Chapter 13 of The Silmarillion, Of the Return of the Noldor, takes us back to where we left the Noldorian elves, on the northern shores of Middle Earth. Feanor and his followers making their way inland, exploring and settling. Later, we see Fingolfin and his kin come ashore to the first rising of the Sun, and meeting again with the estranged kin who left them for dead on the ice.
Although there is accord between the two groups, it is shaky at best. Meanwhile, Morgoth tests their strength against his own, sending orc hordes and balrogs and finally Glaurung the Uruloki (firedrake) to challenge the elves. The Noldorian elves are introduced to the elves of Menegroth as well as the Dwarves — who become tentative allies in the peace of this time.
“And even as the Noldor set foot upon the strand, their cries were taken up into the hill and multiplied…” What was the cause or emotion of this clamour?
We see that the arrival of Fingolfin is very unlike that of Feanor. What are the differences and what significance is implied here?
Fingon, while full of despair, attempts a daring rescue of Maedhros with the aid of the eagles. Is this enough to bridge the chasm of the enmity between the two groups of elves? Does Maedhros represent a Christ-like figure?
How is King Thingol regarded by the Noldor? Does the growing involvement with the king hinder the joining of the elves?
Ulmo sends Turgon and Finrod dreams to build strongholds, which they do. What is this interference in the lives of the Noldor by the Valar? Is Ulmo going against the wishes of the Valar by doing this?
The Noldor launch a scattering of cities, mansions and strongholds. Does this establish them with strength throughout the region, or separate them enough so that they become vulnerable to Morgoth’s ever-growing malice?
Join us in the Hall of Fire on Sunday October 2 at 2:00pm EDT as we discuss Chapter 13 of the Silmarillion – Of the Return of the Noldor.
Asia-Pacific 4.00am (Monday) Brisbane 4.00am (Monday) Sydney 6.00am (Monday) Wellington
Chats usually last 45 mins to an hour, and are very newbie friendly. Simply drop in and join the conversation!
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.
Upcoming topics:
Sat September 24 – Silmarillion Ch 13 Sun October 2 – Silmarillion Ch 13 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
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!
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TheOneRing.net — in conjunction with Houghton Mifflin — is delighted to announce that Alan Lee, the acclaimed LOTR illustrator and Academy Award-winning conceptual designer for the film trilogy, will join us in the Hall of Fire (on the TORn IRC server) on Saturday November 5 at 6pm EST for a live question and answer session.
Alan will be answering questions on his work illustrating Lord of the Rings, his involvement with Peter Jackson and WETA as a conceptual designer for the Lord of the Rings film Trilogy and his new book The Lord of the Rings sketchbook.
The book presents more than 150 of Lee’s celebrated illustrations to show how his imagery for both the illustrated Lord of the Rings and the films progressed from concept to finished art. In addition, the book contains 20 full-color plates and numerous examples of the conceptual art produced for Peter Jackson’s film adaptation.
Alan has been creating fantasy artwork since 1978. He’s illustrated writers such as Dennis L McKiernen, Ursula K. Le Guin and has also worked as a set designer on the films Legend (1985), Erik the Viking (1989) and Merlin (1998).
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Tolkien, a new 1,200 page edition of The Lord of the Rings was planned. Alan Lee was chosen as the illustrator. With 50 colour plates, the book was a stunning artistic and commercial success.
Although the chat will not be held until November 5, you can still submit your question for Alan in advance simply by e-mailing it to halloffire@theonering.net We’ll ask it for you on the day.
