Were Legolas, Gimli, Merry and Pippin essential to the quest?
This is the question we will be posing in the Hall of Fire this weekend.
Gimli, the stought-hearted dwarf of Erebor. What is the sum of his contribution to the quest? Is it any more than being Legolas’s passenger on the back of Hasufel and helping Gandalf thread a path through the dark depths of Moria?
Then there’s Legolas, the fleet-footed archer of Mirkwood. Did he do any more than ease the passage through Lothlorien and bring down a Nazgul at Sarn Gebir?
What of Pippin, the youngest member of the fellowship? Was his messing with the Palantir that vital in saving Gandalf from exposure to Sauron? Did he in some way help sustain Denethor for longer and help save Minas Tirith – and Frodo? Or was his presence simply a foolish risk — as exposed by his capture at Amon Hen?
And then there’s Merry, leader of the conspiracy to prevent Frodo from running away from Bag End by himself. But apart from ensuring that Frodo got to Bree without falling into Mordor’s hands, how much did he really accomplish?
These are just a few of the questions that we’ll be posing at what’s sure to be a lively Hall of Fire debate this weekend. So come and join us on Sunday October 16 2pm EDT in #thehalloffire on the TORn IRC server.
Time and date:
Sunday October 16
America:
2pm EDT
1pm CDT
12pm MDT
11am PDT
Europe:
7pm UK
8pm Central Europe
Asia-Pacific:
4am (Monday) Brisbane
4am (Monday) Sydney
6am (Monday) Wellington
Chats usually last 45 mins to an hour, and are very newbie friendly. Simply drop in and join the conversation!
Upcoming topics:
Sun October 16 Were Merry, Pippin, Gimli and Legolas essential to the quest?
Sat October 22 – Silmarillion Ch 14
Sun October 30 – Silmarillion Ch 14
Sat November 5 – Alan Lee live Q&A
Special reminder
Don’t forget our live chat with famed Tolkien illustrator Alan Lee on November 5. Alan will be answering your questions on his work for an hour. However, this chat is sure to be popular, so get your question in early and here! ) or choose to install a dedicated chat program such as mIRC on your computer.
To find out more about using mIRC to connect to TORn IRC server, check out these instructions.
Got a topic? Let us know your idea!
If you have a burning desire to discuss something in Hall of Fire, drop us a line with your topic at halloffire@theonering.net. If we like it, we’ll probably give it a run in the coming weeks – you might even get to guest moderate the session!
Join HoF Announce!
Did you know that Hall of Fire has a mailing list? Join today and get topic announcements and news delivered regularly to your inbox!
Hof-announce@theonering.net
http://www.theonering.net/mailman/listinfo/hof-announce
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Ringer Celebriel reports on the Greater Bay Area Costumer’s Guild’s special event, An Evening in Rivendell: A secluded lodge in the Oakland hills was transformed Saturday evening into Elrond’s hall, surrounded by woods, lit by candles, and warmed by a bright hearth. Seventy two guests attended, most costumed as elves, but men and women of Rohan and Gondor, a handful of hobbits, a Haradrim mumakil driver, and a Ringwraith were also present.
Dinner featured a Middle-Earth theme, with Master Samwise’s roast chicken a popular entrée. Elves circulated offering chocolate leaves as one of three desserts. After dinner, the Hall of Fire featured renditions of Pippin’s Song and Into the West, accompanied by a harpist, followed by Philip and Kathe Gust’s performance of Theoden’s arming scene from The Two Towers, which brought down the house. (For costume details, please see the tutorial at celefinniel.webhop.net
The rest of the evening was turned over to the dances, and dancers, of Middle Earth. Those seated with a goblet of wine or a mug of ale watched as the golden circlets, hand sewn embroidery, silks and velvets worn by twirling elves caught flashes of light from the candles and scattered it across the Hall of Fire. It was a magical evening, with friendships renewed and new ones forged.
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THE COLLEGIATE CHORALE AND MUSIC DIRECTOR ROBERT BASS Present The Rings: Myth and Music Excerpts from Wagner’s Ring Cycle and The New York Premiere of Howard Shore’s Movements I and II “The Fellowship of the Ring” from The Lord of the Rings Symphony
Sunday, November 13 at 3 p.m.
At Carnegie Hall
New York, NY – The Collegiate Chorale, led by Robert Bass, opens its 64th season with The Rings: Myth and Music on November 13th at 3 p.m. at Carnegie Hall. Excerpts from Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle, including Die Walkϋre and Götterdämmerung and a suite from Flying Dutchman, and the New York Premiere of Movements I and II “The Fellowship of the Ring” from The Lord of the Rings Symphony by Howard Shore, will be performed.
