West of the Moon writes: I’m sharing my experience of meeting Howard Shore in Ottawa, Canada – and the thrill it was to meet him afterwards, and attend a Q&A session with him the next day.
SYMPHONY
I attended the LOTR symphony Thursday evening at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, and came away from it in love with the book, film and music all over again. Interestingly, it was a completely different experience from seeing the symphony in Montreal in February (which I had also been lucky enough to attend). I was initially disappointed when I realized that Howard Shore wasn’t conducting, but Alexander Michelthwate, the guest conductor, brought a youthful energy and exuberance that really added to the evening’s performance, and gave a slightly different reading to the more sombre, mature version I’d seen earlier in the year. Hayley Westenra, the 17 year-old New Zealand singer, gave a heartfelt, poised performance that went far beyond her years, and she gave a rendition of Into the West that brought me to tears. The orchestra wholly focused and confident (which I know they should be) but there was a real sense of coming together and enthusiasm that infused their performances. We were sitting a mere five rows from the front, so we had a perfect view of the string section, and could really see the musicians working and reacting – and in many ways that made it more intimate. I missed not being able to see all members of the orchestra, and the interesting instruments they used, but our vantage point really made the evening special.
One thing that didn’t change was the awe-inspiring majesty of the music, and the thrill of hearing familiar pieces, and the key scenes they evoked. I could also really feel the emotional engagement on the part of the audience. My friend was enthralled from beginning to end, as were the people around us. As before, I found myself smiling, holding my breath, and in cases crying (and I wasn’t the only one!). Listening to the music in this manner really makes you appreciate his great accomplishment, and you get the feeling that Howard Shore UNDERSTANDS Tolkien and Middle-earth (more on this later). Howard came out at the end of the performance to great applause and cheering, and I was impressed with just how vocal the audience was in their appreciation – especially given the fact that Ottawans aren’t known for jumping up and down in excitement when it comes to theatre.
RECEPTION
Afterwards we attended a reception for Arts Centre donors (my friend is one), and were able to speak with Howard and the conductor, and they were gracious and patient with everyone who wanted a picture, an autograph or a conversation. I told Howard that I’d seen him conduct in Montreal, and his face lit right up. He asked me if I knew it had been filmed (he was glowing at this point), and I said yes, and asked when we could expect to see it. He said (and was so excited he could barely get the words out) that part of it would be on the ROTK EE DVD, at which point we both quietly squeed, and he went on to say that the whole thing would be shown on Bravo as well. I told him that the books have always been dear to me, and that I loved the films, and how much of their success was (I thought) due to his music. He blushed and said, well, but they were great films to begin with!
STUDIO Q&A
We also had the opportunity to attend a lecture/Q&A session with him the following day, and he spent over two hours sharing his New Zealand, film, collaborative and composing experiences with us. He talked about his way of working – he watched a scene once, and then went away and tried to synthesize how he FELT watching it. The music he wrote came from that experience, not a formal attempt to match music to image. He feels successful music comes from the heart, and that you can only write well by understanding your own life experiences, and listening to your inner voice. He also spend a great deal of time researching and immersing himself in the various cultures and mythology that Tolkien used, so he could be true to that vision. In fact, much of his composition came from the book itself and not film scenes. He likened the whole experience to that of Frodo accepting the responsibility of the ring at the Council of Elrond (in fact, he said he felt, like Frodo, that he had no other option once PJ approached him!), and that PJ was his Gandalf, using his staff to light the way through Moria.
When he spoke about New Zealand he compared it to Canada, saying he felt at home immediately. He remarked on how unusual it was to work so closely with the screenwriters, director, crew, art department and actors (as opposed to coming in at the end of a film to write the music) – saying that he felt it was a true collaborative experience, and a real fellowship – and that that sense of closeness, support and understanding came through in the music. He talked about an instance where Viggo discussed Aragorn’s character with him as he was composing, and how sort of thing happened all the time. He was asked which of his themes were closest to his heart, and he replied that it was Sam and Frodo’s relationship that really resonated for him, and was the soul of the story. He also spoke quite a bit about the maturation of the hobbits, and how their life-changing experiences were what he was trying to convey. He likened film composition to clarity of storytelling, and how it was closely bound with dialogue and visuals, and gave several examples of where music added details that weren’t expressed openly onscreen.
