THE LORD OF THE RINGS SYMPHONY
Music composed and conducted by Howard Shore
Performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Voices and London Oratory School
Vocal performance by Sissel
September 22, 2004
Royal Albert Hall
London, England
PART 1: SOME BACKGROUND
“Composer Howard Shore will conduct the London Philharmonic Orchestra in a concert of his original award-winning music from THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY on Septemb…”
SAY NO MORE.
Seeing Howard Shore conduct his Oscar-winning music live with the orchestra that performed the original score was undoubtedly a no-brainer.
And the fact this concert was happening two days after the premiere of John Barry’s latest musical, BRIGHTON ROCK, gave me even more reason to fly over from Japan to the UK.
But as a poorly paid teacher at the time, I knew it would be tough getting the money together to pay for this trip. I also knew I would forever regret it if I didn’t go.
So I took on as many extra shifts as I could to pump up my pay to a point that I had enough to fund my trip to England.
Needless to say, I managed to hit my savings target and was off on my film music adventure!
PART 2: CONCERT REVIEW
In 2004 the world was in the midst of a LORD OF THE RINGS craze, which was fresh off its historic 11-Oscar win for THE RETURN OF THE KING. So when I showed up at the Royal Albert Hall on the evening of the concert, I wasn’t too surprised to see people dressed up as hobbits, elves, and the maidens of Rohan.
Hearing THE LORD OF THE RINGS music live for the first time, after obsessively listening to it for the previous three years on my beloved portable Sony CD player, was, as expected, an unforgettable experience.
Illustrations and storyboards from key scenes were projected on a large screen while the orchestra performed the score – this wasn’t at all necessary because I could still perfectly “see” the entire trilogy in my head just from hearing Howard Shore’s masterful and multifaceted score.
From THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, I was immediately whisked away to the Shire with the folksy “Concerning Hobbits,” fearing for my life during the terrifying “A Knife in the Dark,” and feeling adventurous and heroic during the opening of “The Bridge of Kazad-dum.” The suite ended with one of my favourite pieces from the trilogy, “The Breaking of the Fellowship.” This 7-minute tour de force scores the finale as Frodo and Sam are about to venture into the unknown together. I adore this piece because it perfectly captures the feeling of friendship and loyalty between Frodo and Sam while creating this beautiful sense of peace and optimism – that despite the many dangers that lie ahead, things are going to be OK.
In the lengthy THE TWO TOWERS suite, I was feeling proud and noble when the triumphant Rohan theme appeared in all its glory during “The Riders of Rohan,” safe yet uncertain during the heavenly “Evenstar,” and truly believing that I could conquer an entire Orc and Uruk-hai army when the sensational “Forth Eorlingas” filled the Royal Albert Hall. What a magnificent piece of music for one of the most inspiring scenes in film history!
For the final suite from THE RETURN OF THE KING, I, along with many others I suspect, was most looking forward to “The Lighting of the Beacons (The White Tree),” and boy, did it deliver. With the strings and brass getting faster, stronger and more determined as it reached its climax, I could not help wanting to stand on my chair and cheer wildly in support of the “kingdoms of men”!
This was later contrasted by the demonic and unrelenting “The End of All Things.” Performed with tremendous power by the orchestra and choir, it gave way to pure catharsis as the music underscored the destruction of Sauron and the subsequent aftermath. A whole gamut of emotions were felt during this superlative piece – starting with ugliness and darkness, and ending with pure beauty and light. Incredible.
The symphony ended with a beautifully soothing performance of “Into the West” by Norwegian soprano, Sissel, most famous for providing the wordless vocals in the score for TITANIC. For me, this performance was much better than the original because Sissel imbued the song with a much gentler and reassuring tone… exactly what Frodo (and the film) needed after his long and life-changing journey.
PART 3: MEETING “HOWARD”
Immediately after the concert I went to the stage exit along with about a hundred other fans to try catch Howard Shore. Mobbed like a true rockstar, he patiently signed everything put in front of him. As the crowd was so large and he had too many things to sign, he went from signing his full name to just “Howard,” which is what he wrote on the cover of my liner notes to THE RETURN OF THE THING. Unfortunately, I had to trash it years ago because I was living in a highly humid apartment which caused mold to grow all over the notes… ☹
PART 4: ANOTHER REVIEW
For a detailed track-by-track account of the concert that night, please go here.
PART 5: OVER TO YOU
Did you also go to this concert? How did you like it?
And what did you think of my report? Feel free to comment below or reach out to me directly in the “Contact Me” section.