Guest artists include Christine Goerke, soprano; Valentin Peitchinoff, bass; and the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus.
The operas of Richard Wagner illustrate the profound influence of myth and legend. His “Ring” cycle and Flying Dutchman are mainstays of opera houses around the world and are notable in part for their Valkyries, giants, gnomes and ghosts. Few composers unfold supernatural forces as effectively as Wagner, matching music to story.
Howard Shore’s The Lord of the Rings Symphony, based on the music from his Academy Award winning film score, like the works of Wagner and others, is derived from mythological sources. In this instance, the books by J.R.R. Tolkien dramatically unfold the fable of the lowly Hobbits as they struggle against the forces of evil. The Rings Symphony has been performed more than 50 times on four continents including performances in Sydney’s Opera House and London’s Royal Albert Hall. In fall 2004 The Lord of the Rings Symphony received 25 performances in the United States and Europe, including a historic concert by the National Philharmonic of Russia in Moscow’s Kremlin Palace Theater.
ARTISTS
Howard Shore, composer, had a record-breaking 2003/2004 awards season. His score and song for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King won two Academy Awards and two Golden Globes. The Best Score “Oscar” went to the entire film score The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Shore also won a Grammy Award for his work on the previous “Rings” film, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. In 2002, he received top honors – both an Oscar and a Grammy (Best Original Score) – for The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, which also received awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics, the Chicago Film Critics and the Broadcast Film Critics.
The UK’s Classic FM voted The Lord of the Rings soundtrack the Best Film Score of All Time for two consecutive years. In addition to the recordings of his film score, Shore’s chamber music has been featured on an Arabesque Records CD entitled Reel Life – The Private Music of Film Composers, Vol. 1.
Shore’s music has been performed throughout the world. He has conducted concerts of his original music in Seville (at the Seville Film Music Festival); Melbourne (at Cinesonic’s First International Conference on Film Scores and Sound Design); and Ottawa, and at the National Arts Centre.
Shore conducted the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in the world premiere of The Lord of the Rings Symphony: Six Movements for Orchestra and Chorus in 2003. He is currently touring the symphony, conducting performances in communities all over the world. Each of the symphony’s six movements corresponds to a book within J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. The concerts feature over two hundred onstage performers, including large orchestra, adult and boy choruses, and numerous vocal and instrumental soloists.
Howard Shore received his formal musical education at Boston’s world famous Berklee School of Music. He recorded with the group “Lighthouse” from 1969 to 1972, and was the original musical director of Saturday Night Live, where he worked with his lifelong friend Lorne Michaels between 1975 and 1980.
Christine Goerke, soprano, was the recipient of the 2001 Richard Tucker Award and has established an outstanding reputation with many of the world’s leading opera houses and orchestras. Ms. Goerke has appeared at the Metropolitan Opera (where she is an alumna of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program), the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, the Paris Opera, the New York City Opera, the Seattle Opera, the Houston Grand Opera, the Santa Fe Opera, the Pittsburgh Opera, the Saito Kinen Festival and the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.
She also appeared in a series of Mozart/da Ponte operas staged by the Seiji Ozawa Ongaku-Juku Opera Project which included Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Cosi fan tutte. Ms. Goerke’s many roles include the title roles in Norma, Alcina, Agrippina, and Iphigenie en Tauride; Donna Elvira and Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte, the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro, Vitellia in Clemenza di Tito, Elletra in Idomeneo, Armida in Rinaldo, Alice Ford in Falstaff, Musetta in La Bohème, Madame Lidoine in Dialogues des Carmelites, the Female Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia, and Ellen Orford in Peter Grimes.
On the concert platform, Ms. Goerke has appeared with a number of the leading orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, New World Symphony, Houston Symphony, Sydney Symphony, and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.
In both opera and concerts, Ms. Goerke continues to work with some of the world’s foremost conductors including James Conlon, Mark Elder, Christoph Eschenbach, Claus Peter Flor, James Levine, Sir Charles Mackerras, Kurt Masur, Zubin Mehta, Seiji Ozawa, Esa-Pekka Salonen, the late Robert Shaw, Leonard Slatkin, Patrick Summers, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Edo de Waart.
