Search - Ensemble Vents et Percussion de Quebec, Rene Joly :: Lord of the Rings; Symphonie No. 1

The music is great, the performance is not

Scott Johnson | Ames, Iowa | 06/27/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"de Meij's Symphony 1: Lord of the Rings is a superbly written piece of music. Evocative, brooding, descriptive, and unmannered, it captures the essence of Gandalf, Shadowfax, Lothlorien, Gollum, the journey through Moria, and Hobbits in music. Especially effective is the Moria movement and the Hobbits melody; in both sections, de Meij seems to have been conversing with Tolkien himself while writing the music.Be that as it may, this particular recording is not particularly well done. Balance is not good, and one loses some of the magic of the piece while listening for parts which seem to disappear from other recordings I've heard. The Dutch Royal Military Band did a far better recording a few years ago, and unfortunately I've not been able to find a new copy to replace the disc I wore out. This recording is passable but not the best version out there; unfortunately, it seems to be the only one readily available at this time."

Poor

Tenorposaune | Chicago, IL USA | 09/04/2003

(1 out of 5 stars)

"No one can deny the scope and power of De Meij's visionary work for wind ensemble. This is truly one of the gems in the literature. However, this performance is singularly bad. The balance is unforgivable, the precision is nearly nonexistent, and it gets worse from there. Most other recordings are out of print, but De Meij recommends one by the Amsterdam Wind Orchestra, if you can find it. Whether or not you can find another recording, this one is a waste of your money. You'd do better to try and hum it."

Of another recording

mahler3-79 | Indianapolis, Indiana United States | 09/05/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"De Meij's interpretation of aspects of Tolkien's world is accurate and breathtaking. Listening to this first symphony and viewing the renderings by Alan Lee and John Howe gives me great hope that the coming films have the potenital of being just as moving and expressive, maybe (do I dare say it?) even more.Although I haven't listened to the above recording of the symphony, I highly highly recommend a recording with The Amsterdam Wind Orchestra under the direction of Arie van Beek. I think it is difficult to come by, but if you happen to come across it I strongly urge you to buy it. It also includes an arrangement by de Meij of Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet (at least portions of it) arranged for wind orchestra. This is also quite good.
The label for this CD is JE Classic 900101."