Howard Shore es el compositor de las tres bandas sonoras de ‘El Señor de los Anillos’, una por cada película de la trilogía. De ellas, la más fascinante es sin duda la segunda, ‘Las dos torres’.

A lo largo de la composición hay temas muy buenos. En los que a continuación os muestro, vais a poder escuchar la melodía principal de la película, que siempre hace referencia al pueblo de Rohan, y que en varios momentos está interpreta con un violín de ‘Hardanger’, un instrumento típico noruego. También vais a poder disfrutar de los numerosos y maravillosos coros, destacando la hechizadora voz de Isabel Bayrakdarian (en el tema ‘evenstar’).

Todo esto, y mucho más, hace de esta banda sonora una de la mejores, o quizá la mejor, de este músico. Para mí, en cualquier caso, es una de mis grandes favoritas.

Tema: The King of the Golden Hall.

Tema: Evenstar.

Tema: Forth Eorlingas.

No hay finales sin principios, y a petición de diversos lectores (Gonzalo, Radagast, etc) aquí da comienzo este espero que curioso TOP TEN rebosante de nostalgia por un tipo de cine que no volveremos a ver. Quiero dejar claro que a veces los realizadores optan por poner los rótulos de crédito en la secuencia inicial, otras no. En algunos casos están realizados y concebidos por los propios directores, y en otras no. Por eso, indicaré quién elabora los títulos cuando sea preciso. Para comenzar esta selección quiero hacerlo de una forma un tanto retórica. Si comenzamos elegiendo diez finales y ahora vamos a hablar de inicios, pues quien mejor que Chistopher Nolan para abrir fuego. Fue este arriesgado director que se atrevió a poner el final de la historia al principio del largometraje. Así pues, vayamos pues hasta el año 2000 cuando se estrenó “MEMENTO”.  Estamos ante un final y un principio, todo en uno. Mejor forma de empezar esta selección de comienzos de película no he podido encontrar. Ojo, a pasar de que me gusta mucho, este no cuenta. Se trata sólo de una forma de comenzar, allá vamos…

INICIO DE MEMENTO

En el puesto número diez tenemos… el inicio de “LA GUERRA DE LAS GALAXIAS“  dirigida en 1977  por George Lucas. Los títulos de crédito fueron obra de Dan Perri, creador también de los de “El exorcista” o “Taxi driver”. Este es uno de esos comienzos que uno tiene grabado a fuego en la memoria. Era un niño que deseaba verla. Había visto por la tele que habían estado en el festival de San Sebastián C3PO, R2D2, Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, La princesa Leia. Tengo el recuerdo vago de verlos posando ante las cámaras en la playa de Donosti. Desde ese mismo instante quise verla. Tras mucha turra en casa y diversos intentos, conseguí que me llevaran a verla. Lo recuerdo perfectamente aún, fue en los cines Roxy de la calle fuencarral de Madrid, en sesión de noche, estaba abarrotada la sala y nos tocaron de las últimas filas A pesar de que era canijo y alguna cabeza me tapaba parte de la pantalla me fue absolutamente indiferente. Al oir los maravillosos acordes de Williams, entré en un fascinante mundo del que todavía creo que no he salido.

INICIO DE STAR WARS: UNA NUEVA ESPERANZA

En el puesto número nueve tenemos… el comienzo de “SEVEN“, dirigida por David Fincher en 1995, en este caso fue el siempre genial Kyle Cooper quien se encargó de los títulos de crédito. En su currículum hasta ese momento tenía “Breaveheart” de Gibson y “Quiz Show: El Dilema“ de Redford. Me parece fascinante la maestría con la que resuelve este inicio, y por eso lo he elegido. La secuencia inicial incluye los títulos de crédito y nos describe perfectamente la mente y el modus operandi de este asesino en serie. Destacar tanto la fotografía de Darius Khondi y la música de Nine Inchs Nails, y la barroca voz de Trevor Horn.

INICIO DE SE7EN

En el puesto número ocho tenemos el inicio de una gran adaptación literaria… “LAS AMISTADES PELIGROSAS“ realizada por Stephen Frears en 1988. Impresionante me parece la labor de Stephen Frears en cómo plantea esta secuencia que engloba los rótulos de crédito. Hace una descripción física y psicológica de los personajes inmejorable. Todo acentuado por la increible suite de George Fenton, que recalca el momento histórico. Maravillosa la actuación de Glenn Close y John Malcovick.

INICIO DE “LAS AMISTADES PELIGROSAS”

 En el puesto número siete venido de la Tierra Media tenemos… “EL SEÑOR DE LOS ANILLOS“ dirigida por Peter Jackson en el años 2001. Todo un gran comienzo para una obra épica que consta de tres partes. Estamos una vez más ante una magnífica adpatación, y se me ponen aún los pelos de punta con la música de Howard Shore y la narración en off, es brutal.

INICIO DE “EL SEÑOR DE LOS ANILLOS”

En el puesto número seis tenemos… el comienzo de “BLADE RUNNER“, concretamente el de la versión de 1982. Film dirigido por Ridley Scott, contaba para sus rótulos de crédito con la colaboración de Vangelis, que le componía un score de lujo que te dejaba noqueado en la butaca. Esta es una de esas secuencias que ningún amante del séptimo arte olvida. Esa belleza postindustrial, llena de coloridos neones y llamaradas. Esos encuadres que parecen sacados de una viñeta de cualquier historia del “Metal Hurlant” merecen todo un respeto. Eso por no hablar de los increíbles efectos y fotografía obra de los desaparecidos Douglas Trumball y Jordan Cronenweth.

INICIO BLADE RUNNER VERSION 1982

En el puesto número cinco tenemos nada más y nada menos que los…“RESERVOIR DOGS“ dirigidos en 1992 por Quentin Tarantino, le enfant terrible de la industria de Hollywood. Cinéfago, cinéfilo, inclasificable, esos pueden ser algunos de los adjetivos con los que podemos calificar a este director norteamericano. De dialogos contundentes y salvajes tanto por duración como por temática. En el inicio de su ópera prima tenemos todas las claves de lo que veríamos con el paso del tiempo a lo largo de sus ocho películas como director. Brillante y delirante comienzo donde los haya.

INICIO DE RESERVOIR DOGS

En el puesto número cuatro… “ABRE LOS OJOS” dirigida por Alejandro Amenabar en 1997. El creador de los rótulos de crédito del film fue Carlos J. Santos, pero estos no llegan a estar incluidos en la secuencia inicial van tras la segunda secuencia. Su trabajo es de sobra conocido, ha hecho también los de “Acción mutante” de Alex de la Iglesia, “Familia” o “Torrente, el brazo tonto de la ley”. Creo que este es uno de los inicios más inquietantes del cine español. Considero que esta es su mejor película, y que no creo que vuelva  a realizar nada Amenabar a la altura de esta. Maravilloso el plano con la Gran Vía vacía.