Ms. Goerke’s recording of Vaughan Williams Sea Symphony with Robert Spano and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra won the 2003 Grammy Award for Best Classical Recording and Best Choral Performance. Her close association with Robert Shaw yielded several recordings including the Brahms’ Liebeslieder Waltzes, Poulenc’s Stabat Mater, Szymanowski’s Stabat Mater, and the Grammy-nominated recording of Dvorak’s Stabat Mater. Other recordings include the title role of Iphigenie in Iphigenie en Tauride for Telarc and the Britten War Requiem which won the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance.
Ms. Goerke recently made her debut at the Opera Company of Philadelphia as Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, sang the Beethoven Symphony 9 with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and appeared in Tokyo as Chrysothemis in Elektra.
Valentin Peitchinoff, bass, has appeared throughout his native Bulgaria in such roles as Mephistopheles in Faust, Gomez da Silva in Ernani, the title roles in Ivan Sussanin and Aleko, Mustafa in L’Italiana in Algeri, Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Pizarro in Fidelio, and Ramfis in Aida. In addition, he has also appeared on opera, symphony, and recital stages in Germany, Austria, Italy, Mexico, Canada, Ireland, and Poland before emigrating to the United States.
In America, he has appeared as Lanciotto in Rachmaninoff’s Francesca da Rimini and King Rene in Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta with Sarasota Opera; the title role in Der Fliegende Holländer and Ramfis in Aida with Nashville Opera; King Philip in Don Carlos (in the original French) with New York Grand Opera; Zaccaria in Nabucco with Opera Hamilton, Sarasota Opera and Opera Columbus; Banquo in Macbeth and Fiesco in Simon Boccanegra and in Macbeth with Opera Hamilton; Sparafucile in Rigoletto with Calgary Opera and Mustafa with the Dublin Opera; Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor and Colline in La Bohème with the Florentine Opera, Opera Columbus and Hartford Opera and Timur in Turandot with Baltimore Opera.
In New York, Mr. Peitchinoff made his first appearances as Bronza in Rothchild’s Violin at The Juilliard Opera Center. Since that time, he has appeared at the New York City Opera as Prince Galitsky in Prince Igor, Basilio, Colline, and Sparafucile. He also joined the roster of the Metropolitan Opera in 2000.
On the concert stage, Mr. Peitchinoff has appeared in New York at Alice Tully Hall as bass soloist in Shostakovitch’s Symphony No. 14, with the Santa Fe Symphony for Rossini’s Stabat Mater and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, and numerous appearances for the Verdi Requiem (Carnegie Hall, West Virginia Symphony, Collegiate Chorale, Connecticut Grand Opera). In addition, he was featured soloist performances of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 14 and his Suite on Poems by Michelangelo in two concerts of the music of Shostakovich as part of the International Music Festival broadcast nationwide on National Public Radio. He has appeared in recital at the Spoleto Festival in Italy, in the Gala of L’Opera de Montreal.
New York City Gay Men’s Chorus is the longest standing member of Big Apple Performing Arts, having just celebrated its 25th Anniversary in 2005. New York City Gay Men’s Chorus now comprises 250 voices, appearing in three subscription concerts each year, moving between Avery Fisher Hall and Carnegie Hall as well as other world-class venues in New York City. Affirming their world-class status is a roster of classical and contemporary artists who have graced the stages with the Chorus: Marilyn Horne, Roberta Peters, Liza Minnelli, Stephen Sondheim, Barbara Cook, Carol Channing, Jerry Herman, Eartha Kitt, Joel Grey – to name just a few. In addition to the full chorus, the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus includes the 24-voice Ambassadors Chorus which serves as a community outreach ensemble.
Robert Bass, the Music Director of the Collegiate Chorale since 1980, conducts a wide repertoire including choral works and operas, and has initiated numerous commissions in his tenure. The upcoming season marks Mr. Bass’ 26th yeah with the Chorale. He made his Carnegie Hall conducting debut at the age of 26, and has since presented several operas in concert at Carnegie Hall including the New York premieres of Richard Strauss’ Friedenstag, Schubert’s Fierrabras, Respighi’s La fiamma, and the American premiere of Dvořák’s Dmitri, as well as Verdi’s Nabucco, Giovanna d’Arco (Joan of Arc), Macbeth, La Forza del Destino, Un Ballo in Maschera and Ponchielli’s La Gioconda. He also serves as artistic director of the Olga Forrai Foundation, which supports the careers of young singers and conductors, and is a judge for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
The Collegiate Chorale, among New York’s foremost vocal ensembles, has added to the richness of the City’s cultural fabric for more than 60 years. Founded in 1941 by legendary conductor Robert Shaw, The Chorale has achieved national and international prominence under the leadership of Music Director Robert Bass, who recently celebrated his 25th Anniversary season. The Chorale has established a preeminent reputation for its interpretations of the traditional choral repertoire, vocal works by American composers and rarely heard operas-in-concert, as well as commissions and premieres of new works by today’s most exciting creative artists.