Alan’s United States book tour
Alan Lee will also be touring the United States to promote and talk about his new book during October. His events will will feature a slide show, a Q&A with fans, and a booksigning. You can also pre-order your copy from Amazon by going here
Alan’s Tour Schedule:
October 22 @ 12:00 noon Books of Wonder 18 West 18th Street (b/t 5th & 6th Ave) New York, NY 10011 212-989-3270
October 24 @ 7:00 p.m. Friends Select School 1651 Benjamin Franklin Parkway (17th & Parkway) Philadelphia, PA 19103 215-563-4184 (phone # for Joseph Fox Bookshop, which is sponsoring the event)
October 25 @ 7:00 p.m. Chapter 11 Peachtree Battle Shopping Center 2345-A Peachtree Rd. Atlanta, GA 30305 404-237-7199
October 26 @ 7:00 p.m. BookPeople 603 N. Lamar (6th & Lamar) Austin, TX 78703 512-472-5050
October 27 @ 7:30 p.m. Tattered Cover 1628 16th Street Denver, CO 80202 303-436-1070
October 28 @ 7:00 p.m. Borders Books 132 E. Winchester Murray, UT 84107 801-313-1020
October 29 @ 7:00 p.m. Book Passage 51 Tamal Vista Blvd. Corte Madera, CA 94925 415-927-0960
October 31 @ 7:00 p.m. University Bookstore 4326 University Way NE Seattle, WA 98105 206-634-3400
Cheshire Cat writes: I attended that memorable Oscar night party in the Legion building, Hollywood courtesy of TheOneRing.net on the night that Return of the King won all it’s Oscars and I was therefore very interested to see a programme on UK TV last week that was all about the building where the party took place.
It is a fascinating programme that I love to watch called ‘Most Haunted’, a real-life documentary type thing whereby a group of individuals go and visit the most haunted houses in the UK. They take with them a couple of psychic mediums who pick up on names from the past that were associated with the building and do so with startling accuracy much of the time. A woman introduces the programme and along with the producer, cameramen, soundmen and even make-up girls they spend time in various rooms of the house waiting for any ghostly activity to occur. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, this makes for excellent viewing as the middle of the night vigils are done in the pitch black with only night vision cameras to see or the occasional torch light and needless to say, these people are scared witless half the time!!!
Anyhow, in last weeks episode of Most Haunted this excellent team of ghost hunters travelled across the Atlantic Ocean to the USA in order to investigate the ghostly goings-on at the Legion building in Hollywood!!! It was so interesting to see the place again and in the course of the programme they visited the the legion building’s library, offices, main auditorium, pool room and bar!!! Yes! The very bar where myself and a group of TORn Discussion Room friends all sat and watched the Oscar ceremony on the TV!!! One of the mediums entered the building and was immediately drawn to the staircase (which I think was the one that had the big Shelob model on it on Oscar night). He said that someone called Marshall had died on this staircase and that it had very recently around 4 or 5 years ago. He was absolutely spot-on with this information because the current caretaker/manager of the building confirmed that a chap called Marshall was the previous caretaker and had looked after the building for decades before tragically falling on this staircase in the year 2000 and he died within minutes before any medical help could get to him. The current manager had been a good friend of Marshall’s and was there during his dying moments. He was not at all surprised to hear the psychic say that Marshall was still ‘inhabiting’ the building and he said that he’d always felt that Marshall was still around keeping an eye on the place.
Anyhow, a number of the team decided to spend some of the night in the bar area and the pool room next door as these were two of Marshall’s favourite spots during his many long years in the Legion. The results were really quite astounding and the team, who after five series of the fascinating programme, were completely over-the-moon about the reactions they got from this friendly and playful ghost.
They sat at around a table and tried to make contact with Marshall and the TV (the one on which we had watched the Oscar’s that hung to the right of the bar) was switched on but not tuned into any channel, but you could screen was flickering. Three times they asked Marshall if he was able to switch off the TV and three times he did it!!! They couldn’t believe it when each time they made the request the TV just flickered and clicked off! The remote control was right over the other side of the room beneath the television and no one had gone anywhere near it! *goosebumps* Lots of other noises were heard around the bar area and at one point the ice machine behind the bar went bonkers and started making a loud noise until they were forced to unplug it!
The final thing they did was to spend time in the Pool Room next to the bar. They laid five pool balls on the table and again called out asking Marshall to move the balls. The camera was fixed on the five balls, but then suddenly they heard a dull thud from the far end of the table (several feet away from where all the people in the room were sitting) and when they went round to investigate, one of the pool balls had dropped out of the roll-down area where the balls are dispensed and was sitting there on the floor!!! It was such a shame that the camera hadn’t been pointing at it and was focused on the top of the table, but the team were amazed and couldn’t believe what had happened!
Other ghosts are said to inhabit this building too including a dark figure who walks across the back row of the auditorium from time to time.
So anyhow, I wondered if TORn were aware of the fact they had chosen such a haunted location to hold their auspicious party of partys!
