Search - Morten Ernst Lassen, Signe Asmussen, The Tolkien Ensemble :: An Evening in Rivendell

Charming, Beautiful, and Gloriously Tolkien!

Dimitris "Lord Curien" Ntokos | 07/06/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Tolkien Ensemble has done a wonderful job with their trilogy, and this is the 'silmaril' in the crown. This CD is a joy and a delight, from the bittersweet "The Road Goes Ever On and On" (which, I might add, is the version I now hear whenever I read the book, despite having heard musical versions of it from both the Peter Jackson movie and the BBC radio tapes) to the absolutely GLORIOUS songs of Galadriel (Galadriel's Song of Eldamar I & II ). "Glorious" is the only word available for all the Elven songs, and "sheer fun!" the only ones for the hobbits. The epic ballads "The Ent & the Ent-Wife" and, especially, "The Song of Beren & Luthien" are treated with care and beauty - the Ents being long-winded but still adorably sweet, Beren and Luthien accompanied by a bittersweet piano.
I'm still not entirely keen on the "Elven Hymn to Ebereth" - it was more beautifully done on "At Dawn in Rivendell" - but, as the saying goes, 1 in 12 ain't bad!
I cannot possibly give a higher recommendation - I adore this CD and it will always have a spot of honour among my many."

A fine first effort by the Tolkien Ensemble

Chris from California | 10/06/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I already possess "Dawn in Rivendell". My first impression after listening to "Evening" is that it was very evident that it was their first CD as the performances were not nearly as polished as those in "Dawn".



Several singers have intonation problems. Peter Hall's, one of the composers and main performers, singing wasn't nearly up to the singing he exhibited on "Dawn". He displayed a very limited vocal range and his voice was a bit nasal in places which makes me wonder if perhaps he had a cold at the time of recording.



While the artistry was definitely there, some of the performers weren't quite capable of pulling off the difficult compositions. Also, some of the pieces have very strange instrumentation, particularly "Verse of the Rings", (oboe, guitar, bass, vibraphone/miramba) the first number on the CD. It made me think of some Ralph Vaughan Williams compositions I've heard.



I have to admit that I really like Peter Hall's "Hey Dol! Merry Dol!"; it makes me smile. Marlene Nordtorp Windekilde, the soprano performing the part of Goldberry, has a very nice voice but I'm afraid that she was not quite up to performing the very difficult upper range portions. She did passibly well, I'd say, but it was obviously a strain for her.



I greatly enjoyed Morten Ernst Lassen's performance of "The Song of Beren and Luthien". He was an amazingly beautiful baritone voice with very robust lows and a very clear and free upper range. The only problem I had with the recording was that the words were difficult to understand. My guess is that this was a product of (1) the recording method used, (2) less than adequate diction by the performer, or (3) all of the above. The fact that I have to turn the volume up for this song seems to indicate problem #1 is definitely in force. I'm going to guess that #2 is also somewhat responsible.



"The Ent and the Ent-wife" is a very beautiful duet. It's not particularly evocative of Ents, but beautiful none the less.



Overall, "Evening" was a good first effort. It's a shame they're not doing any more than three albums as I would like to hear more."

Absolutely Aweinspiring!

Dimitris "Lord Curien" Ntokos | Greece | 10/06/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First of all, you get mixed feelings when you press play on your cdplayer... What is this going to sound like? How are the poems processed with music? etc... The truth is, that no matter how you expect it to be, it is better than that.
From the first song in the album to the last, one just needs to close his/her eyes and will be transported in a blink of an Eye (so to speak) in Middle-Earth. The composition of the songs,though more classical than folk as a fellow reviewer wrote, is just fantastic.Along with the performances of the barytones and sopranos in the songs just sends chills up and down your spine. Melancholy, happiness, hope and desparation are more than obvious in the songs. I could not help a tear in the Lament For Boromir, or in the Fall of Gil-Galad. And the oh so ELVISH performance in Elven Hymn to Elbereth Gilthoniel... One just needs to say one word. Awesome..."