The Verbier Festival and The Collegiate Chorale
James Levine has invited The Collegiate Chorale to return to the Verbier Festival following its triumphant performance of the Verdi Requiem in August 2005. On August 3rd, 2006, The Collegiate Chorale will perform in Verdi’s Otello with soprano Barbara Frittoli, tenor Ben Heppner and baritone Carlo Guelfi. They will also participate in the closing of the Festival on August 6th in Beethoven’s monumental Symphony No. 9. Both concerts will be conducted by Maestro Levine.
The Orchestra of St. Luke’s, one of America’s foremost chamber orchestras, commands a mastery of a diverse repertoire spanning from the Baroque to the contemporary. First organized at the Caramoor International Music Festival in the summer of 1979, the Orchestra evolved from the St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble, established in 1974, whose members formed the Orchestra’s artistic core as principal players. The Orchestra has worked with the finest conductors, including former Music Directors Sir Charles Mackerras (1998-2001) and Sir Roger Norrington (1990-94). In 2001, they continued this tradition by appointing Donald Runnicles as Principal Conductor.
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Mafgrl writes: Last night at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Downtown Los Angeles a very unique and inspiring event took place. Entitled “Voices of a People’s History of the United States”, the event sampled speeches, letters and more by the likes of Susan B. Anthony, abolishionist John Brown, Mark Twain and Cindy Sheehan. These excerpts read by many of Hollywood’s great actors and political advocates, including Viggo Mortensen(History of Violence), Marisa Tomei (My Cousin Vinny), Sandra Oh (Grey’s Anatomy), Josh Brolin (Into the Blue), Kerry Washington (Ray) and Danny Glover(Lethal Weapon). The material was both moving and funny in turn. One reading by Oh was written by a Japanese American woman who was removed from her home in San Pedro in 1941 and sent to a concentration camp during the war. Another piece told of a factory worker in Chicago who was one of the first women to organize unions in that state for better conditions and rights. A very moving rendition of Cindy Sheehan’s speech about her son being killed in the Iraq war and her subsequent trip to try to talk to President Bush in Crawford, Tx was given by Tomei.
Each of the readers for the evening was clearly passionate about the material both Mortensen and Vanessa Martinez (Lone Star) read their passages both in Spanish and English to the delight of the mixed crowd. Danny Glover had flown in from Florida and arrived midway through right off of the plane to participate. Mortensen made one of his now famous antiwar/anti Bush shirts which stated “Impeach, Remove, Jail”. He was still sporting the red and blue paint on his hands!
The panel was moderated by Howard Zinn who wrote the book that this reading was based on “A People’s History of the United States” and Anthony Arnove who is the writer of “Iraq Under Siege: The Deadly Impact of Sanctions”.
It was very interesting and enjoyable to hear these words of many people in history who are not as famous and often overlooked for their views. If you have an opportunity to pick up a copy of Zinn’s book, please check it out, I think you will find it fascinating. [More]
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Were Legolas, Gimli, Merry and Pippin essential to the quest?
This is the question we will be posing in the Hall of Fire this weekend.
Gimli, the stought-hearted dwarf of Erebor. What is the sum of his contribution to the quest? Is it any more than being Legolas’s passenger on the back of Hasufel and helping Gandalf thread a path through the dark depths of Moria?
Then there’s Legolas, the fleet-footed archer of Mirkwood. Did he do any more than ease the passage through Lothlorien and bring down a Nazgul at Sarn Gebir?
What of Pippin, the youngest member of the fellowship? Was his messing with the Palantir that vital in saving Gandalf from exposure to Sauron? Did he in some way help sustain Denethor for longer and help save Minas Tirith – and Frodo? Or was his presence simply a foolish risk — as exposed by his capture at Amon Hen?
And then there’s Merry, leader of the conspiracy to prevent Frodo from running away from Bag End by himself. But apart from ensuring that Frodo got to Bree without falling into Mordor’s hands, how much did he really accomplish?
These are just a few of the questions that we’ll be posing at what’s sure to be a lively Hall of Fire debate this weekend. So come and join us on Saturday October 8 at 5.30pm EDT in #thehalloffire on the TORn IRC server.