INICIO ABRE LOS OJOS

En el puesto número tres tenemos… “EL DIABLO SOBRE RUEDAS” realizada en 1971 por Steven Spielberg. A pesar de ser un telefilm consiguió traspasar las fronteras de lo catódico y lo cinematográfico y consigió venderse si mal no creo en el festival de Cannes, y en Europa se distribuyó en cines con este título. Os recuerdo que el original es “DUEL”, que podríamos traducir como “Duelo” y está basado en un relato corto de Richard Matheson, otro viejo conocido de la videoarena.

INICIO DE “EL DIABLO SOBRE RUEDAS”

Y esta lista no puede acabar sin la gran labor de dos grandes genios. En primer lugar, aquí tenéis a un viejo amigo del blog, hablo de mi tocayo Alfred Hitchcock, así que en el puesto número dos tenemos…“LA SOGA“ realizada en 1948. En esta secuencia inicial plantea las múltiples lecturas que posee este largometraje. Por la forma en que está rodada, por la actitud de los personajes, por miles de cosas, pero es algo más que un asesinato, es el final de un trio sexual. Soberbio. Cómo se enciende el cigarro, aprece que acaba de echar el polvo de su vida como dice el detective Nick Curran en “Instinto básico”. Atentos y no dejar que se os escape ningún detalle. Y sobre todo los remordimientos que quedan después. Soberbio el maestro una vez más.

INICIO DE “LA SOGA”

Y para finalizar en el puesto número uno tenemos al otro gran maestro, Stanley Kubrick y su… “LA NARANJA MECÁNICA“ realizada en 1971. Se dice, se comenta, que los rótulos de crédito iniciales fueron elaborados por otro de los grandes, Pablo Ferro, pero no encontréis acreditado este trabajo por ningún lado, y eso es raro en Kubrick, así que le pasaría como a Alex North en “2001″.  En esta secuencia inicial comprenderéis la función y el sentido de un travelling. Es maravillosa la forma en la que describe el entorno y a los personajes. Su simplicidad es sólo igualable a su efectividad. Arropándolo con todo el mimo del mundo estan los estupendos acordes de Wendy Carlos. Además, en la pasada edición de Sitges Malcom McDowell recogió el premio por su labor en este film. Os puedo decir hasta cuando la vi por primera vez, porque luego le siguieron unas cuantas. Fue con dieciseís años en el extinto cine Torre de Madrid en la sala dos en la sesión de siete de la tarde. Desde entonces la tengo taladrada esta escena en mi cabeza. Mi madre no quería que la viera, ella consideraba que era ultraviolenta. Lo curioso es que con el paso del tiempo ya no lo parece tanto. Pero a pesar de todo, es impresionante.

INICIO “LA NARANJA MECÁNICA”

Evidentemente ardo en deseos de saber los vuestros Mister Crowley, Redrum, Homo Insanus, Mister Lombreeze generadores del invento, así como los de  Miss Darko, Eulez, Marchelo, 39 escalones, Ramón, Victor Guybrush, Empantallado, Gine, Álvaro, Ricardo, Mapoto, Fantomas, Dick, Miss Watflech, Varelax, Luis Cifer, Mister Frost, Alberto, que obviamente no es obligatorio contestar ni continuarlo porque sé de sobra que algunos de vosotros estáis muy liados, este post surge por la curiosidad de algunos de los lectores de este blog.

Have to admit, I’ve been pretty stuck on Faith and the Muse, Bella Morte and soundtracks this month. The first two are great for driving to work. The soundtracks fit right in with my subconscious attempt to go back to being a night-dwelling being, because I always used to write at night while listening to LOTR, Pirates and X-Men.

So, today is Soundtracks of Note.

Pirates of the Caribbean: No matter what you think of the movies themselves, the music is awesome writing music. Hey, it combines two of my favorite modern composers: Badelt and Zimmer. While we may never reach the genius of classical music, there’s a lot to be offered by some of the Hollywood score writers.

Sad, but true.

Kill Bill is a collection of composers. Lonely Shepherd is stunning.

Chronicles of Narnia is a nice blend of softer music and good cinematic theme music.

The Matrix. C’mon. Again, regardless of what you thought of the movies, the music rocks. I’ve been listening to In My head for at least 5 years, and never gotten tired of it. Don Davis, Juno Reactor, James Newton Howard, Enya, Rob Dougan, there’s a great mix in here!

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind has one of those songs that I NEVER heard it…heard it and fell in love…and now I hear it at least once a week. This happened with Killing Moon from Donnie Darko too. But the theme for this is great. Cheerful, bouncy and quirky!

A Clockwork Orange is mostly remixed classical music. The score is every bit as wacky as the movie.

Lord of the Rings: Howard Shore. Enough said, yes? The man is a genius. I have been listening to this music since I was 14, and listened to it three days this week while writing.

Blackhawk Down is another Hans Zimmer. I put him right up there with Shore, Badelt and Howard.

Pink Panther is just insane. Great for a not-serious scene.

Southland Tales has some nice instrumental music.

The Piano: the score is absolutely beautiful and gentle.

The Watchmen: yes yes, it’s 80’s remixes. But it’s FUN 80’s remixes.

Natural-Born Killers is Nine Inch Nails, Cohen, Cowboy Junkies and others that I love. This is where I started listening to Cohen.

Anything Bollywood. Bollywood is usually a love-or-hate thing. But if you want some prime examples of good Bollywood writing music, email me. I’ll send you Kabhi, Fanaa and Dil Chahta Hai.

Donnie Darko is dark, quiet and quirky. Perfection.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or House of a Thousand Daggers.

Last of the Mohicans is one of those that I tend to forget about. But I Will Find You by Enya is a great song, and it’s surrounded by equally strong offerings.

There’s a great song, Cells, by The Servant. I can’t find the music online to listen to, so I don’t know if the rest of the band is so good, but I love love LOVE this one song. It’s a bit techno, a bit cinematic. If anyone has heard other music by the Servant, please let me know!

So there you go. Some new things to listen to, hopefully.

Also, if anyone knows of other good soundtracks, please comment and let me know!

