When I found out Howard Shore was coming to Pittsburgh for the LOTR Symphony at the end of July, I managed to get permission to sing with the Mendelssohn Choir for these performances. (DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! I have the qualifications!)
We had our first rehearsal this past Tuesday. Thats right. We have 2 ½ weeks to get this learned and polished before the first concert! Dr. Page worked with only the women on Tuesday.
I was so excited to be there, but I had to keep reminding myself that I was surrounded by muggles, as my friend, Sally put it. Many know at least something about the movies or the books, but Dr. Page knows nothing about them. You could see that he respects the piece, though, and that means the singers will also, because they respect his opinion.
I must say this is not for the faint-hearted. We covered four of the six movements that evening.
I know a little about the Elven languages, and this actually hindered me at first, as I kept trying to force Elvish pronunciations onto the text. The words in the piece are written phonetically, not at all the way they appear in the books. Howard Shores note was that we should pronounce the words as if they were English. Even Dr. Page said that this would be difficult, as some of the pronunciations dont exist in English.
For example, Osgiliath is written awss-ghee-lee-ahth. Fifty-four pages of this! There is a separate book, which translates some, but not all of the text, so people know what theyre singing about. It also includes a pronunciation guide, which translates the phonetics to Elvish (doesnt specify which Elvish) and Old English. Needless to say, it is very confusing.
My sight-reading skills are good, but not so good that I can just look at a piece and know immediately what it is. So it was an evening of discoveries, as I realized, Oh, this is the wizard fight. Oh, now were in Rivendell.
You may not be aware of this, but when the choir is a part of a symphony, the music you get is not complete – just like the violinists, horn players, etc., the music contains only the parts you need to see, so there is much more for me to discover, as I have not yet seen or heard the whole thing.
There were several moments where I got chills singing through this, and I kept thinking how lucky I am to be doing it. Im looking forward to singing with the full choir and hearing the men sing The Bridge of Khazad-Dum.
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Dimholt Road adds this:
I noticed your earlier post concerning another perspective on the upcoming performance of the LOTR Symphony with the Pittsburgh Symphony. I am a baritone in the Mendelssohn choir of Pittsburgh and we had our first rehearsal with just the men this past Monday. Dr. Robert Page our director mentioned the complexity of Tolkien’s text even though he himself is not well versed in the overall story.
I must admit how exciting it is to sing the “Bridge of Kazad dum”. The dwarvish text is so gutteral and pounding as the voices will act in concert with the instruments of the symphony. Needless to say, the notes sung in this passage are quite low, it is almost as if Howard Shore is paralleling the deepness of Moria with the deepness of the male voice.
I had chills when rehearsing the choral section that is heard when the Fellowship exits Moria, weeping for the fallen Gandalf, quite haunting. I look forward to the coming weeks as I get more and more intimate with scores that I have listened to constantly over these last three years.
The Silmarils, the Arkenstone, Lembas, the Palantiri, the Elessar, the Rings of Power, Elven weaponry, Morgul blades. Some of Tolkiens most famous objects were mysterious. Some inspired obsession while others carried legacies. [More]
The Silmarils, the Arkenstone, Lembas, the Palantiri, the Elessar, the Rings of Power, Elven weaponry, Morgul blades. Some of Tolkiens most famous objects were mysterious. Some inspired obsession while others carried legacies. [More]
The Silmarils, the Arkenstone, Lembas, the Palantiri, the Elessar, the Rings of Power, Elven weaponry, Morgul blades. Some of Tolkiens most famous objects were mysterious. Some inspired obsession while others carried legacies.
Powerful objects in Middle-earth’s History
Some were objects of art, while others were maybe magical. Through certain objects, we learn about Tolkiens love for mythology, while through others, we feel his reverence for spirituality.
What were some of Tolkiens most famous and most mysterious objects? How did these objects affect history in Middle-earth? What did they do for their owners, and others? What did they bring to Tolkiens stories?
Come join us in #thehalloffire this week as we discuss Tolkien’s most fascinating objects.
