This evening we attended the performance of Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring with LIVE soundtrack played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Ludwig Wicki. Howard Shore's Academy award-winning score was performed live on stage by the original soundtrack orchestra and choirs, The London Voices and The London Oratory School Schola.
This was a birthday present and we have been anticipating this wonderful evening for a few months. We began with an early dinner at Carluccio's by South Ken Station, then walked up Queen's Gate to the steps leading up to the Royal Albert Hall. Many people joined us as we walked up, allowing ourselves to be impressed by the lovely building. We entered by door 11, to gain acess to the arena where we were to be sitting. This is where the promenaders usually mill about during the Proms season. Tonight there were seats, and we had a grand view of the podium with the big screen in position behind, covering the organ and its associated pipes.
The orchestra seemed pretty large and included several places for the percussion. This included a huge drum cradled on its side as well as bells, other drums and the usual percussion instruments. The choir sat behind the orchestra, just under the screen.
It took some time to get everyone seated as it was definitely a full house, but eventually the house lights dimmed and the conductor appeared. The screen flickered to life and as the opening credits rolled, the conductor brought down his baton and the performance began. It was stunning and we sat spell bound; watching the film; reading the subtitles; and watching the orchestra as the musicians created the magic with their expertise. Luckily there was an interval when we could stretch our legs, then the second half began and again we were fascinated by all the performances - trying to spot when the very large drum was used, but not wanting to miss the action on the truly big screen.
As the film drew to an end, everyone remained seated as the closing credits rolled up the screen - of course, the music continues right to the end, and then the whole of the Royal Albert Hall errupted into ecstatic applause. The audience loved the perfomance, and we said a very big thank you to the giver of this wonderful birthday present. A night to remember.