Number Ten. The Lord Of The Rings soundtrack (2001-2003)

I read C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia multiple times throughout my childhood, but I was not introduced to his colleague J. R. R. Tolkien until my friend and namesake Josh Bauder gave a book report on The Fellowship Of The Ring in the sixth grade (Please correct me if the details are incorrect, Josh). My family moved shortly thereafter, but during that summer of 2000 I read through the entire trilogy. I’m not sure how my eleven-year-old self got through those twelve hundred pages and the introduction of all those names and places, but I do remember using tricks to keep some of the names straight (such as picturing Gandalf as Qui-Gon and Aragorn as Obi-Wan…. Episode 1 was still a big deal back then, OK?)

Reading used to be my chief pastime, and my favorite story element, above all else, was a good plot. I loved an epic fight for the fate of the world, with multiple subplots all weaving together with twists and surprises and everything working out in the end. Maybe it was a subconscious expression of my belief in God authoring his grand plan throughout the universe and humanity; maybe not. Regardless, Lord of the Rings was the epitome of a plot, and I loved it. (Uh… Josh… I thought this was your top *musical* releases of the decade. I know. Here we go.) Peter Jackson’s films soon followed, and his dedication to portraying the visual complexity of Tolkien’s universe was beautifully supported by Howard Shore’s soundtrack.

My obsession with music over this decade has mainly involved bands and songwriters; I don’t purchase many soundtracks for fear that they’re not very memorable beyond the few seconds of exciting theme (film scores are just begging for “filler”). Some of my favorite themes and melodies come from Hans Zimmer (The Lion King, The Prince of Egypt, Gladiator, and the recent Batman films), but no one comes near the completeness of Howard Shore’s Lord of the RIngs, which is every bit as fulfilling as Tolkien’s story.

Every locale has a distinctive motif: the single violin of Edoras, the shrill melancholy strings of the elves, the ominous 5/4 pounding of the dark lord Sauron. And don’t forget the hero’s rousing horn sequence! Howard Shore managed to perfectly capture the epicness of the films, and it’s only natural that my favorite soundtrack of all time is the one that accompanies my favorite film trilogy from my favorite literature series.

It’s ridiculously long, of course, but never boring and always exceedingly versatile. Need a boost to your morning routine? Throw on “Concerning Hobbits.” Need to improve your monotonous walk to class? Try “The Ride of the Rohirrim.” Need a background to your crazy math homework? Just start playing the whole thing… (And let’s not forget Billy Boyd’s haunting performance as Pippin before Denethor.) The only thing that would be more exciting than owning the entire “soundtrack” would be owning the entire score (the former is an hour or so of prominent selections from each film; the latter is every single piece of music from each film, and they run for $60 or so apiece on Amazon…. something I can’t quite justify)

Music has taken over as my chief pastime these days (It’s easier to play albums than read novels while driving to work or compiling C++ code), but amidst my rock/pop/alternative/hardcore/indie obsessions, Howard Shore remains as an indomitable link to my first love.

1998  – Nicola Piovani
A Vida é Bela

  1999 – John Corigliano
O Violino Vermelho

 2000 – Tan Dun
O Tigre e o Dragão

2001 – Howard Shore
O Senhor dos Anéis: A Sociedade do Anel

2002 – Elliot Goldenthal
Frida

2003 – Howard Shore
O Senhor dos Anéis: O Retorno do Rei

2004 – Jan A.P. Kaczmarek
Em Busca da Terra do Nunca

2005 – Gustavo Santaolalla
O Segredo de Brokeback Mountain

2006 – Gustavo Santaolalla
Babel

2007 – Dario Marianelli
Desejo e Reparação

  2008 – A. R. Rahman
  Quem Quer ser um Milionário?

Até a próxima pessoal !!

This Friday and Saturday at Radio City Music Hall, “The Fellowship of the Ring” will be projected onto a 60-foot screen while a 300-piece orchestra plays the film’s score. For some people (namely, those who enjoy awesome things) this is a concept that needs no justification. God could have come up with the idea. -NYU

On October 9th, I attended the first of two Lord of the Rings concerts at Radio City Music Hall. Unlike the Lord of the Rings Symphony, which had played in this area a few years ago, this live orchestra would play against the first film, The Fellowship of the Ring. Before the show, I lamented that this set-up would result in the audience missing out on some great pieces from films 2 and 3. On the other hand, I was glad to revisit a film that I had not seen on the big screen since its debut almost a decade ago. I was kind of taken aback by the thought that children in the audience (and the choir) were too young, or not yet born, when the movie first came out.

When we got there, we were glad to see that neither of the scheduled guests (Howard Shore and Billy Boyd) had pulled out. On the contrary, there would be a signing after the show with Mr. Shore himself. There was a beautiful program on display, which I bought, as well as various CDs of music from the trilogy, which I already owned. I was on the look-out for Doug Adams’s upcoming book The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films, but it has not been made available at this time. I did talk to Adams after the show, and he told me that they are looking at an April release date. We were also happy to see that several people dressed up, and there were Gandalfs, Eowyns and various other characters walking around.

Once inside, we were awed by the size of the screen, wherein a large high definition version of the movie would be playing. The orchestra and choir were huge, which we knew would add great power to the instrumentation and vocals. As I glanced through the program, I saw an ad for a Two Towers concert, which would be playing in England, and quickly cursed the English for getting such a great show (The Two Towers is my favorite film in the trilogy, and ties with The Return of the King for my favorite music). As I debated how far I would go to purchase tickets to England to see this show, the lights went down and the film began to play. Luckily, there were subtitles, since the event was purposefully staged to emphasize the music playing live, which meant that several of the sounds and dialogue in the film would be somewhat minimized. I say the subtitles were useful, but in reality, people who play $100+ for tickets to an event like this are really enthusiastic fans, so we all knew every word of dialogue in the film already. That is what made the evening such a great one. There were no people who wandered into this hall by mistake, or without the full intention of enjoying the show. This was an audience of fans, and they all cheered at every character entrance, whether Aragorn’s or Galadriel’s. They clapped at the major musical cues, especially the Fellowship Theme at the conclusion of the Council of Elrond. They rejoiced when Aragorn defeated the Uruk-Hai that had attacked Boromir. At various points in the film, I was tempted to take photographs of the picture playing, because it was so large and beautiful, but I refrained from doing so out of courtesy to the people sitting around me. Nevertheless, there were those who couldn’t resist, and photos were flashing during grand shots like The Balrog, The Argonath, and the close-up of Frodo at the riverbank as he prepares to leave behind the Fellowship.

