something back to the fans who have poured so much passion into this music. We're in the midst of exploring these new options right now. The Rarities figure into this in a very big way. As such, you may see some changes in the packaging options we've previously predicted. I won't say more right now, but I think Howard has brought something wonderfully creative and giving to the table. Very much in the spirit of Tolkien. You'll see, you'll see. (And for those of you inclined to do so, none of the above is any cause for concern!)
I'm still reeling from my time in Poland last week, and I need to again offer my sincere thanks to all those that made it happen. It was a profoundly moving experience. There have been numerous requests for additional videos, and though I probably shouldn't.... please see below:
I also shouldn't mention that, if you search YouTube, you'll find many more videos like the above, so I'll be quite certain to avoid saying that... And yes, this shows the now-infamous intro where the picture kicked in a few seconds late. As I noted in one of the comment threads last week, it's nothing short of a minor miracle that this concert came off at all. A severe storm the night before completely destroyed the projection screen -- one of only two in Poland, I'm told. See the picture below. It looks like the Ringwraiths had their way with it!
So in less that 24 hours, the second screen was located, shipped and installed in time for Saturday night's concert. That there weren't more technical mishaps is testament to the incredibly hardworking multinational team that put this performance together. I hope that any sleep lost was made up tenfold the following day. It was more than earned. Incidentally, I had coffee with the festival director the morning after the performance, and he seem absolutely drained. Thrilled and proud, but drained!
Right now, I need to get back to work selecting audio examples for the forthcoming full Radio City website, so I must check out for the evening. Ah but first, please note that our new magnet is now available... the second and final "OF" of the project. Wow, only three more to go! Click here, if you're interested.
Looks like the Radio City LOTR concerts are beginning to attract a bit of press attention. See recent posts on BrooklynVegan, TolkienLibrary, and NBCNewYork. Come join the Fellowship indeed!
The sound quality isn't the best, so instruments occasionally sound a bit distorted. But live outdoor mic set-ups aren't the same as recording sessions. And you've got to love the energy!
I'll be back later tonight. Expect emails, posts, etc. to be addressed then.
The hotel in Kraków has been decked out in a music motif. It's right across the street from the concert hall, so I suppose there is supposed so be a sort of thematic flow. It serves a strictly visual purpose, however. The notation isn't quite accurate, lines are split into sections as carpeting dictates, etc. So imagine the surprise when one finds the below sitting on the wall behind the front desk:
Click to enlarge, should need be. The key, if it isn't clear, is A-flat. Can this be a coincidence? The hotel easily predates the film music festival. Did some designer (obviously not acquainted with proper notation) end up randomly etching Williams' five-note motif from Close Encounters into the glass? How funny!
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