#filmmusic — Public Fediverse posts

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The Fellowship of the Ring in Concert – 2026

Can you believe that it’s been a quarter of a century since Peter Jackson’s first The Lord of the Rings movie, The Fellowship of the Ring was released? It’s one of those seminal movie series that has woven itself into the language of our lives.

Yes, I’ve read the books. Several times. They are 72 years old this year.

Anyway, I think I’m doing a pretty good job celebrating the movie anniversary this year.

I watched the entire extended edition set, all 12 hours and 4 minutes of them (unlike Gemini, I can add time properly). Then B and I attended the amazingly fantastic Art of the Score presents The Music of Lord of the Rings with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the Sydney Opera House.

I debated buying tickets to the other Lord of the Rings concert at the ICC Sydney Theatre. Oh why not? That last concert was so good…

They don’t advertise the orchestra or the conductor performing the concert. Now, if you recall, I had a hilariously bad experience at a Lord of the Rings concert a few years back, so I’m a bit wary of unnamed orchestras. But if they are performing live to a film, they have to be decent, right?

I don’t give it much thought after that. Life gets in the way. But in the week prior to the concert I notice that The Metropolitan Orchestra is posting on Instagram that they are performing it. I only use Instagram for concerts these days.

That’s cool, I’ve been to a number of their concerts over the years, including a wonderfully intimate cushion concert of film music at the Petersham Town Hall back in 2017. Joining them are the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and Sydney Children’s Choirs.

Booking later, my seat at the huge ICC Sydney Theatre is a bit off-centre and further back than normal, but I do have a great view of the orchestra and screen. It takes a long time for the entire audience to filter into what is seemingly a packed house. I’m amazed how many people leave their entry to the last moment and how much alcohol they bring in with them. One bloke behind me has a tray of four cups of alcohol, his partner another two. If you can’t enjoy a concert and movie like this without drinking a lot you have a drinking problem.

They are still coming in in after the concert begins.

The conductor isn’t The Metropolitan Orchestra’s regular Sarah-Grace Williams, but a cheerful and energetic Asian man. Some internet sleuthing during the interval reveals him to be Kuala Lumpur-born Shih-Hung Young. More searching reveals the vocal soloist to be American mezzo-soprano and Lord of the Rings professional performer Kaitlyn Lusk.

There are no introductions, the orchestra and choir, male, female and children, launch straight into the movie.

I get a little confused early on when the movie, projected on a very large screen behind and above the orchestra, skips Concerning Hobbits, but a later check reveals that only appears in the Extended Edition. Fortunately there’s still other Hobbiton music to enjoy. Shore’s orchestrations involve a wide range of instruments and, while last concert I identified the guitar as one of them in this sequence, another surprise is an accordion!

There are plenty of other interesting instruments used, including a dulcimer, Celtic flute/recorder and various forms of percussion, including metal chains and a “distressed piano”. My vantage point gives a great view of the large percussion and it is often even more fun watching them and the rest of the orchestra than the movie.

The score extensively uses the choir, usually separately, to give unique voices to scenes, races and even objects like the ring itself. I suspect most people would agree that the high point musically of the performance is in the mines of Moria and the Bridge of Khazad Dum with the chanting of the male choir adding menace to the orchestral excitement of our heroes fleeing orcs and worse.

You could tell that the orchestra and choir were working their hearts out in this performance, which is definitely demanding of all their skills. I have a huge amount of respect for the musicians. Obtaining a full-time professional position in an orchestra is very tough and beyond the reach of most. I assume most performing tonight have other day jobs, so to have to compare them with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra is unfair.

There were a few wobbles compared with the previous Lord of the Rings concert and I really felt I could hear the difference between the two orchestras and their performances. I don’t know how much of this was due to the performers, because the venue itself certainly made a difference.

To put it simply, the acoustics in the ICC Sydney Theatre are dreadful. There is no reverberation and the lower frequencies seem to get chopped. There is no richness to the sound in there. This was certainly evident in the strings section, which almost sounded a bit screechy. I don’t think this is acceptable for a modern venue often used for musical performances. In contrast, after the last set of renovations, the Sydney Opera House sounds so much better.

The first movie ends with a solo vocal performance of May It Be. I feel like Kaitlyn Lusk has been missing notes throughout the night, but her American accent really comes out on this song I feel like it even sounds a bit Country’n’Western compared with Enya’s dreamy Irish tones. It’s a little disappointing. Not sure who the young soloist who rounds it out with In Dreams was, but even she adds a little modern interpretation through her otherwise fine performance. I seem to have a real issue with vocal covers, so I’m glad Shore tacks on a little orchestral finale so we can end on a high.

The audience gives a standing ovation, so obviously the performance has satisfied them. I have a headache.

I’ll be reconsidering my need to attend the next performance in the trilogy (I have seen it performed live before – At the Opera House by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra). There has been an explosion in the number of film music concerts performed live, which is a good thing, but I think I may start to be a bit pickier. Certainly not going to see Barbie in Concert (I’m Just Ken live anyone?), but I am very much looking forward to my next one later this month. Until then!

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