=== Upcoming topics:
July 24-25 — Gandalf’s Involvement with the Hobbits August 7-8 — Middle Earths Greatest Cities August 14-15 — The Hobbit: Chapter 11: On the Doorstep
=== Place: #thehalloffire on theonering.net IRC server. Need instructions? Go here: http://www.theonering.net/barlimans/instructions.html
=== Chat Times:
Saturday Chat: 5:30pm ET (17:30) [also 11:30pm (23:30) CET and 9:30am Sunday (07:30) AET]
Sunday Chat: 7:00 pm (19:00) CET [also 1:00pm (13:00) ET and 5:00am (03:00) Monday morning AET]
ET = Eastern Time, USA’s East Coast CET = Central European Time, Central Europe AET = Australian East Coast
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA — Friday, JULY 16, 2004 The man behind the Gollum, actor Andy Serkis, has been interviewed for the upcoming independent feature documentary, RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS. Mr. Serkis shared many remarkable insights into the nefarious character he portrayed in Peter Jacksons Lord of the Rings film trilogy — widely regarded as a watershed moment in film history that perfectly married the skills of thespian performance with digital artistry. [More]
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA — Friday, JULY 16, 2004 The man behind the Gollum, actor Andy Serkis, has been interviewed for the upcoming independent feature documentary, RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS. Mr. Serkis shared many remarkable insights into the nefarious character he portrayed in Peter Jacksons Lord of the Rings film trilogy — widely regarded as a watershed moment in film history that perfectly married the skills of thespian performance with digital artistry.
Mr. Serkis has a significant stage resume, including Iago in Braham Murray’s 2002 production of Othello at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester. He played Factory Records producer Martin Hannett in Michael Winterbottoms 24 Hour Party People; and starred opposite Jennifer Garner in the recent comedy smash, 13 Going on 30. He has appeared on American television in The Arabian Nights; and stole every scene in which he appeared as John DAuban in Mike Leighs modern classic, Topsy-Turvy. His motion capture performance for the creature Gollum also included playing his hobbit counterpart, Sméagol, seen in the final installment, The Return of the King. Mr. Serkis is a co-recipient of the Best Acting Ensemble award from both the National Board of Review and the Broadcast Film Critics Association; also winning the Screen Actors Guild Award (Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture) for his work in the Rings Trilogy. He will feature prominently in Peter Jacksons upcoming King Kong, where more of his motion capture work will support the CGI creation of the titular ape.
About the documentary:
Very funny yet often moving, Ringers: Lord of the Fans shows the hidden power behind Tolkiens books — and how after 50 years a single literary work continues to spark the minds and hearts of millions, across cultures and across time. Ringers explores the real foundations of Middle-earth; a community of true fans who share a common bond. Moving beyond cult classic and over several different generations, the film unearths academics, musicians, authors, filmmakers, and a plethora of pop junkies — the people gathered under the banner of Ringer.
RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS spent 16 months shooting on three continents. Produced in association with the popular Tolkien fan-site TheOneRing.net, Ringers stands as the most comprehensive film document of the ongoing fandom of The Lord of the Rings.
Actor – Sir Ian McKellen, Actor – Dominic Monaghan, Actor – Andy Serkis, Actor – Sala Baker, Author/Filmmaker – Clive Barker, Writer/Director/Producer – Cameron Crowe, Actor – David Carradine, Author – Terry Pratchett, Author – Peter S. Beagle, Author – Terry Brooks, Musician – Lemmy Kilmister, Musician – Geddy Lee, Tolkien Scholar – Dr. Jane Chance, Chairperson of the Tolkien Society – Christine Crawshaw, Author – Colin Duriez, Filmmaker/Critic – Chris Gore, Writer/Publisher – Forrest J. Ackerman, Actor – Bill Mumy, Author/Broadcaster – Brian Sibley, Illustrator/Author – Colleen Doran, Illustrator/Author – Jill Thompson, Great-Grandson – Royd Tolkien, and hundreds of Tolkien fans!
For additional information, contact: Melanie Marquez, Publicist 9220 Sunset Blvd Suite 220 West Hollywood, CA 90069 Office: +1 323-669-1173