I never saw any of the Lord of the Rings films in theaters. Born in Sept.2003, I was three months old when Return of the King opened in cinemas across the US. I did manage to see the final two Hobbit films, The Desolation of Smaug and Battle of the Five Armies, in theaters, and both were fantastic experiences that I will never forget, but I have always mourned that I was simply born too late to experience the groundbreaking majesty of The Lord of the Rings films in theaters. That is, until the night of Monday, Feb. 6, 2023.
That night, I attended the opening performance of Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring in Concert at Radio City Music Hall. Howard Shore’s exemplary score was performed by the Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine, with choir vocals provided by MasterVoices and Brooklyn Youth Chorus, featuring soloist Kaitlyn Lusk and conducted by Ludwig Wicki. The emotions I experienced at this performance were incredible and unlike anything I have ever felt before. But before we get into the details of the actual performance, let us start with the events that preceded it.
Around 5:00 pm, I arrived at McCarthy’s Irish Pub, where TheOneRing.net was hosting a fan get-together before the show. I had a wonderful meal of bangers and mash with an apple blossom for dessert (items especially chosen from the menu because they were reminiscent of Hobbit fare). While I feasted, I had a marvelous time chatting with other Tolkien fans, some of whom had traveled across the country specifically for the show. The conversations ranged from discussing which is the best of the LOTR films with a family who had traveled to New Zealand a few years ago, to considering the depiction of Galadriel in Amazon’s The Rings of Power with a couple sporting Elf ears, to speaking of the nuances of Melian, Annatar, and Celebrimbor with a woman cosplaying as Frodo, complete with a 3D printed Sting that glows blue.
After this merry gathering, it was off to Radio City. In the lobby, I saw people dressed as Hobbits, Gandalf the White, and a considerable number with generic pointed ears and cloaks. Since I don’t have any of my cosplays with me at college, the only Tolkien-related attire I sported was a replica of the One Ring on a silver chain around my neck.
This was only my second time at Radio City. I climbed the stairs to the third mezzanine and found my seat in the second row. I was astonished by how good the view was from all the way up there. I had expected it to be quite awful, but hadn’t minded very much since the experience is more of an audio one than a visual one. Though I could not make out the subtleties of the performer’s facial expressions, I could see distinguishing features and such very well.
The theater darkened. The orchestra played those first haunting notes and the film began. I cannot recall a time I felt a greater sense of community than in that theater. Not only did we laugh at the expected scenes of Pippin requesting a second breakfast, and Gimli refusing to be tossed on the stairs of Khazad-dum. We also laughed at the more niche moments, such as Boromir’s iconic line at the Council of Elrond and the scene in which Elrond and Frodo’s faces appear beside each other, both slightly transparent after Arwen carries Frodo across the ford.
The applause was just as wonderful. We cheered for character introductions and Gandalf’s cry of, “You shall not pass!” as well as for Bill the Pony and Boromir’s final charge to save Merry and Pippin. We applauded the end of the first act from the moment Aragorn declared, “You have my sword,” until Pippin asked, “Where are we going?” and the screen darkened for intermission.
It was not only on-screen moments we applauded, but the musical ones as well. The fellowship theme drew cheers nearly every time it was played. The leitmotifs that struck me especially hard were, surprisingly, not the joyous music of the Shire, the elegant music of Rivendell, or Lothlorien, or any of the themes associated with the Free Peoples of Middle-earth, but rather, those of the Dark Lord Sauron and his servants. Mordor and Isengard with their thunderous metallic sounds struck something deep within my soul. The location whose music hit me hardest was Moria. The rich, low choir chants in Khuzdul spoke of the history of the Dwarves, while the instrumentals delivered a sense of fear and foreboding as the Balrog approached its prey while simultaneously conveying the sheer majesty of this descendant of Gothmog.
One of the most immersive aspects of the concert were the performances of the amazing soloists. A young boy sang Gandalf’s escape from Isengard and “In Dreams” while soprano Kaitlyn Lusk who has been with the production for a little over 20 years as their featured soloist provided the vocals for Arwen’s entrance, Lothlorien, the fellowship’s mourning after Gandalf’s fall and the beautiful credit song “May It Be,” originally performed by Enya. Both singers’ voices can be described as nothing short of ethereal. Their otherworldly vocals truly made the audience feel like we were in Middle-earth.
These shared moments of humor and appreciation were astonishing. There was a collective understanding of Middle-earth and the culture surrounding it. It was magical and majestic, immersing us in the mythical realms of Middle-earth as brought to life by Peter Jackson, an unspoken connection joining everyone in the theater as one singular fellowship as we embarked upon this truly epic journey through the greatest fantasy world ever created. It was, in the words of Bilbo Baggins, a night to remember.