Glorious music that should have sounded better on CD - Like many of the other reviewers, I was first exposed to Johan De Meij s Lord of the Rings in high school. My band had recently won Honor Band with this the original composition, less the more difficult Gollum movement. I soon became very fond this moving work, and was excited when I learned of an orchestral transcription recorded on CD with the London Symphony! I had very high hopes for this CD.The LSO s recordings are generally above average, and this one is no different. The orchestrations are well-done, and the conducting and musical performances are solid. However, I ve a particular problem with the way the CD sounds . The mixing engineers decided to limit the loud parts of the music. When the brass (especially the trumpets) are in full force, this volume-limiting is very noticeable, and it detracts from my enjoyment of the music. Also, the loudest parts of the piece seem scratchy with too much treble. I would have preferred a more natural sound, with the widest range of musical dynamics - as if I were listening to the orchestra LIVE. Obviously, the engineers had a different idea.Conclusion: Fantastic music, performed well - but held back by technical issues that detract from the overall experience.
Amazing! - I first was introduced to this symphony during my sophomore year of high school, spring of 1997, when my high school Wind Emsemble played movements I, II, and V. I have loved this music every since, and it s the reason I picked up LOTR to read in the first place. My favorite part is the chorale in Hobbits because in the original wind orchestra arrangement, the chorale is played mostly by the clarinet section - of which I was a part. I remember that we had a guest conductor, and he was so moved by our performance that he was crying by the time we were done.I searched for years to find recordings of the wind arrangement, with no luck. Then I found this recording, and I love it! While the wind arrangement will always come first in my heart, I appreciate and love the way this amazing piece was reorchestrated to include the stringed instruments. It did take me a few listens to get used to the new orchestrations, but it s still absolutely beautiful, and it give me a thrill every time I listen to it - especially the chorale in Hobbits, you can just see Sam and Frodo struggling up Mount Doom!
Please be aware of what you re reviewing!!! - First and foremost I would like to advice all reviewer s to understand what they are reviewing before writing any reviews. I am both a musician in a symphony orchestra and wind orchestra. To me each ensemble brings something different to the scene and are special in their own way. In my opinion, Mr Johan De Meij and Mr Howard Shore are fine composers. And their pieces are superb in their own perspective. De Meij s piece was first written for the wind orchestra medium. I ve played pieces by Mozart, Saint Saens, Rossini, Stravinsky etc, still this piece is hands down one of my favourites. When transcribed for the symphony orchestra, the piece became different, in a good way, due to the different instrumentation. For the benefit of others, this piece and its transcription were composed and made long before the first LOTR movie hit the cinemas. Also do note that writing music for film and music for performance on stage are two different things altogether. You can t take this piece and fit it into the film and likewise you can t take the whole film score and perform on stage. They were meant for 2 different purposes. So people, please know and understand what you re reviewing before writing anything. Reviews are meant to help too and not just to criticize. If you love music and want to listen to something different, i encourage you to get this cd. But do remember to clear your mind of Howard Shore s score before listening. I have already given the reason why. This is De Meij s interpretation of what he feels about LOTR. It is honest, superb, magnificent and evoking in its own way. Five stars.
Stop comparing de Meij to Shore - This work is fantastic. I cannot, however, get over the people who feel the need to compare this to Howard Shore s movie score. They were written for two completely different idioms, One to be a stand-alone work that tells the story on its own to be performed by a wind band in a concert hall, the other to lend drama and emotion to the story on screen. Both are great music in their own rite. I can t say anything for this particular performance from this cd as I have not heard it, but I know the de Meij s Symphony No. 1 well and it has to be one of the finest works in the wind band literature.
Wonderful - I first heard of this wonderful Symphony when I was in 10th grade and we played Hobbits number V in band. I loved it as soon as I heard the first note and soon got this CD. It is fantastic and brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it. Now in College in band, We are playing the Entire Symphony at our Spring Concert and I can t wait. It came before the movies, and is perfectly based on the books. Get this CD if you are a lover of Classical music, Lord of the Rings, or both!