Time and date:
Saturday October 8
America:
5.30pm EDT
4.30pm CDT
3.30pm MDT
2.30pm PDT
Europe:
10.30pm UK
11.30pm Central Europe
Asia-Pacific:
7.30am (Sunday) Brisbane
7.30am (Sunday) Sydney
9.30am (Sunday) Wellington
Chats usually last 45 mins to an hour, and are very newbie friendly. Simply drop in and join the conversation!
Upcoming topics:
Sat October 8 – Were Merry, Pippin, Gimli and Legolas essential to the quest?
Sun October 16 Were Merry, Pippin, Gimli and Legolas essential to the quest?
Sat October 22 – Silmarillion Ch 14
Sun October 30 – Silmarillion Ch 14
Sat November 5 – Alan Lee live Q&A
Special reminder
Don’t forget our live chat with famed Tolkien illustrator Alan Lee on November 5. Alan will be answering your questions on his work for an hour. However, this chat is sure to be popular, so get your question in early and e-mail us in advance!
Where?
Chat happens on #thehalloffire on irc.theonering.net – the TORn IRC server. You can connect instantly via our java chat client that works inside your web browser (find it here! ) or choose to install a dedicated chat program such as mIRC on your computer.
To find out more about using mIRC to connect to TORn IRC server, check out these instructions.
Got a topic? Let us know your idea!
If you have a burning desire to discuss something in Hall of Fire, drop us a line with your topic at halloffire@theonering.net. If we like it, we’ll probably give it a run in the coming weeks – you might even get to guest moderate the session!
Join HoF Announce!
Did you know that Hall of Fire has a mailing list? Join today and get topic announcements and news delivered regularly to your inbox!
Hof-announce@theonering.net
http://www.theonering.net/mailman/listinfo/hof-announce
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Kevin Lively writes: I am currently directing a production of The Hobbit at Bakersfield Community Theatre (Bakersfield’s Oldest Community Theatre). I thought you guys might like to hear about it. Attached is an article written by one of publicity guys for a local underground newspaper called The Black Board.
THE HOBBIT is on its foot-stompin’ way – By N.L. Belardes
Kevin Lively, that dashing actor/director with more energy than a Tehachapi wind turbine is now spinning one of the most masterfully whimsical plays to ever grace Bakersfield Community Theatre. Here comes The Hobbit, no not Frodo ala Elijah Woods look-a-likes from Peter Jackson-style Hobbityville landscapes; this is a directorial-specific play version of the J.R.R. Tolkien novel that started it all—and Frodo isn’t even in it!
Who needs to see DVD re-plays of that psychotic little hobbit, Frodo when Bakersfield has Lively’s telling of The Hobbit? In this story, Bilbo Baggins, one of the hippest hobbits of the Shiretown blues there ever was, journeys from his homelands of The Shire and beyond the Mirkwood Forest. Enter Lively’s slapstick blend of The BBC meets Mel Brooks meets Tolkien in a dark alley of stand-up comics. Yes, Bilbo gets the One Ring, but just how he goes about his journey, only Kevin Lively in his secret meetings of choreography with over 45 stage actors and mysterious monumental Middle Earth sets knows. Will he tell all before the very premiere of such a play as has never before been seen by Bakersfield folk? A simple “No,” will have to do! So sit back, and wait, but don’t you dare be patient. Working with a considerably large budget sponsored by lots of fine folks from the Bakersfield community, The Hobbit promises to be one of the most popular shows to ever grace Southern Central Valley theatres… just take a look at this cast and crew:
CAST:
Bilbo – Chris Orta (last seen in Peter Pan as Tootles)
Gandalf – Angela Poncetta (Last seen in Laugh in as the British chick)
Smaug (voice) – 160.1 KRAB Radio’s Meathead
Thorin – Aaron Logan
Gollum – Ben Lejeune
Smeagol –Jenna Lejeune
Gobbo – Clay Beaudette
Elfrida – Katrina Cruz
DIRECTOR and CREW:
Director – Kevin Lively
Ass. Director – Caroline Clark
Producer – Aaron Mauldin (Zog the troll)
Sound – Sean Perryman (Best Sound Design for Peter Pan for the 2004-05 BCT Season)
Costumes – Sarah Downey and Jeny Rendt Scott-Sanchez for a svelte take on Middle Earth
Make-up – Victoria Vasquez (Full creature make up down to the hairy feet.)
SHOW DATES:
October 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23.
14th and 21st @ 7
15th and 22nd @ 2 and 7
21 and 23 @ 2.
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