Musically, the event was nearly flawless. Take it from someone who knows every beat in the film, the orchestra was perfectly in synch with the movie playing onscreen. The live orchestra brought out some musical moments that I had not focused on enough before this evening: like when the Hobbits are chased by the Ringwraiths as they head towards Bree. This moment is so tense and action packed that it is easy to overlook the great music playing with it. The orchestra really made moments like this one stand out. It also enhanced moments that were great to begin with, and made them that much more spectacular, like the Fellowship theme that concludes the Council of Elrond and the Ring Theme that begins each film in the trilogy. Personally, my favorite musical moments in Fellowship are the tiny bit of the Nature Theme that can be heard peeking out of the Isengard music during Gandalf’s imprisonment there (when he talks to the moth). Another sequence that I adore is the music of Moria: the beautiful melody that plays when the heroes behold Dwarrowdelf for the first time, and the chants of the male choir that crescendo when Gandalf confronts the Balrog. It was great to hear these great moments in the score played live. My only complaint, in regards to the music, is the Fellowship Theme that plays when the Nine walk into the Misty Mountains through a pass, one at a time. This is supposed to be one of the loudest and most resounding versions of the Fellowship Theme to play in the entire trilogy, but I felt the orchestra played it kind of low. Other than that, I felt that the vocalists and musicians delivered at every turn.

The cut of the film that was screened was the theatrical release, which runs at three hours. There was an intermission, right at the point when the Fellowhip comes together in Rivendell. As the credits rolled, there were cheers for all the actors and talent involved, especially Boyd and Shore, who were in attendance. The orchestra and chorus also received great cheers, especially conductor Ludwig Wicki and soloist Kaitlyn Lusk. In fact, the orchestra received a standing ovation that lasted somwhere between five and ten minutes. The credits were followed by a title card announcing that Radio City would host The Two Towers next year on the 8th and 9th of October, which sent all fans into a frenzy. The evening concluded in the most perfect way possible when Shore and Boyd were joined onstage by Frodo himself, Elijah Wood. As EW noted, the great thing about the people who work(ed) on this trilogy is their obvious affection for it, and the special guests truly seemed to be enjoying themselves. The audience couldn’t have asked for a better evening, although the Saturday audience was treated to a Q&A with Howard Shore before the concert. This now ranks as my all-time favorite film-going experience, along with the 2003 premiere of The Return of the King.

MAGIA, ESPADA Y FANTASÍA (III)

Un icono instantáneo en la Historia del cine. Ése es el primer y más importante tanto a favor de Peter Jackson y su amplio equipo tras asumir la titánica tarea de adaptar a la pantalla la monumental obra de J. R. R. Tolkien, superando por fin el complejo de una industria cinematográfica incapaz durante décadas de afrontar el reto de poner en imágenes el único libro que se le resistía. Habiendo adaptado en varias ocasiones con más o menos fortuna narraciones ricas y complicadas como El Quijote, Las mil y una noches o incluso La Biblia, de El señor de los anillos solamente había podido hacerse una cinta de animación de algo más de dos horas de duración y una continuación televisiva con el segundo de los libros de la trilogía, también de dibujos animados. El gran obstáculo para que el cine hubiera salido airoso antes de tan ingente esfuerzo era sin duda la enorme complicación que suponía reflejar en la pantalla el mundo imaginario diseñado por Tolkien, esa Tierra Media instalada en una eterno medievo, poblada por seres humanos y criaturas fabulosas de atributos fantásticos, poseedora de casi todos los ecosistemas existentes en el planeta Tierra y nutrida de centenares de referencias y trasvases culturales, históricos, mitológicos y legendarios procedentes del mundo real y de los que Tolkien era amplio conocedor gracias a su profunda erudición, a su dominio de las lenguas antiguas y al desempeño de sus tareas académicas. En los albores del siglo XXI, en cambio, a través de las nuevas tecnologías y con una encomiable actitud por parte de Jackson y compañía para utilizar los efectos especiales de manera respetuosa y no abusiva, usándolos para cubrir las lagunas que el maquillaje y la dirección artística no pueden satisfacer, la adaptación consigue una maestría formal absoluta.

Con un acertado planteamiento que incluía como medida indispensable (para la lógica narrativa y las necesidades de la taquilla) la realización de una película para cada una de las partes de la obra, esta primera entrega cubre el primer volumen de la trilogía literaria, la historia desde que Frodo (Elijah Wood) y Gandalf (Ian McKellen) tienen conocimiento de que el Anillo del Poder forjado tiempo atrás por Sauron, el Señor Oscuro, con objeto de controlar los anillos entregados a todas las razas de La Tierra Media, está en manos de Bilbo (Ian Holm) tras habérselo arrebatado años atrás a la criatura Gollum, hasta que la compañía creada por las razas de la Tierra Media para escoltar a Frodo en su arduo camino hasta el Monte del Destino, lugar donde el anillo debe ser arrojado para ser destruido, queda disuelta con la desaparición de Gandalf, la muerte de Boromir (Sean Bean), la marcha de Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom) y Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) a la caza de orcos y la dispersión de los hobbits Frodo y Sam (Sean Astin), por un lado, y Merry y Pippin (Dominic Monahan y Billy Boyd), por otro. Entretanto, por su periplo han desfilado personajes como Elrond (Hugo Weaving), Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), Arwen (Lyv Tyler) o el ambiguo Saruman (Christopher Lee).

La tercera gran virtud de la cinta la constituyen los exteriores escogidos como localizaciones para la filmación, los impresionantes paisajes de los Alpes Neozelandeses, todo un descubrimiento para quienes nunca habían tenido oportunidad de ver, ni siquiera en los documentales de La2, las maravillosas y bellísimas riquezas naturales de nuestras antípodas. Esta elección viene sustentada por un soberbio trabajo de dirección artística y maquillaje, así como de vestuario y caracterización, aspectos para los cuales los efectos especiales, contra lo que suele ser habitual, son meramente accesorios aunque tremendamente efectivos y decisivos. Todos los aspectos relacionados, pues, con el escenario en el que transcurre la acción, desde el aparente cuento infanfil inicial en los deliciosos parajes de La Comarca hasta el inquietante cuento de horror y tinieblas en que se convierte la aventura de los hobbits, son sobresalientes, disminuyendo un tanto la magnificencia del espectáculo, por ejemplo, en ciertos momentos, escasos pero algo chirriantes, en que las Minas de Moria o la ciudad de Rivendel son recreadas al modo y manera de los videojuegos, muñequitos incluidos.

En cuanto a la trama, la casi imposible adaptabilidad de una obra tan compleja, abundante y rica impone limitaciones, cortes y refritos tan comprensibles como inevitables. En esta primera parte, de ciento ochenta minutos de duración, al menos las labores de cortado y pegado no perjudican en modo alguno al conjunto más allá de lo habitual en una película de tres horas que alterna pasajes de enorme tensión y emoción con pausas de ritmo y escenas más contemplativas o largas (probablemente demasiado) transiciones. Sin embargo, lo que en entregas siguientes se convertirá en un problema (el ritmo y la excesiva duración, no digamos ya en las versiones extendidas que circulan en las ediciones de lujo en DVD), aquí queda meramente apuntado y es perdonable una vez que se juzga la majestuosidad de todo el metraje, convirtiéndose en virtud lo que a priori sería un defecto, la supresión de buena parte de lo superfluo y más farragoso del libro de Tolkien, aunque las tijeras de Jackson bien pudieran haber hecho algún que otro corte más y, por otro lado, el resultado final adolezca en algunos momentos de ciertas imprecisiones en la continuidad.

