Hartford Symphony LOTR Concert
Xoanon @ 1:23 pm EST

HARTFORD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PRESENTS OSCAR(r)-WINNING COMPOSER HOWARD SHORE AND "THE LORD OF THE RINGS SYMPHONY" TICKETS FOR THE SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 PERFORMANCE ON SALE NOW

HARTFORD, Conn. - Tickets to the Sunday, September 19, 3 pm performance of the triumphant "Lord of the Rings Symphony" featuring Oscar(r)-winning composer and conductor Howard Shore and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, are on sale now. Call HSO Ticket Services at (860) 244-2999, Monday to Friday, 9 to 5, or visit www.hartfordsymphony.org.

"The Lord of the Rings Symphony: Six Movements for Orchestra and Chorus" will be presented on Saturday, September 18, 2004 at 8 pm and Sunday, September 19, 2004 at 3 pm in Mortensen Hall at The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts. The performances will feature six symphonic movements, drawn from the twelve hours of music Shore composed for the motion pictures in the "Lord of the Rings" Trilogy, along with projections of original illustrations and storyboards by artists Alan Lee and John Howe. "The Lord of the Rings Symphony" is one of the largest productions in the history of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, calling for more than 100 musicians, along with The Hartford Chorale, the Connecticut Children's Chorus and vocal soloists - all under the direction of Howard Shore.

Howard Shore has composed the scores to more than 60 films and received the Oscar(r) and Grammy Awards for Best Original Score for "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," the first film in the Tolkien trilogy, for which he was also honored with awards from Los Angeles Film Critics, the Chicago Film Critics, and the Broadcast Film Critics. The score for "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" recently won the Academy Award, the Broadcast Film Critics Award and Golden Globes for both Best Original Score and Best Original Song for "Into the West."

The soundtracks for "The Fellowship of the Ring," "The Two Towers," and "The Return of the King" have sold more than 4 million albums worldwide and both albums have remained on the Billboard Top 100 Soundtracks chart since their original release in 2001, 2002, and 2003 respectively. The U.K.'s Classic FM voted "The Lord of the Rings" soundtracks "Best Film Score of All Time" for two consecutive years. Shore conducted the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in the world premiere of his symphony, "The Lord of the Rings Symphony: Six Movements for Orchestra and Chorus" in Wellington, New Zealand on November 29, 2003. The U.S.-premiere took place on March 27 and 28, 2004 in Columbus, Ohio.

"Shore manages the admirable feat of summoning up a Wagnerian atmosphere without copying the original."
Alex Ross, The New Yorker

"The 'Lord of the Rings Symphony' is still a big success because of the power and appeal of Shore's themes."
Barbara Zuck, Columbus Dispatch

"Brilliantly hued ... and so completely exploitive of the symphony orchestra's potential."
John Button, The Dominion Post

"The rich combination of orchestra and choir were working magnificently..."
Gerry Maddox, Sydney Morning Herald

Tickets to the Sunday, September 19, performance of "The Lord of the Rings Symphony" range from $25 to $65. Tickets will be available through HSO Ticket Services at (860) 244-2999, Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5pm, and online at www.hartfordsymphony.org.

The Saturday, September 18, performance is part of the 2004-2005 Hartford Symphony Pops! subscription series. Subscriptions to the entire

HSO Pops! season start at $84 and are available through HSO Ticket Services at 860-244-2999. More information on the Pops! series is available at www.hartfordsymphony.org. Single tickets to this performance will go on sale on August 2, 2004.