The Lord of The Rings Symphonic Premiere

Last night I was treated to a wonderful show as a belated birthday present by Raf and David. It was Howard Shore's music of the Lord of the Rings, performed by the Hollywood Bowl orchestra, featuring John Mauceri, conductor; Susan Egan, vocalist; Carolyn Betty, vocalist; Eugene Olea, boy soprano
Chapman University Choir & Hollywood Bowl High School Honor Choir, William Hall, director; Los Angeles Children's Chorus, Anne Tomlinson, director.

From the program: "Howard Shore's epic score realizes the saga of Middle-earth in a grand six-movement symphony presented with original art by Alan Lee and John Howe."

It was truly sublime. Complimenting the music was the fact that we somehow had scored 3rd row box seats -seats so close I could see the sequins on Ms. Egan's dresses. It was a great piece of music and it a grand illustration on how music for movies can be readapted to stand on its own merits without the aid of the screen. Please note that the entire 6 movement piece was around 2 hours in length, so detractors of the length of the films cannot complain..