He was at all times patient and willing to answer the same questions, and at no time expressed any weariness with the audience. I can’t imagine following his schedule (even he has a hard time keeping track of where he needs to be on any given day). He said he sees his LOTR composition as a culmination of 40 years of writing, and said he knows he couldn’t have done it at a younger age. There are two things he’s looking forward to – the opera he’s working on (based on The Fly), and going to Oxford in the fall. He’s thrilled at the thought of lecturing where Tolkien lived and worked, and hanging out in the same pub (thus revealing the fact that he, like us, is a fan in every way). He was very generous in sharing the creative experience with us, and we came away from the session bigger fans than we’d been before (which I didn’t think was possible!). It really struck home that this was a HUGE experience for him, and that his natural love of Tolkien, combined with the friendships he formed with the cast and crew, were integral to the music he wrote for the film. It was a great privilege to be able to hear the symphony, and his thoughts on the work, and really gave me a new appreciation for the whole creative process. And you know, much like everyone PJ chose, he’s just a genuinely nice man, and seems to truly love what he does.
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Jeff J
I was thrilled to be able to attend the Friday performance of the LOTR Symphony at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. I only found out about the concert two and a half weeks ago and, worse, I learned that tickets had been on sale since April! I feared at this point I would have lost out on all the “good” seats, but this was a once in a lifetime performance I couldn’t miss. As it turned out, I couldn’t have been more pleased with the seat I bought. In the first row of the Mezzanine level, I had an unobstructed view of the entire stage, about fifteen feet above the seating below. From this viewpoint I could see each member of the National Arts Centre Orchestra (NACO), the full chorus, and the projected production artwork of Alan Lee and John Howe. This artwork was an effective accompaniment to the music, but never distracting. In fact, many times I forgot the imagery was there, so enthralled I was by the performance of the music.
Ah yes, the music. Howard Shore’s tremendous score sounded magnificent and evoked all of the emotion and imagery of the LOTR trilogy, prompting chills and teary eyes where appropriate. I was pleased that all of my favorite cuts from the CDs were present at the concert, like “A Knife in the Dark,” “The Bridge of Khazad-dum,” and the percussive Uruk-hai theme from FOTR; “Evenstar,” “The White Rider,” The Hornburg” and “Forth Eorlingas” from TTT; and “The White Tree,” “Anduril” and “The Grey Havens” from ROTK.
Conductor Alexander Mickelthwaite, making his NACO debut with the Ottawa performances on Thursday and Friday, clearly had the trust of the orchestra members, effusing his energetic style on the proceedings. Each film had two movements of music devoted to them, with FOTR serving the first half of the show, and TTT and ROTK wrapping things up. The approximately 2-hour, 20-minute performance seemed over too soon, but the capacity crowd showed their thunderous appreciation with a lengthy standing ovation that pulled Mickelthwaite out from behind the stage three times.
And I must mention featured vocalist Hayley Westenra, the 17-year-old from New Zealand who made her Canadian and LOTR debut here at the NAC with these Ottawa performances. Her renditions of “Gollum’s Song” and “Into the West” were riveting, showcasing her angelic, crystalline voice. And her accompaniment on cues such as “Evenstar,” “Isengard Unleashed” and “The End of All Things” made those pieces even more satisfying.
This was definitely an event I’m glad I experienced, and I urge everyone to try to attend the LOTR Symphony if it comes to a city near you. You won’t regret it.
Albuquerque, NM • Friday July 23, 2004 – The New Mexico Symphony Orchestra presents two performances of Howard Shore’s Lord of the Rings: Six Movements for Orchestra and Chorus on Friday, September 17 at 8 pm and Sunday, September 19 at 3 pm at UNM’s Popejoy Hall. Guest Conductor Alexander Mikelthwate leads over 200 performers in the two-hour musical journey through Middle-Earth. Original concept artwork for the films by Alan Lee and John Howe will be projected on a large screen suspended above the orchestra and chorus. The full symphony orchestra, adult and children’s chorus, plus a host of exotic instruments make for a once in a life time experience.
