Review: THE LORD OF THE RINGS In Concert
Howard Shore's masterful score for The Lord of the Rings trilogy was recently performed for the first time in America, and I was there to experience it.
From April 7th-12th, the music from the entire trilogy was performed twice by the musicians of Switzerland's 21st Century Symphony Orchestra while Peter Jackson's films played on a giant screen behind them. I was on vacation in New York City last week, and while I was there, I had the opportunity to attend a performance of The Fellowship of the Ring live in concert at the Lincoln Center. It was an amazing event that increased my appreciation and admiration for both the film and the score even more than I thought possible.
The music was literally put front and center in this performance, with the 90-piece orchestra and chorus (as well as vocal soloist Kaitlyn Lusk — tasked with emulating Enya — and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus) taking the stage as a scoreless version of the film was projected on a screen behind them. Fellowship has always been my favorite film of the trilogy, but seeing it like this really heightened the power of Shore's astounding compositions. As someone who doesn't often attend orchestral works, watching conductor Ludwig Wicki bring this music to life struck me as an impressive feat of stamina; though there was a brief intermission, the film's long runtime meant that Wicki's arms were in near constant motion, and it was clear from the opening moments that he had an absolute mastery of this material.
I knew that the orchestra would be involved but I wasn't expecting a chorus to be a part of the event, and that added a whole different sonic dimension to the performance. They sang in six languages — the Tolkien-created Quenya, Sindarin, Adunaic, Khuzdul, and Black Speech, as well as Old English — and provided an epic scope to scenes like the battle between Gandalf and Saruman. I couldn't actually understand a word of what they were saying, but it didn't matter: the power of their united voices enhanced the experience Jackson intended for his audience.
The event had an unexpected affect on me, too — it put me in the mindset of Jackson and Shore back when they were working on the movie before it was released for the first time. For me, music often fades into the background when I'm watching a movie as I get caught up in the story or characters, but with the musicians taking precendent over the images this time, I was able to watch the film in a way I never had before. I took much more notice of not only the individual notes and songs, but also the use of silences; when the orchestra relaxed between songs, my eyes turned toward the screen and I became acutely aware of the images that Jackson wanted to stand on their own without the power of the score behind them. (I know it'll be difficult, but I'd recommend that the next time you watch the movie, try to pay attention to the silences.)
It's a testament to the power of the film that even though there was a world-class orchestra performing directly in front of me, I still occasionally caught myself getting sucked into the movie itself. The visuals are so captivating, the production design so compelling, and the acting so wonderful that it's hard not to get pulled in every time I watch it. It felt like attending a live sporting event and watching it unfold on the Jumbotron instead of looking at the players on the field.
When recording scores for films, orchestras can operate much like a film production: if someone screws up, they can stop and re-record that section, and then piece everything seamlessly together afterwards and we'd never know about it. But in front of a live audience, the stakes are much higher. There are no re-takes, and even though the pressure was on and some of the performers were using bizarre, unfamiliar instruments (like chains beaten on piano wires during the Orc themes), they nailed every note and delivered an unforgettable experience unlike anything I've ever seen. Keep an eye out for future tour dates in a city near you: it's absolutely worth checking out, and you'll never watch The Lord of the Rings the same way again.