Todos estos aspectos técnicos, recompensados con cuatro premios Oscar de la Academia de Hollywood, hacen que la película sea toda una experiencia visual. Entrando, eso sí, en los aspectos dramáticos, la cosa cambia. En este punto tanto Jackson como los guionistas parten de un principio: el espectador conoce la obra de Tolkien y tiene una clara imagen de los personajes, por lo que no se molestan en introducirnos en la “realidad” de La Tierra Media ni en presentar los protagonistas al espectador más que en breves pinceladas arquetípicas que, si bien es cierto que permiten hacerse una idea del carácter de cada uno de una manera directa y rápida, hacen de todos ellos, exceptuando al Boromir de Sean Bean, unos personajes planos, previsibles, sin fuerza. Si a ello sumamos la ausencia de escenas en que la tensión o la emoción la pongan los personajes y no el entorno, la música, los paisajes o la violencia, nos encontramos con que la mayor parte de los actores no aportan a sus personajes más que la percha (excepción hecha quizá de McKellen, Holm, Bean o Wood) y que se limitan a cubrir etapas de su viaje como el muñeco escogido en un videojuego. Todo ello contribuye a que la película no sea una obra autónoma, sino que sea tributaria, quizá en demasía, de la información aportada por el libro que un espectador que sea desconocedor del mismo tendrá que completar de su propia cosecha si no quiere ver reducido lo que sucede en la pantalla a las escasas notas con que el director caracteriza personajes y fenómenos.

Con todo, y a pesar de los inconvenientes citados, la irrupción en la pantalla con la sala sala del cine a oscuras de las doradas letras del título de la cinta acompañadas por la estimable composición de Howard Shore (su música es quizá una de las mayores virtudes de la trilogía), supone una de las puertas abiertas a la fantasía más logradas del cine actual, un estallido de épica y magia, de grandilocuencia formal y profunda emotividad, de factura impecable y sutil majestuosidad, en la que triunfa claramente la forma sobre el fondo y cuyo desarrollo en las dos películas siguientes conservará, aunque no en la misma medida, las virtudes formales, y poco a poco acrecentará de manera ostensible los defectos apuntados.

Pochi giorni fa MTV ha realizzato Shore on the Score: The Music of The Lord of the Rings, uno speciale dedicato al compositore Howard Shore, autore della colonna sonora del Signore degli Anelli. Durante lo speciale, Shore ha confermato di essere nelle fasi preliminari del lavoro sulla colonna sonora de Lo Hobbit e che inizierà a scrivere la musica senza aspettare l’inizio effettivo delle riprese. Anche nel caso della trilogia di Peter Jackson, Shore compose la musica in anticipo rispetto alla produzione del film.

Altre curiosità e i dettagli sulle dichiarazioni di Shore le potete leggere su Fantasy Magazine.

According to this website, the top 30 movies with the most audio, continuity, deliberate, factual, revealing and visible crew/equipment goofs are:

1. Apocalypse Now (391) – Continuity: After the helicopter attack when the chopper drops the patrol boat into the water, you can see the canopy and the radar type antenna break and collapse. When you see it again it’s in perfect condition.
2. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (296) – Factual error: In the scene immediately following Harry and Hermione’s travel back through time, she tells him, “It’s 7:30.” The clock, however, is striking the bells for an hour, not a half-hour.
3. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (288) – Visible crew/equipment: In the dueling scene, when Snape pulls Malfoy back onto his feet, a cameraman is visible on the far left of the screen.
4. Superman IV:  The Quest for Peace (267) – Continuity: While Superman walks with the kid to the UN, the sky changes from sunny to cloudy in a nano-second.
5. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (261) – Audio problem: When Bilbo is back at his house after the party, Gandalf asks him whether it is so hard to give up the Ring, and Bilbo says, “Well no,” though his mouth is very out of sync.
6. Star Wars (259)
7. The Wizard of Oz (259)
8. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (257) – Deliberate mistake: When Merry is running away from the Orc in Fangorn Forest he has a big gash on the left side of his head, yet when he’s in Treebeard’s hands it has changed to his right side. Due to shot/scene flipping, this occurs numerous times.
9. Scary Movie 3 (254)
10. Beauty and the Beast (243)
11. The Pirates of the Caribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (240)
12. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (225) – Visible equipment: In Shelob’s lair, when Frodo is caught in the web, in the first close-up while hanging there the camera pans down to his feet. Both ankles are wrapped and have foot supports and the wire cables attached to his ankle straps are visible, especially his left. In the next back shot, as Frodo turns around the wrist/arm support at his right arm, while he holds Sting, is seen too.
13. Jaws (214)
14. Harry Potter and the Philospher’s Stone (214)
15. Troy (212) Other: During the first shot of the 1000 ships, oarsmen can be seen rowing, but their oars are not disturbing the water. Yet as they approach the beach, the shot is from the same distance and now splashes can be seen.
16. The Big Sleep (204)
17. Titanic (201) – Continuity: When Rose is trying to rescue Jack she spies a fire axe. Smashing all the glass out from the holder she grabs the axe and turns round. The next camera shot shows Rose standing in front of the case with almost all of its glass intact.
18. The Goonies (198)
19. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (196)
20. Aladdin (193) – Factual error: The animators have clearly tried to make all the writing in the film look Arabic. However in one scene we see the faces of Jafar and the Sultan as they read a scroll. Their eyes move from left to right; Arabic is read right to left.
21. The Crow: Wicked Prayer (183)
22. Star Wars Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (181)
23. Gladiator (178) – Visible equipment: In the “Battle of Carthage” in the Colosseum, one of the chariots is turned over. Once the dust settles you can see a gas cylinder in the back of the chariot.
24. Star Wars III – Revenge of the Sith (177)
25. Independence Day (171)
26. Peter Pan (165) – Continuity: Tinker Bell comes in through the window, zips around the nursery and flies to the bookcase, knocking the two statue bookends and all of the books in between onto the floor leaving an empty shelf. Yet moments later Peter enters the nursery, follows Tink towards the hallway, passes the bookcase on the way and now there are other books on the top shelf.
27. Pearl Harbor (164)
28. Labyrinth (162)
29. Spider-Man (161)
30. Star Wars Episode II – Attack of the Clones (156)