Tickets are $54, $45, $35, $28 & $23 and may be purchased at the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra’s website www.nmso.org or through Tickets.com or by calling (505) 881-8999.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA — FRIDAY, JULY 23, 2004 — Author Peter S. Beagle, best known for his stunning wordcraft in such tales as “The Last Unicorn” and “A Fine and Private Place,” has signed on to create a new book which will be published as the companion volume for the upcoming independent feature documentary, RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS. Covering the entire past 50 years of the Tolkien phenomenon, Mr. Beagle will bring to the project his unfettered wit and unique personal anecdotes. After seeing the film, readers can then delve deeper into the vibrant history of popular culture surrounding the “Rings.” The book deal allows Mr. Beagle full access to research materials and hundreds of hours of exclusive interview footage gathered for RINGERS. The film’s production company, Planet BB Entertainment, recently interviewed the legendary fantasist regarding his long association with “The Lord of the Rings.” Details of the book’s publication are TBA at a later date.
Peter S. Beagle is the author of numerous screenplays and teleplays ranging from Sarek (Star Trek: The Next Generation TV Series) and The Last Unicorn (Animated movie) to The Lord of the Rings (Animated Movie). The Ballantine paperback editions of the “Lord of the Rings” appearing during the 1970’s and ‘80s were also personally forwarded by Mr. Beagle, and his essay “Tolkien’s Magic Ring” was the opening piece in the otherwise all-Tolkien collection, “The Tolkien Reader”. Mr. Beagle’s classic books and stories have also made him a multiple winner of the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, the Locus Award, the British and World Fantasy awards, France’s Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire, and he has been elected to the Fantasy Hall of Fame. His works have been translated into at least 15 languages to date.
Scheduled for release from Conlon Press on October 15, 2004, is “Summerlong,” Peter S. Beagle’s first fantasy novel for adults in 11 years. In addition to this release, the unabridged audiobook edition of “The Last Unicorn” read by Mr. Beagle with art by the award-winning team of Leo and Diane Dillon and original music by Jeff Slingluff, is also scheduled to be released on CD with cassette edition to follow later. Unique to this edition is a bound and hand-signed collector’s version of a brand new, never-before published “Last Unicorn” short story by Mr. Beagle. In this piece of fiction, he returns to the world of his classic novel for the first time since it was originally published in 1967. In March of 2004, the 1982 animated version of “The Last Unicorn” was finally released on DVD in America. Since then, this new edition has sold over 150,000 copies. In its first week of release, “The Last Unicorn” DVD skyrocketed to number 11 on the Amazon.com sales charts, and has been a strong seller ever since. For more information on upcoming releases, signings, etc, you can visit Mr. Beagle’s official site at http://www.peterbeagle.com.
About the documentary:
Very funny yet often moving, RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS shows the hidden power behind Tolkien’s 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 Márquez, Publicist 9220 Sunset Blvd Suite 220 West Hollywood, CA 90069 Office: +1 323-669-1173 Cell: +1 626-833-6790
I went to the premiere of the documentary “Frodo Is Great …Who Is That???” which was on at the Auckland film festival. It was good to see other hardcore Figwit fans turning up for it, and hear them all laughing throughout.
TORN features quite heavily in the movie, as do of course the women who started the Figwit craze, not to mention Bret McKenzie himself, the man behind the Elven pout. Of course! More of a surprise was the extent to which people like Peter Jackson, Barrie Osborne, Mark Ordesky, the Hobbit boys and Orlando Bloom got into the spirit of the whole thing in their interviews. They were hilarious!
The whole Figwit phenomenon was very strange and very funny. We’ve forgotten how unusual it seemed at the time – a playful spoof of a celebrity website that ended up attracting the notice of the world media. If you think you’ve got used to the Net and everything it can do, this film is a great reminder of the strange and wonderful community we have made for ourselves online. It shows you how much a few individuals can do to make the world a more fun place.
The movie screens again in Auckland on Sunday at 11:15am, and then goes to the Wellington film festival where it’ll show twice on Friday July 30th and Saturday 31st. More details here.
Meet the RINGERS production team this week as we present an EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK at our feature documentary before an audience of thousands at the massive Comic-Con International at San Diego, CA. Be sure to visit our RINGERS table on the Main Floor of the Convention – TABLE A11.
