“Howard Shore’s journey to Heinz Hall and back again began in 2005, when a tour landed the composer in front of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra to conduct his ‘The Lord of the Rings Symphony,’ ” writes Sharon Eberson in Wednesday’s (6/22) Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “This weekend, Pittsburgh will be on the start of the journey for ‘The Hobbit for Symphony Orchestra,’ ” a world premiere 30-minute piece in four movements, culled from the three ‘Hobbit’ films.… The program in Pittsburgh is titled ‘The Film Music of Howard Shore,’ for which he will be a guest speaker, with Ludwig Wicki conducting. The first part is dedicated to ‘The Hobbit,’ and the second concludes with selections from ‘The Lord of the Rings’ films.… For his weekend with the PSO, Mr. Shore’s priority was to create a night’s entertainment for lovers of music and movies. ‘Film music is very much an emotional language and becomes part of the experience of what you feel when you are watching the film,’ the composer said. ‘And when you hear the music played by a great orchestra like the Pittsburgh Symphony, I think it will evoke all of those feelings, and you’ll be swept back into that world.’ ”
Posted June 24, 2016