Source

ja, ich bin einer, der lotr liebt und alle teile schon 80 mal gesehen hat. aber ich hatte auch die bücher gelesen. und die musik gehört…und mich so angezogen. und so gesprochen.

in der radio city music hall in new york wird howard shore den film live vertonen…und ich will dabi sein, kann aber nicht!

link. io9

… scheint nun erstmal gerettet zu sein! Erst waren es ja rechtliche Auseinandersetzungen mit den Tolkien Erben – wie immer ging es viel Kohle- die für negative Schlagzeilen und bei den Fans für große Unruhe sorgten. Dann stand MGM kurz vor der Pleite, was ebenfalls einen Produktionsstop für die Hobbit Verfilmung bedeutet hätte. Nun aber scheint man sich mit den Tolkien Leuten geeinigt zu haben und darüber hinaus hat die größte Gläubigerbank von MGM eingelenkt und ihre Forderungen erstmal zurückgestellt. Das Warner Studio (mit 50% an der Produktion beteiligt) übernimmt derweilen schon mal die laufenden Produktionskosten, bis man die beiden Filme komplett finanziert hat. Angesichts der zu erwartenden Gewinne, sollte das wohl kein Problem sein, noch 40 Millionen $ aufzutreiben! Kann es jetzt also wirklich losgehen?

Der Filmkomponist Howard Shore hat jedenfalls in einem Interview mit —> MTV erzählt, dass er bereits mit der Arbeit am Hobbit begonnen habe. Wohlgemerkt, offiziell gibt es noch nichtmal ein Drehbuch (Mr. Jackson liefert im November), geschweige  denn Bilder oder gar Szenen, die Shore inspirationsmässig helfen könnten.

Aber: “Ich träume und lese, und lese und träume darüber! Und so komponiert man!”

Schöne Arbeitsweise…, wenn man die Zeit dafür hat bzw. bekommt!

Nun ja, er hat ja den Vorteil, dass er auf seinen Themen aus den Herr der Ringe Filmen aufbauen kann. Die Tonsprache und die “Farben” sind ja  quasi schon vorhanden und müssten jetzt variiert und angepasst werden, damit, so wie er es in dem Interview schildert, klar wird, dass der Hobbit Teil der  “großen” Geschichte ist.

Ich habe den Hobbit und den Herrn der Ringe in jungen Jahren (bis heute mehrfach) gelesen und sofort darauf das Silmarillion – mit dem so viele Leute ihre Schwierigkeiten haben- und hatte stets meine eigenen Musikideen im Kopf. Interessanterweise hat mich vor allem das Silmarillion inspiriert, vielleicht weil es so viel Raum lässt für eigene Umsetzung und  Dramaturgie. Natürlich bin ich bis heute nicht dazu gekommen, mich konkret musikalisch mit dem Stoff auseinanderzusetzen, auch wenn verschiedene Konzepte schon  lange in der “berühmten” Schublade liegen. Aber wer weiss….

From Gothamist:

On October 9th and 10th, more than 300 musicians will gather onstage at Radio City Musical to perform composer Howard Shore’s award-winning score to The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring live to Peter Jackson’s film. The ensemble is as epic as the movie, and includes Switzerland’s 21st Century Symphony Orchestra, the internationally-acclaimed The Collegiate Chorale, the Grammy Award-winning Brooklyn Youth Chorus, and renowned soprano Kaitlyn Lusk, all under the direction of celebrated Maestro Ludwig Wicki.

Before the concert, NYC Ringers can look forward to an event at the Paley Center with composer Howard Shore, actor Billy Boyd (aka Peregrin Took), and Doug Adams, author of The Music of The Lord of the Rings Films. Details on the Paley Center event can be found on the website. If you’re a fan of the books, the films, or both, I highly recommend this event. I attended a LotR Symphony Concert a few years back at NJPAC (Howard Shore was there) and this music, gorgeous though it sounds in the films, is designed to be heard in a grand venue, played by hundreds of musicians. I own all the soundtracks, and I listen to them regularly, but nothing is better than hearing them live, in their full majesty. The difference between the upcoming concert and the one I saw is that the first film is being screened at Radio City, with the orchestra playing to it. I know it will be grand to see the film this way, especially since I haven’t seen it on the big screen since 2001, but I do feel that the audience will be missing out on some great, great pieces from the other two films.

The Two Towers:

Foundations of Stone- the music the plays over the opening sequence of the film, when Galdalf battles the Balrog as they fall through the caves of Khazad-dûm.

The Riders of Rohan- this is the introductory theme of the Rohirrim, which plays in various ways throughout the TTT and RotK.

The White Rider-this theme plays when Gandalf returns as Gandalf the White in Fangorn Forest.

Forth Eorlingas-after the long battle at Helm’s Deep (actually called The Battle of the Hornburg), this theme plays as the heroes lead the Rohirrim in a charge outside the walls, just as Galdalf and Éomer bring re-inforcements.

Isengard Unleashed- the Nature Theme first heard in Fellowship’s ‘A Knife in the Dark’ comes back here in full force as the Ents charge Isengard.

The Return of the King:

Minas Tirith- this theme was first played very briefly in Fellowship when Gandalf went to research the history of the Ring, but here it plays majestically as Gandalf take Pippin to the White City for the first time.

The White Tree- this theme plays when Pippin lights the beacons that signal to Théoden in Edoras that Minas Tirith requires aid, and the sequence plays over gorgeous imagery of the snow-capped mountain ranges of New Zealand.

To become even geekier for a moment, if Billy Boyd is going to be there, wouldn’t it be great to hear ‘Pippin’s Song’, aka ‘All Shall Fade/Edge of Night’?

The Black Gate Opens- though The Battle of the Pelennor Fields is the centerpiece of the film, the climax of the trilogy is happens in Mordor. This song links the heroes once more as the warriors congregate at the Black Gate while Frodo and Same climb Mount Doom, reprising a very poignant and moving version of the Shire Theme from Fellowship, before launching into the Wagnerian ‘The End of All Things’ inside the mountain itself.

Much like the books and the films, the music of Lord of the Rings tells one story; it’s designed very carefully to convey its own narrative over the course of the three films, which means that, unlike a straight-out concert, we’re going to hear (and see) only the first part of a story. On the concert website, there is a video of a similar screening/concert for The Two Towers. Couldn’t we get that, as well? Along with The Return of the King, it could be staged as a three night event. Perhaps that’s something that they intend to do at a later date. In the meantime, one Lord of the Rings screening is better than no screening at all.

