Royal Albert Hall, May 28, 2022

Peter Jackson’s opening movie in his The Lord of the Ring trilogy is projected to screen with a live orchestra and choir.

As The Lord of the Rings scores go, I’ve been somewhat spoilt over the years, including sitting in on a scoring session with Howard Shore at the Watford Colosseum and attending a concert of the trilogy scores conducted by the composer. That would make subsequent Rings-related gigs a tough act to follow, but the Royal Albert Hall’s encore presentation of The Fellowship of the Ring is on equal standing as those other prestige events.

This was the film that in 2009 launched the venue’s Films in Concert series, and was originally planned for performances in October 2020, before being rescheduled to now. The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra perform Shore’s Oscar-winning score under the baton of Ludwig Wicki. The choral work is performed by the Crouch End Festival Chorus.

First and foremost, the orchestra and choir are superb, showcasing Shore’s score, which requires everything from chanting in Elvish to clanging on some literally heavyweight percussion. It’s in performances like this where the sound is so high in the mix (there are onscreen subtitles to help with the particularly loud sequences) that you discover additional nuances that you’ve never noticed before, no matter how many times you’ve heard it. Of course, there’s the sweeping Fellowship anthem and leitmotifs for the characters and Ring, but there’s also interesting underscore that’s ripe for discovery as it comes to the fore.

Breaking for an interval at the point where the Fellowship is formed, the artistes return for a non-stop second half that reminds us just how music there is in the 171-minute film. Of particular note is the performance by the Crouch End Chorus, its male, female and boys’ sections offering very different vocals to mix and match as required. I couldn’t find out who the boy soprano was for A Blade in the Dark or the female soloist who sang Aniron, In Dreams and May it Be, but they were excellent, and worthy of the cheers and whoops of approval from an appreciative audience who provided a lengthy standing ovation.

In the same way that Game of Thrones fans lost their love of the show after a disappointing final season, so too did many The Lord of the Rings fans lose the faith when the increasingly overstuffed The Hobbit trilogy dulled the edge of the franchise. I too fell into that malaise, but this performance has stoked the fire in the belly and I’ve fallen back in love again with the original trilogy.

Verdict: I’ve said it many times before, but movies in concert are the very best way to experience a film. When the film has such a diverse and detailed score as this, you know you’re in for a treat, and these talented performers boost it right up to the baffles of the 150-year-old venue and shower the lucky audience. Superb. 10/10

Nick Joy