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How far- travelled are you? You are dwarfing even Bilbo!

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Originally posted by gkgyver:
How far- travelled are you?

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*sing* I have sailed the world, beheld its wonders from the Dardanelles, to the mountains of Peru, but there's no place like... Lucerne! */sing*

Seriously: From the North Cape to New Zealand. And I'm proud of it!

Although I've been to Finland last summer, I've never seen Tampere. So I'm really looking forward to May 2009...

-Sabsi, who finally figured out how to get to Tampere

NP: Dogma

A guy from a LotR-related message board found this video on youtube and claims that he can clearly hear the similarity with the Shire-theme (which one?), but can't tell me where I can hear it on the CRs, for he doesn't have them (yet?).

I have to admit I don't hear it.
What do you think? Any ideas??

Well, Doug has been posting rather frequently over at his blog. Lately, the news is mostly about his book, but there's a lot of tantalizing stuff you can find about the rarities out there.

This discussion in particular might be of interest to you

* Doug is winding up the book's "proofreading" phase. After TPTB sign-off, it's off to the the publisher for the "layout" phase.

* They are talking about a potential "Deluxe Edition" ... but the "deluxe" would refer to format, signatures, etc., as opposed to exclusive informational content.

Doug has also posted several sneak-preview pages, links to info on worldwide LOTR-related concerts, and a few digressions concerning Shore's "Fly" opera.

OK, I'll post something. The SLSO is one of the most acclaimed symphony orchestras in America so I was very excited when I heard they were going to be performing LOTR. I bought a ticket as soon as they went on sale and got a very nice seat in the center of the main floor, about 15 rows back—just perfect for seeing the entire stage.

There was some LOTR memorabilia in the lobby, supposedly authentic movie props from the collection of a private collector in the St. Louis area. These included a "used" (as in nicked and scratched from apparent combat) Anduril, a Sting, Gimli's axe, and a lifesize Lurtz figure in costume. So, this was a nice warm-up for the concert.

Actually, there was something else in the lobby that really had me going for a while. It was...Billy Boyd! Or I thought he was for a while, in any case. The guy was about the right size to be Billy, and looked very much like him. He may have been a tad too young, and his nose wasn't quite like Billy's, so at length, I decided it wasn't him. It would be pretty unlikely for Billy to randomly show up...Scotland is a very long way from St. Louis—but stranger things have happened. I seem to recall that Billy has attended some other performances of the symphony, and has in fact sung Pippin's part, the song sung for Denethor when he sends Faramir into hopeless battle. In any case, that bit of music was not part of the performance of the symphony Friday night, and in retrospect I doubt the young man in the lobby was Billy.

On to the show, then. It was wondrous. In some ways, it was almost too good. It was quite often just like listening to the CDs. Ironically, it was most real, then, when it deviated from expectations, such as when the boy soprano singing "In Dreams" sang it a bit differently. ("And in dreams, I can HEAR your name"..."hear" contained fewer notes). Soloists sometimes had a bit of trouble getting the right distance from microphones, causing a note hear and there to fade out. But those are small quibbles, and to whatever extent they detracted, other areas made up for, such as the unexpected choral support underlying the Hymn setting of the Shire theme at Aragorn's coronation. It was rapturous!

It was also very interesting hearing how the symphony was put together. I had assumed it would be very similar to, though a cut down version of, the original single disc soundtracks. In many ways it was, though I caught two distinct passages that were from the extended cuts of the movies (IE, from the CRs). The first of these was the music for the extended exit from Rivendell in Fellowship, and the second was the Shadowfax music from the Two Towers.

All the soloists were quite good, especially Kaitlyn Lusk, who featured prominently in the second half. And Conductor Ludwig Wicki was excellent. He is obviously very versed in this music, having conducted it many times now, and just as obviously enjoys doing it immensely.

All in all, it was a fabulous evening, made all the more so by the fact that it was in St. Louis, which is such an easy and affordable city to see events in. My ticket was only a little over 50 dollars, and for parking I paid a whopping 25 cents...I got a metered spot on the street beside the venue. I should also add that the SLSO's home, Powell Symphony Hall, is not only pleasing to the eye but the acoustics are apparently perfect.