Arwen Song

By Liv Tyler

Composing By Howard Shore

Arwen Song By Liv Tyler

With a sigh, you turn away
With a deepening heart, no more words to say
You will find that the world has changed forever

And the trees are now turning from green to gold
And the sun is now fading
I wish I could hold you closer

Click Here to Download this track

یاداشت: عاشق این آهنگم. یعنی واقعاً بی نظیره!!! این آهنگ متعلق به فیلم The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King هست.

پی نوشت: ممکنه امروز Theme بلاگ رو کلاً عوض کنم، در واقع، بهتره بگم «امشب»! البته… «ممکنه»!

This just in from the organizers behind the New York Comic Con (see our post about this year’s NYCC here): The Lord of the Rings is coming to New York, presented in the form of the first film’s score played live over the movie itself. But that’s not all! What’s even better is that fans are invited to take part in a number of ways outlined below. And maybe the best part of all? There are prizes: props, costumes and replicas will be given away over this 2-day event. If you’re in or near the city, don’t miss it!

On October 9th and 10th, Radio City Music Hall is hosting a concert experience unlike anything you’ve seen or heard — a live performance of the entire score to The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring beneath an immense projection of the film. Previously performed in London and Munich, the concert is now coming to NYC, and the combined effort of over 300 world-class musicians, it’s sure to transform a little bit of Manhattan into Middle Earth. For tickets and future information, please visit theradiocitylotrconcert.com.

And to help celebrate, New York Comic Con is hosting a series of contests and special events in the month leading up to the Radio City concert.

Photo Contest
Look at all that is familiar to you through the lens of Middle Earth, and photograph it. From The Shire and Isengard, to Helm’s Deep, Mordor, and the Eye of Sauron, take photos that are inspired by Lord of The Rings or depict locations or essentials of the story. Be subjective, be creative, and find Middle Earth all around you!

Fan Art Contest
With pen and paper, water color, oils, chalk, inks, or Photoshop, create a piece of art hearkening back to you favorite characters, locations, scenes, elements, or themes of the Lord of The Rings trilogy.

AintItCool.Com Contest
Gandolf the Grey bested the fiery Balrog with an amalgam of magic and ingenuity. How would you do against Balrog? How you fight the monster? In 1,000 words of less, let the good folks at AintItCool.com know! Be creative, be clever, and use proper spelling, and you could win tickets to the concert and more!

بعد از مدت‌ها مشکل این مودم کوفتی حل شد تا ما بتونیم با آرامش و راحتی از فناوری اینترنت ADSL استفاده کنیم. مشکلش این بود که فقط از طریق “Bridge” وصل می‌شد و نتیجتاً نمی‌شد از سیستم وایرلس استفاده کرد و فقط یک کامپیوتر می‌تونست “با کابل” کانکت بشه. این اوضاع حدود 1 ماهی گریبان گیر ما بود چون نه من و نه داداشم وقت نداشتیم که مودم رو برای تعمیرات ببریم به نمایندگی!! به هر حال خداروشکر:

!The world came back to Normal

داشتم این پست پرستو جان رو می‌خوندم که به خاطر محتوای پست، بعد از مدت‌ها یاد آهنگ I Do It For You از Bryan Adams افتادم. واقعاً فوق‌العاده‌اس و چقدر که خاطره دارم ازش!(عین مردای 40 ساله حرف زدم ها!!! )

Look into my eyes – you will see
What you mean to me
Search your heart – search your soul
And when you find me there you’ll search no more

Don’t tell me it’s not worth tryin’ for
You can’t tell me it’s not worth dyin’ for
You know it’s true
Everything I do – I do it for you

Look into your heart – you will find
There’s nothin’ there to hide
Take me as I am – take my life
I would give it all – I would sacrifice

Don’t tell me it’s not worth fightin’ for
I can’t help it – there’s nothin’ I want more
Ya know it’s true
Everything I do – I do it for you

There’s no love – like your love
And no other – could give more love
There’s nowhere – unless you’re there
All the time – all the way

Oh – you can’t tell me it’s not worth tryin’ for
I can’t help it – there’s nothin’ I want more
I would fight for you – I’d lie for you
Walk the wire for you – ya I’d die for you

Ya know it’s true
Everything I do – I do it for you

می‌تونید این Track رو از این لینک دانلود کنید.

پ.ن 1: نمی‌دونم امروز کلاس زبانم تشکیل می‌شه یا نه. چون گویا تعطیلات میان ترم هم داریم!(چه کارا! ) اگه تشکیل نشد، تا شب سفرنامه روزهای دوم و سوم رو پست می‌کنم این‌جا.

پ.ن 2: و تنها راه ارتباطی من و داداشم ایمل و چت و Skype‌ می‌باشد. ای بابا…

پ.ن 3: کامنت‌هایی که زحمت کشیدید و فرستادید رو الان وقت نداشتم تأئید کنم و جواب بدم. همونطور که در “پ.ن 1″ ذکر شد، اگه کلاسم تشکیل نشه همین بعد از ظهر پاسخ می‌دم بهشون و تأئیدشون می‌کنم.

پ.ن 4: Downloading The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King

پ.ن 5: می‌بینم که بدجوری کونش سوخته و همچنانش داره سعی می‌کنه عقده‌اش رو خالی کنه.

پ.ن 6: دلم واسه پی تی تنگ شده. در اولین فرصت باید یه سری بهش بزنم.

پ.ن 7: این Howard Shore عجب خدائیه! یعنی این دو سه روز با Soundtrack ارباب حلقه‌ها زندگی کردم!!!!!

.The End

The Fly is an American science fiction horror film released in 1986. Produced by Brooksfilms and 20th Century Fox, directed by David Cronenberg, and starring Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis and John Getz, it is a big budget remake of the 1958 film of the same name, but with a substantially different plot. The soundtrack was composed by Howard Shore. This movie was shot in Toronto in 1985-1986.

Blueray Edition

As with many of Cronenberg’s films, The Fly deals with themes of bodily disfigurement or metamorphosis and the darker aspects of human emotions and behavior. An underlying aspect of the story is the doomed love affair between Goldblum and Davis and the resulting rivalry between Goldblum and Getz.

The Fly was a box office success upon its release and was critically acclaimed in the press. A sequel, The Fly II was released in 1989.

Tagline:  Be afraid. Be very afraid.

The Academy Award-winning makeup seen in The Fly was designed and executed by Chris Walas, Inc. over a period of several months. The final “Brundlefly” creature was designed first, and then the various steps needed to carry protagonist Seth Brundle to that final incarnation were designed afterwards. The transformation was intended to be a metaphor for the aging process. Indeed, Brundle loses hair, teeth, and fingernails, and his skin becomes discolored and lumpy. The intention of the filmmakers was to give Brundle a bruised, cancerous, and diseased look that gets progressively worse as time goes on.

