Lord of the Rings based on Tolkien

Dutch composer and conductor Johan de Meij (1953) graduated from the Royal Conservatory of Music in The Hague, where he perfected his trombone playing and conducting. His original compositions, symphonic transcriptions and arrangements of film scores, which have become a permanent part of the repertoire of renowned ensembles around the world, brought him international fame. His symphony, The Lord of the Rings, won the prestigious Sudler Composition Prize and has been recorded by countless ensembles, including the London Symphony Orchestra, The North Netherlands Orchestra, the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra and the Amsterdam Wind Orchestra. His symphonies:The Big Apple, Planet Earth, Sinfonie der Lieder and solo concerts: T-Bone Concerto (trombone), UFO Concerto (euphonium) and Casanova (cello) were enthusiastically received in many of the most famous concert halls.

Johan de Meij's Symphony, The Lord of the Rings, is based on the trilogy of the same name by J.R.R. Tolkien. Since its publication in 1955, the book has fascinated millions of readers worldwide. The symphony consists of five separate parts, each illustrating a character or an important episode from the novel.

Composition Parts:
I GANDALF (The Wizard)
II LOTHLÓRIEN (The Elvenwood)
III GOLLUM (Sméagol)
IV JOURNEY IN THE DARK
a. The Mines of Moria
b. The Bridge of Khazad-Dûm
V HOBBITS


The symphony was written between 1984 and 1987 and premiered a year later in Brussels when Groot Harmonieorkest van de Belgische Gidsen performed it under the baton of Norbert Nozy. In 1989, the symphony received the first prize at the Sudler International Competition for Composers of Brass Bands in Chicago. A year later, it brought Johan de Meij a Dutch Composers Fund scholarship. In 2001, the orchestral version had its premiere in Rotterdam and was recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra.

I GANDALF (The Wizard)
The first part is a musical portrait of the wizard Gandalf, one of the main characters in the trilogy. His wise and noble personality is expressed by a dignified motif, used in a different form also in parts IV and V. The unpredictability of the grey wizard is evidenced by the sudden opening of the Allegro vivace, after which the dizzying pace seems to portray Gandalf's ride on the most beautiful of the horses: Shadowmane.

II LOTHLÓRIEN (The Elvenwood)
The second part is an impression of Lothlórien, an elven forest whose extraordinary beauty is told by solos of woodwind instruments. Frodo's encounter with Galadriel embodies the charming Allegretto; in Galadriel's magic mirror, Frodo sees the great, sinister Eye of Sauron.

III GOLLUM (Sméagol)
The third part describes Gollum – a disgusting creature but also shy by nature, portrayed by the sound of a soprano saxophone. Gollum mumbles and talks to himself, hisses and lisps, whines and chuckles, is alternately pathetic and malicious, constantly running away and looking for his beloved treasure – the Ring.

IV JOURNEY IN THE DARK
The fourth movement of the symphony describes the arduous journey of the Fellowship, led by the wizard Gandalf, through the dark tunnels of the Mine of Moria. In the monotonous rhythm of low brass instruments, piano and percussion, you can clearly hear the slow cadence of the walk and the fear. After a wild pursuit of enemy creatures, the Orcs, Gandalf engages in a fight with a terrible monster – the Balrog and falls from the bridge into the abyss.

In the melancholy tones of Marche funèbre, the confused Companions march on, looking for the only exit from the mine – the East Gate of Moria.

V HOBBITS
In cheerful folk dance, the fifth part expresses the carefree and optimistic nature of the Hobbits; the hymn that follows exudes the determination and nobility of the Hobbit people. The symphony does not end pompously, but calmly, even melancholically, thus fitting in with the symbolic mood of the last chapter of "Grey Haven", in which Frodo and Gandalf sail away on a white ship and slowly disappear beyond the horizon.