Visit the RINGERS table and meet Sala Baker (Sauron) and author Peter S. Beagle in person!
Meet legendary Fantasy author Peter S. Beagle in person!
Peter will be signing at the Ringers: Lord of the Fans table A11 on Thursday, July 22.
Peter S. Beagle’s signing hours are:
11:00am – 1:00pm
3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Meet ‘Rings actor Sala Baker!
Sala Baker (Sauron) will be signing at the Ringers: Lord of the Fans table A11 From Thursday July 22 through Sunday July 24th.
Signing hours are:
Thursday: 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Friday: TBA
Saturday: TBA
Sunday: TBA
On Thursday, July 22, 2004, the Ringers filmmakers are holding a special 1-hour panel with author Peter S. Beagle (“The Last Unicorn”). Tolkien lovers will get an exclusive peek at select clips from RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS, never shown before a public audience — and the filmmakers promise many surprise announcements. Peter S. Beagle will make his Comic-Con debut; sharing revealing stories of his work on the 1978 The Lord of the Rings animated adaptation under the direction of Ralph Bakshi. Appearing with producer/director Carlene Cordova will be writer/producer Cliff Broadway (best known as Quickbeam from TheOneRing.net, and co-author of “The People’s Guide to J.R.R. Tolkien”), producer Danny Lukic, and cinematographer/co-producer Josh Mandel, who will all share their unique stories on the film-in-progress. More…
The RINGERS crew will be shooting footage of Ringers wearing costumes inspired by The Lord of the Rings at Comic Com. Stop by booth A11 and you might be in our film!
After the panel, fellow Ringers from around the world are invited to relax at our informal “RingersMoot,” a gathering hosted by the RINGERS team at the MARTINI RANCH (located at 528 F Street), from 8:00pm till closing, just six blocks away in the historic heart of San Diego’s beautiful Gas Lamp District.
ABOUT “RINGERSMOOT:”
The event is Thursday night, July 22, 2004, starting 8:00pm till closing. 21 and over only! No-host bar. Appetizers are served until 9:00pm. There is no cover charge until 9:00pm — (We suggest that you arrive at or before 8:00pm as the place is sure to fill up quickly!) — after 9:00pm it is $5 or only $4 with our special flyer (you can get the flyer by visiting our Table A11 in the Main Hall of the Convention Center or by attending our Panel in ballroom 6CDEF). After 10:00PM it’s $9 with our flyer, $10 without it.
First NY-Metro Area Engagement! Howard Shore’s THE LORD OF THE RINGS SYMPHONY with The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra John Mauceri, conductor Sissel, vocalist Montclair State University Chorale Heather J. Buchanan, choral conductor New Jersey Youth Chorus Patricia Joyce, choral conductor
TWO PERFORMANCES ONLY: Friday, December 3, 2004 at 8:00pm Saturday, December 4, 2004 at 8:00pm
NJPAC and NJSO join forces to present the NY Metropolitan Area premiere of THE LORD OF THE RINGS SYMPHONY: SIX MOVEMENTS FOR ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS, a multi-media extravaganza featuring music from the blockbuster big-screen trilogy whose soundtrack recordings have sold over 4 million copies. This once-in-a-lifetime concert will feature composer Howard Shore’s monumental, Grammy and Academy Award-winning score from all three Lord of the Rings films in a six-movement, two-hour musical journey into the realm of Middle Earth – from the tranquility of the Shire to the horrors of Mordor and explosive Mount Doom. To enhance the musical experience, storyboard sketches from the movie trilogy and original illustrations for the centenary edition of J.R.R. Tolkien’s books will be projected above the orchestra. This spectacular event will incorporate more than 200 performers, including the full New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and two choruses.
Tickets for this performance range from $15 to $68. Tickets go on sale through NJPAC beginning Monday, July 26 at noon, online at www.njpac.org, via phone toll-free at 1-888-466-5722, and at the NJPAC Box Office, One Center Street, Newark, open Mon. to Sat. from 12pm to 6pm, and Sun. from 10am to 3pm. (A $2 facility fee will be added to the price of each ticket purchased through NJPAC. Please note that the NJPAC Box Office will be closed from August 2 through 29; during that period, tickets will be available online at www.njpac.org and via phone at 1-888-GO-NJPAC.)
