LOTR The Two Towers Movie Concert: Journey Towards Mordor

Review: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Movie Concert

The bass drum beat slowly.

It then rumbled and rumbled more, pulsating along with our beating hearts, as the terrifying Nazgûl went in search of the ring. Our hearts almost stopped.

And that’s exactly how we felt throughout The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Movie Concert recently.

Last year, the Metropolitan Festival Orchestra (MFO) brought The Fellowship of the Ring to the stage. This year, they returned to Singapore in their first pit stop in Asia, much bigger and grander than before. Alongside conductor Justin Freer, the MFO and the Vocal Associates Festival Chorus and Children’s Choir had the audience on the edge of their seats throughout the 3-hour show. Freer’s conducting aptitude was spectacularly shown in various themes such as “The One Ring”, “The World of Men: Rohan”, “The Fellowship of the Ring” and “Nature’s Reclamation”.

The dynamism of the MFO engulfed the entire Star Theatre from the beginning, as the brass section brought the audience right into the “Mines of Moria”, reenacting the scene where Gandalf sacrificed his life for his comrades. Every drum roll of the timpani was succinct and captured every ounce of anticipation that brewed when the Hobbits spied on the passing Uruk-hai, or when men of Rohan stood by Helm’s Deep waiting for Saruman’s army to wage a war.

Even the perfect synchronization of the strings section demanded to be felt as they delivered soft, legato-like bow strokes that tugged the heartstrings of the audience, but when sudden threats were eminent, their swift bow movements complemented the times of valor onscreen where Rohan fought for its people against Saruman’s army.

Unique to Howard Shore’s exquisite creation of The Lord of the Rings soundtrack, a cimbalom [similar to a hammered dulcimer] is used (although a yang qin is adopted in this performance instead) to illustrate Gollum’s warped character, and the thoughtful strains of a Hardanger fiddle [traditional stringed instrument used to play the music of Norway] portrayed the Rohirrim’s love for their land. With such a spectacular performance by the MFO, the audience was torn between watching the movie onscreen and following the zestful conducting by Freer and the playing of the orchestra. However, compared to previous year’s performance of The Fellowship of the Ring where it was difficult to concentrate on the film due to the musicians’ different-colored outfits and extensive spotlights, the performers donned black this time, and spotlights were in the right place, making it easier for the audience to focus. Immense credit had to be given to British vocalist Rosalind Waters and Singapore’s boy soprano prodigy Samuel Yuen, whose angelic voices blended in perfectly with the Vocal Associates Festival Chorus and Children’s Choir. At the same time, the film could be heard clearly and was not drowned out by the meld of voices and instruments.

Urbanwire was blown away by the scene of Aragorn reminiscing his last moments with Arwen, which was accompanied by the flowing, hauntingly pure voice of Waters singing the slow and serene piece titled “Evenstar”. She managed to convey the beautiful yet painful separation between Arwen and Aragorn, captivating the hearts of many.

However, when the credits rolled, Waters’ solo part was not as distinct and pristine this time round, and seemed a tad overpowered by the choir and orchestra. The 250-member orchestra continued their stunning performance until the credits finished rolling and received a thunderous applause and standing ovation from some fans.

The entire performance by the MFO, soloists and choir brought this thrilling 2nd installment of the trilogy to a whole new level, succeeding in leading the audience to Middle-Earth and making the whole performance so ethereal.

We can’t wait for the last installment next year to enter the volcanic fires of Mount Doom.

Set List

1. Glamdring
2. Elven Rope
3. Uglúk’s Warriors
4. The Three Hunters
5. The Banishment of Éomer
6. Night Camp
7. The Plains of Rohan
8. Fangorn
9. The Dead Marshes
10. “Wraiths on Wings”
11. Gandalf the White
12. Edoras
13. The Court of Meduseld
14. Theoden King
15. The Forests of Ithilien
16. One of the Dúnedain
17. The Wolves of Isengard
18. Refuge at Helm’s Deep
19. Voice of Saruman
20. Arwen’s Fate
21. The Story Foretold
22. Faramir’s Good Counsel
23. Aragorn’s Return
24. War Is Upon Us
25. “Where Is The Horse and the Rider?”
26. The Host of the Eldar
27. The Battle of the Hornburg
28. The Breach of the Deeping Wall
29. The Entmoot Decides
30. Retreat
31. Master Peregrin’s Plan
32. The Last March of the Ents
33. Théoden Rides Forth
34. The Tales That Really Matter