The Lord of the Rings In Concert: The Fellowship of the Ring is coming to the Orleans Arena Friday, October 14 at 8 p.m. This musical and theatrical event features Howard Shore's complete Academy Award® and Grammy®-winning score, performed live onstage by more than 200 musicians.
Celebrated Maestro Ludwig Wicki, the preeminent conductor of Howard Shore's Ring music, will conduct the performance. Joining Maestro Wicki is soprano Kaitlyn Lusk, who has toured the world as a soloist in The Lord of the Rings Symphony. Peter Jackson's complete award-winning movie will be projected digitally, in high-definition, on an immense 60-foot screen, while The Combined forces of the Munich Symphony Orchestra, Pacific Chorale and Phoenix Boys Choir bring the music of Middle-earth to life.The Lord of the Rings In Concert: The Fellowship of the Ring kicks off a three-year celebration during which each of the three Academy Award®-winning films will be performed in concert on the 10th anniversary of its release. The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) is on tour now, followed by The Two Towers (2002) in 2012, and the grand finale, The Return of the King (2003), in 2013.
The performance at Orleans Arena is part of a nine-city West Coast tour that includes Glendale, Ariz., San Diego, Anaheim, Portland, Seattle, Fresno, Oakland and Sacramento.Composer Howard Shore said, "My first score for The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring, was the beginning of my journey into the world of Tolkien, and I will always hold a special fondness for the music and the experience."Shore's score not only captures Fellowship's sweeping emotion, thrilling vistas and grand journeys, but also echoes the very construction of Tolkien's Middle-earth. Styles, instruments and performers collected from around the world provide each of Tolkien's cultures with a unique musical imprint. In operatic fashion, these musical worlds commingle, sometimes combining forces for a culminated power, other times violently clashing - and always bending to the will of the One Ring and its own ominous family of themes.
Doug Adams, author of the comprehensive book The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films and advisor to this In Concert presentation, said: "The Lord of the Rings is a story of universal human themes and experiences, including perseverance, sacrifice, friendship, and loyalty. These were the backbone of J.R.R. Tolkien's books, of Peter Jackson's films, and, of course, of Howard Shore's music.""These live performances place the score in the spotlight, and create a wholly new and unique audience experience. Even our most ardent fans are amazed at how completely Shore recreates Middle-earth in music - and how the live score provides narrative clarity, structural complexity, and above all, a living heart to the story. There's nothing quite like it. This is an extraordinarily moving communal experience. It's our chance to join the Fellowship."In 2009, more than 10,000 people filled New York's Radio City Music Hall for the American premiere of The Lord of the Rings In Concert: The Fellowship of the Ring. The New York Times said, "The music of Middle-earth soared through misty climes and rumbled through Hadean depths at Radio City Music Hall [as] Howard Shore's intricate, far-reaching fabric of leitmotifs surged to the fore." Entertainment Weekly said, "it was a terrific night at the theater."
Seating is reserved and tickets are priced at $35, $50, $75 and $125. All prices include tax. Tickets can be purchased at the Orleans Arena Box Office by calling 702.284.7777, or by visiting www.orleansarena.com.Additional information about the concert can be found at www.lordoftheringsinconcert.com.
