Symphony No. 1 "The Lord of the Rings"

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"The Lord of the Rings", by Johan de Meij

Symphony No. 1 "The Lord of the Rings" is the first symphony for concert band written by Johan de Meij. It premiered in 1988 with the Groot Harmonieorkest van de Belgische Gidsen conducted by Norbert Nozy. The symphony is based on literary themes from the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien.

In 1989 it won the Sudler Composition Award.

Structure[]

The symphony consists of five movements,[1] each illustrating a personage or an important episode from the book:

  1. Gandalf (The Wizard)
  2. Lothlórien (The Elvenwood)
  3. Gollum (Sméagol)
  4. Journey in the Dark
    a. The Mines of Moria
    b. The Bridge of Khazad-Dûm
  5. Hobbits

Reception[]

The CD by the military band  [nl] helped give the symphony worldwide acclaim. In 1989 the symphony won the Sudler Composition Award.[2] It has been recorded by several orchestras.[3] An orchestral version of the piece, orchestrated by Henk de Vlieger, was premiered and recorded in 2001 by the London Symphony Orchestra to coincide with the release of the 2001 film, The Fellowship of the Ring.[4]

In celebration of the Symphony's 25th anniversary, De Meij conducted the Performance of the piece by the bands of Valparaiso University.[5]

Recordings[]

  • Dutch Royal Military Band conducted by Pierre Kuijpers (Ottavo, 1989) *The composer served as music advisor for this recording
  • The Danish Concert Band conducted by Jørgen Misser Jensen (Copenhagen, 1994)
  • Ensemble vents et Percussion de Quebec conducted by Rene' Joly (ATMA, 1997)
  • The London Symphony Orchestra conducted by David Warble (2001)
  • Blaeserphilharmonie Regensburg conducted by Joerg Seggelke (2007) [6]

See also[]

  • Music of The Lord of the Rings film series#Symphony (symphony based on music from the Peter Jackson films)

References[]

  1. ^ "The Lord of the Rings". Amstel Music. Retrieved 2007-12-07.[dead link]
  2. ^ "Johan De Meij". The Flying Inkpot. Archived from the original on 22 December 2007. Retrieved 7 December 2007.
  3. ^ "World Projects Faculty Member: Johan de Meij". World Projects. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  4. ^ de Vlieger, Henk; de Meij, Johan. "Symphony no. 1: inspired by the lord of the rings". WorldCat. OCLC 48691862. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  5. ^ "Johan De Meij - Symphony No. 1: The Lord of the Rings - V Hobbits". Archived from the original on 2021-12-12. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  6. ^ "Der Herr der Ringe, Johan de Meij - Sinfonie Nr.1". Archived from the original on 2014-10-11. Retrieved 2014-10-07.
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