Various looks were tested for the different stages before the perfected versions seen in the completed film were arrived at. Some early test footage can be seen on the 2005 The Fly: Collector’s Edition DVD.

Make Up Department
  Shonagh Jabour … makeup artist
  Ivan Lynch … hair stylist

Special Effects Department
  Louis Craig … special effects
  Ted Ross … special effects
  Chris Walas … creature effects
  Clark Johnson … special effects (uncredited)

Visual Effects Department
  Michael Bigelow … motion control supervisor
  Dennis Dorney … optical compositing
  Michael Ferriter … optical compositing
  Robert Hall … optical compositing
  Fred Iguchi … motion control supervisor
  Lesley Mallgrave … visual effects coordinator
  Lee Wilson … computer and video effects supervisor
  Hoyt Yeatman … visual effects supervisor
  James Balsam … motion control camera operator (uncredited)
  Tom Bisogno … CG animation (uncredited)
  Paul Griffin … senior animator (uncredited)

lien dans les commentaires…

I’ve seen “Lord of the Rings”, the movies. They are great. I’ve seen “Lord of the Rings: The Musical”. It was absolutely ridiculous. But “Lord of the Rings”: the live orchestra??? I’m definitely intrigued.

Apparently, Radio City Music Hall will be showing “The Fellowship Of The Ring” with a 300-piece live orchestra playing the movie’s score! I’m in NYC next week, but this epic screening isn’t happening until October 9th and 10th. (I have a penchant for horrible timing, you see).

Filmmusik-Legende John Williams hat eine Sammlung seiner STAR WARS Musikthemen zusammengestellt und die Schnittmeister von George Lucas haben dazu die passenden Szenenfolgen aus allen sechs Episoden bzw. Filmen zusammengeschnippelt.  Diese werden dann auf  riesigen HD Bildschirmen abgespielt, während ein eigens zusammengestelltes Sinfonieorchester, nebst Chor, dazu live die Musik spielt. Dazu kommt  noch C3Po Mime Anthony Daniels als “Erzähler” und Moderator. UND darüber hinaus gibt es noch eine exklusive Ausstellung von STAR WARS Zeugs (Kostüme, Props etc.) dazu.

Nach einem gelungen Auftakt in London geht dieses Event nun wohl auf Welttournee, ähnlich wie es die HERR DER RINGE Filmmusik-Konzerte schon seit einigen Jahren tun.  Allerdings betreibt man bei STAR WARS IN CONCERT einen ganz anderen, viel höheren Aufwand.  Zunächst sind aber nur Termine in den USA eingetragen.  WENN es denn in Deutschland so weit sein sollte, dann werde ich natürlich hier berichten.

Allerdings, schimpft mich ruhig elitär, würde ich es lieber sehen, wenn die Musik in einem Konzertsaal gespielt werden würde und nicht in einer riesigen Sportarena, wo das Orchester mit Mikrofonverstärkung spielen muss. Wieviel nämlich dabei von der Musik verloren geht, musste ich beim HERR DER RINGE Konzert in Antwerpen vor ein paar Jahren erleben. Denn obwohl Howard Shore selbst dirigiert hat, war der Klang ein einziger Brei.  Eben verursacht durch die riesige Sportarena und die dadurch nötige elektronische Verstärkung. Bei Pop und Rockkonzerten mag das nicht so ins Gewicht fallen, aber ein Sinfonieorchester mit seinen komplexen Klangfarben (und sei es “nur” Filmmusik spielend)  gehört, meiner Meinung nach, nicht in eine Sportarena. Aber in eine Arena passt  natürlich viel, viel mehr zahlendes Publikum als in einen Konzertsaal. Und ein derartiges Multimediaspektakel zu veranstalten kostet natürlich auch einiges.  Also: think big!

Nun gut, ich denke auch, dass 90% der dort Anwesenden vollauf zufrieden sein würden. Denn es werden vor allem Hardcore STAR WARS Fans anwesend sein (so wie es bei dem HdR Konzert auch war: dicke Hobbitse und auch mollige Elben gab es viiiiele!), denen es eigentlich nur um das Event an sich geht und nicht so sehr um die Musik.

Ich durfte im Sommer 1996 John Williams himself erleben, wie er in einem Londoner Konzertsaal u.a. STAR WARS Musik dirigiert hat. Und zwar mit dem “Original” STAR WARS Orchester, dem “London Symphony Orchestra”, einem der renommiertesten Sinfonieorchester der Welt. Und das war schlichtweg ü-ber-wäl-ti-gend!!! Und das ganz ohne Lasershow oder Filmprojektion. Einfach nur die Musik…!

Nichtsdestotrotz würde ich mir das wohl auch gerne mal mit fuffzigtausend anderen Menschen und mit Multimedia-Laser Gedöns anschauen wollen. Einfach um mal zu erleben wie das rüberkommt und wie die Leute darauf abgehen. Bestimmt könnte ich dann meinen Vater (Rockmusiker UND Star Wars Fan) auch mal dazu kriegen sich ein “Sinfonieorchester” live anzuhören, hehe!

Offizielle Seite STAR WARS IN CONCERT mit krachigem Trailer!

Featurette:

Hier in “besser”: Klick!

I was reminded of Annie Lennox recently by DJ Earworm’s release of a mashup requested by Annie Lennox herself. It is impressive and combines an excellent selection of some of Annie’s many great songs. It is definitely worth checking out! Sadly it is not available for download the way many of DJ Earworm’s mashups are.

I like many of the songs represented, however, the one song sung by Annie Lennox that truly blew me away, both when I fist heard it and now, is “Into the West”, which is the closing song on the “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” soundtrack. If you’ve actually sat down and watched the full 11 hours 38 minutes (extended version) of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, then you know that when you get to the closing it is a heavy moment in all regards. This song is perfect for it. When the song reaches this section, it is so powerful and so full of great triumph and sorrow…

What can you see
On the horizon?
Why do the white gulls call?
Across the sea
A pale moon rises
The ships have come to carry you home

I would be lucky to have such a great song play for me when I sail into the west.

Now I know Annie did not write it alone. It was written by Howard Shore and Fran Walsh along with Annie, but regardless I cannot imagine a better singer for this song. A great song can be wasted on mediocre performers. This one was not!

Song Recommendations

If you like this song, I also suggest:

• Coldplay
• Martin Tallstrom
• Emiliana Torrini

I also suggest the music genre:

• Soundtrack

Click here for more info on Annie Lennox – Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Soundtrack – “Into the West”.

The MP3 may be purchased here:

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Soundtrack