Now for a different view, I'll post the professional review from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The reviewer dissed just about ever aspect of the show, leaving me wondering if she saw the same concert I did. I suspect that just as "serious" book critics resent Harry Potter, in spite of/because of its effect in bringing the masses back to reading, that "serious" music critics may resent the LOTR music for bringing the masses into the symphony halls. Whatever. Here's the review from the newspaper.

SLSO offers crowd-pleasing "Lord of the Rings" symphony
By Sarah Bryan Miller
POST-DISPATCH CLASSICAL MUSIC CRITIC
09/20/2008

This weekend brought the first of the new "SLSO Presents" series to Powell Symphony Hall with two sold out performances of Howard Shore’s "Lord of the Rings" Symphony. On Friday, the audience was dressy, polite, age-diverse and enthusiastic – and largely new to Powell.

Thanks to Troika Brodsky, a local collector of film props and costumes, there were two full-sized costumed figures from the films -- along some weaponry -- on display in the lobby. Delighted fans posed for photos.

The stage was built out to accommodate more than 225 instrumentalists and singers; Mahler has nothing on Shore in that regard. The overhead screen displayed pencil sketches of the designs for the three films based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s books. That worked for those of us who think director Peter Jackson got the look right, but too much in the story wrong.

Artistically, "Rings" demonstrates that movie music is intended primarily as an accompaniment to images and action. Shore, whose opera "The Fly" recently opened to critical swatting in Los Angeles, doesn’t really have that much to say. The score lacks depth, repeats too much and goes on too long. The texts of the songs in English are banal.

It got a solid performance from the orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Chorus and St. Louis Children’s Choirs, the latter two demonstrating facility in Elvish. There was assured singing from trebles Gilman Plitt and Daniel Pollmann.

Soloists were spotlighted and amplified; it was fun to hear (and see) violinist Rebecca Boyer Hall demonstrate her facility on the Hardanger fiddle, a Norwegian folk instrument.

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I suspect that just as "serious" book critics resent Harry Potter, in spite of/because of its effect in bringing the masses back to reading, that "serious" music critics may resent the LOTR music for bringing the masses into the symphony halls.

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Anyone who even glances at the liner notes or the annotated score of LOTR should be able to tell that (not that you HAVE to read these things, though.) Even if you don't particularly enjoy the style of the music, it doesn't mean there's not depth, complexity, or meaning.

I often see films and read novels that I absolutely hate or cannot get into, but I can still appreciate thematic complexity, plot complexity, technique, and so forth.

The Rarities Archives are going to be their own album!

Let me back up...

Plans are now underway to create an all-inclusive Master Box (a working title, not necessarily the final name) that includes all the Complete Recordings music. It has been decided that The Rarities Archives should be added to this set in order to make it absolutely as comprehensive as possible. This makes an enormous difference in terms of what rare material can be released… Had the Rarities been released with the book, licensing costs were always going to have SOME effect on how much audio could be included. We would eventually hit a point where, due budgetary realities, we'd have to start cutting things. There was just so much material.

However, with Warners now eager for the Rarities, everything is back in-house. They already own the license to this music. This means that CONSIDERABLY more music is now available for the project! You will see why this qualifies as something "major," I promise. And as I've said, there is some incredible LOTR music that no one has ever heard. Now we can be sure you'll hear it all. Frankly, it'll be amazing to put everything Shore wrote for this project side-by-side. It's remarkable both from a collector/completeist standpoint and from an artistic standpoint. Here, finally, is the complete collection of Howard Shore's music for The Lord of the Rings.

I have also stressed to the powers that be that I feel the Rarities should be made available as a stand-alone album as well, so that that material is not available only with the full multi-disc set. So those of you content with one set of the CRs need not panic!

So what else can I say about this so-called Master Box? Uh… nothing really. But only because there's next to nothing decided at this point. I don't know what it will look like. I don't know what's going to be inside as far as the CR's audio DVDs and liners go. It's very, very early on for this project. But everything seems to be in the best possible hands right now! This will be overseen just as The Complete Recordings were, with the same team and the same dedication.

