There was no film more epic than Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, the first installment of a trilogy based off the J.R.R. Tolkien book series. Tonight, although the film was shown in it’s entirety on giant HD screens, the main focus was the Academy Award winning film score by Howard Shore. It was presented by the National Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Erik Ochsner.
The orchestra was grand! There were large 8ft red drums with a variety of percussion instruments laid about. Two separate choirs, The City Choir of Washington and The World Children’s Choir filled in the backdrop beneath and around the screen with the NSO. To see the Filene Center stage packed from edge to edge with musicians was as epic as the nature of the film itself. I guess a movie of this magnitude required a soundtrack to match.
They played the complete film with dialogue. I would of thought the score played by itself would have been enjoyable enough but having it accommodate the film was actually in a way necessary. Howard Shore’s scores were composed as if the sound was moving along with the film. Intimidating perspective camera angles of colossal beasts and structures. The horns boomed ominously as scenes flashed of Saruman assembling a dark army. You could hear the percussion section clanging and banging as if the Orcs were forging their weapons right on stage. It was easy to get lost in the film and at times the volume of the orchestra startled you. There were certain scenes that were hard not to applaud, like when Gandalf escapes Isengard by catching a ride on a giant hawk. Hearing that scene with the visuals was exhilarating!
The way I wanted to assessed the concert was by comparing the dynamics between the volume of the orchestra and choir to the digital dialog. At times you would hardly know the orchestra was playing and it complimented the film perfectly. Then other times the volume increased to the point it momentarily drowned out the dialog. This was a good thing! These were the best parts, max volume always occurred during the most important and visually stunning scenes, it really captured you. The scene changes between Mordor and Shire musically were executed extremely well. Right on cue! The various motifs in this film were stark in their differences and to transition between them so fluently and abruptly really required concentration and skill.
There aren’t any complaints really. I wasn’t particularly fond of the intermission, (it interrupted the movie) but it was necessary. The Lord of the Rings is an infamously long movie, you just can’t expect everyone to sit for three and a half hours straight, it will give you the carbuncles. The audience really enjoyed this performance. They frequently engaged the concert cheering on their favorite character or applauding a aria. Seeing the detailed settings with the live sound really made you feel like you were in the movie. It was like the sound was drawing out the scenery and I was engulfed in a fantasy world, its an experience like no other. Whether it’s The Lord of the Rings or any other multimedia live performance when its done well it’s extremely enjoyable. This particular performance was done really well! I would recommend seeing the NSO no matter what the occasion but when you couple them with classic film scores and giant HD screens displaying fantasy art; it cannot be missed! Great concert!
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