Symphony No. 1 "The Lord of the Rings"


Symphony No. 1 "The Lord of the Rings" is the first symphony for concert band written by Johan de Meij. It premiered in 1988 with the Groot Harmonieorkest van de Belgische Gidsen conducted by Norbert Nozy. The symphony is based on literary themes from the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Structure

The symphony consists of five movements, each illustrating a personage or an important episode from the book:
  1. Gandalf
  2. Lothlórien
  3. Gollum
  4. Journey in the Dark
  5. : a. The Mines of Moria
  6. : b. The Bridge of Khazad-Dûm
  7. Hobbits

    Reception

The CD by the military band Koninklijke Militaire Kapel helped give the symphony worldwide acclaim. In 1989 the symphony won the Sudler Composition Award. An orchestral version of the piece, orchestrated by Henk de Vlieger, was premiered and recorded in 2001 to coincide with the release of the 2001 film,.
In Celebration of the Symphony's 25th anniversary, De Meij conducted the Performance of the piece by the bands of Valparaiso University.

Recordings