As for The Rarities Archives, it's still safe to assume this will be presented on DVD because of the amount of material. But we're exploring some details past this that could potentially make the music a little more accessible for those disinclined to pop in an audio DVD.

This development also impacts the book. The Rarities were meant to represent the heart of the book's multimedia aspect. With that aspect now moving on to album form, we're freed up to create something entirely new. That's what all the upcoming filming is about. We're still discovering the parameters of this new aspect, but we're using our public appearances and pre-concert lectures as a starting point—the experiences that Howard and I have had discussing this score. The experiences themselves aren't going to be the focus, obviously, the music will. But I think our framing device will develop along these lines. We're in an even more embryonic state on this than on the Master Box. It's come as a complete surprise… and wonderful surprise at that, but thoughts are still being organized.

So are you all preparing to place the defibrillator paddles on your wallet? Don't do it! The book's bottom line is untouched. It will cost exactly the same as it would have six months ago. There will still be a Standard Edition and a souped-up Deluxe Edition. These will both be book and DVD combos. Deluxe will be deluxe in presentation only. You know, special hardcover, autographs, hand numbered, etc. Expect more announcements on this in the near future.

We are also actively looking into a super-deluxe package that would include both the Deluxe Edition of the book and the Master Box. (This would be the actual book, not a 5 by 5 liner reduction or anything like that.) If you've got the cash and are dying to get your hands on the most luxurious presentation possible, I promise you, we'll make it worth your while! Oh, and we have a special guest working on the deluxe book packaging, so we may tie this in with the Master Box packaging if it seems appropriate.

But, again, if you were simply planning on picking up the book at a reasonable price and nothing else, fret not. It won't cost a dime more than it did before these exciting developments. I'm pushing hard so that there won't be any material that is exclusive to the premium priced goods. Just presentation.

Could any of the above change? Sure. All of it could change. Nothing is cast in stone, and what little ink exists is still pretty wet. But we've got passionate people in all the right places, so I'm not worried about a thing. That said, please understand, none of this is an official announcement. I'm just trying to share my enthusiasm and let you know what's brewing behind the scenes. When everything is solid and unchanging, you'd better believe I'll be directing you toward every press release available. But until that time, I ask for your indulgence and patience.

But remember the complete archive includes performance errors, unused takes, etc. The point of this upcoming collection is to present things that are musically different and interesting. It's not going to be lengthy just for the sake of being lengthy. Material is going to have to earn its inclusion.

As for DVD versus CD, etc., we've got some plans...

-Doug www.themusicofthelordoftheringsfilms.blogspot.com

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Originally posted by StarlessWinter:
Gosh, is there really that much unreleased music?

That's great, but some of us are not always home and like to listen to music on the road. Or we live with others who don't want to listen to film music blaring throughout the house. That's why I love the Complete Recordings CDs so much...I rarely ever pop in the DVD.

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Edit: That is I wanted to get Fellowship and The Towers after the new year.

The cost of waiting...happens to all film score fans a few times....

And also here, at Doug's blog:
http://themusicofthelordoftheringsfilms.blogspot.com/2009/07/reveal.html

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Originally posted by gkgyver:
Plans are now underway to create an all-inclusive Master Box (a working title, not necessarily the final name) that includes all the Complete Recordings music. It has been decided that The Rarities Archives should be added to this set in order to make it absolutely as comprehensive as possible.

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--Brian

* Doug's author's blog has, as of Sunday, hit its two year anniversary. Doug also has a birthday coming up at the end of the week, so wish him a good one!

* The target date for the book release has been moved to sometime in 2010. There were some legal complications that needed sorting, but they are now sorted.

* While the delay is understandably frustrating when considered apart, it has actually opened up some fresh and exciting possibilities! Chief among them is the ability to add a new member to the team: the immensely talented designer Gary Day-Ellison, who counts the LOTR-themed Alan Lee Sketchbook and Children of Hurin Calendar among his many, many accomplishments.

* TTT Live will be coming to Radio City Music Hall in October, 2010. Tickets are now available for presale.

And yes, that's a NEW original Alan Lee sketch for the cover. View it full-on at the blog:
http://themusicofthelordoftheringsfilms.blogspot.com/