Chapter 13 of The Silmarillion, Of the Return of the Noldor, takes us back to where we left the Noldorian elves, on the northern shores of Middle Earth. Feanor and his followers making their way inland, exploring and settling. Later, we see Fingolfin and his kin come ashore to the first rising of the Sun, and meeting again with the estranged kin who left them for dead on the ice.
Although there is accord between the two groups, it is shaky at best. Meanwhile, Morgoth tests their strength against his own, sending orc hordes and balrogs and finally Glaurung the Uruloki (firedrake) to challenge the elves. The Noldorian elves are introduced to the elves of Menegroth as well as the Dwarves — who become tentative allies in the peace of this time.
“And even as the Noldor set foot upon the strand, their cries were taken up into the hill and multiplied…” What was the cause or emotion of this clamour?
We see that the arrival of Fingolfin is very unlike that of Feanor. What are the differences and what significance is implied here?
Fingon, while full of despair, attempts a daring rescue of Maedhros with the aid of the eagles. Is this enough to bridge the chasm of the enmity between the two groups of elves? Does Maedhros represent a Christ-like figure?
How is King Thingol regarded by the Noldor? Does the growing involvement with the king hinder the joining of the elves?
Ulmo sends Turgon and Finrod dreams to build strongholds, which they do. What is this interference in the lives of the Noldor by the Valar? Is Ulmo going against the wishes of the Valar by doing this?
The Noldor launch a scattering of cities, mansions and strongholds. Does this establish them with strength throughout the region, or separate them enough so that they become vulnerable to Morgoth’s ever-growing malice?
Join us in the Hall of Fire on Saturday September 24 at 5:30pm EDT as we discuss Chapter 13 of the Silmarillion – Of the Return of the Noldor.
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:
Sun September 18 – Silmarillion Ch 12 Sat September 24 – Silmarillion Ch 13 Sun October 2 – Silmarillion Ch 13 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?
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!
FOLLOWING SUMMER PERFORMANCES IN THE U.S. AND EUROPE, HOWARD SHORE’S THE LORD OF THE RINGS SYMPHONY RETURNS TO CONCERT HALLS ACROSS AMERICA IN 2005/2006
OREGON SYMPHONY TO GIVE FIRST PERFORMANCES IN NEW SEASON ON SEPTEMBER 17 AND 18 IN PORTLAND; SEASON HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE THREE PERFORMANCES BY RENOWNED CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA IN FEBRUARY, CONDUCTED BY HOWARD SHORE
FIRST TWO MOVEMENTS OF THE SYMPHONY WILL BE PERFORMED BY THE COLLEGIATE CHORALE AND THE ORCHESTRA OF ST. LUKE’S AT NEW YORK’S CARNEGIE HALL ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13; PROGRAM ENTITLED “THE RINGS: MYTH AND MUSIC” PAIRS SHORE’S MUSIC WITH EXCERPTS FROM WAGNER’S “RING” CYCLE AND OTHER WAGNER OPERAS
“This symphony…is breathtaking. Shore’s music takes listeners into new worlds, evoking a panorama of emotions that cut to the heart including love, serenity, pain and fury. It deserves to be enjoyed long after the movies have left the multiplex.” – Buffalo News
New York, NY, September 14, 2005 – After a summer of first-time and encore performances in America and Europe, Howard Shore’s The Lord of the Rings Symphony: Six Movements for Orchestra and Chorus returns to concert stages on both continents in the 2005/2006 season beginning on September 17 and 18 with performances by the Oregon Symphony in Portland. Additional performances of the work will follow this fall in Grand Rapids, MI (Grand Rapids Symphony, October 14), Nashville, TN (The Nashville Symphony Orchestra, November 5) and Spokane, WA (Spokane Symphony Orchestra, November 12).
“The Rings: Myth and Music,” a compelling and thought-provoking program that pairs Shore’s music with music by Richard Wagner, will be performed on Sunday, November 13 at New York’s Carnegie Hall by the Collegiate Chorale and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s under the direction of conductor Robert Bass. The program features the first two movements of The Lord of the Rings Symphony – those that comprise The Fellowship of the Ring, the first installment of Tolkien’s trilogy – along with excerpts from Wagner’s “Ring” Cycle and other Wagner operas.
In early 2006, the world-renowned Cleveland Orchestra and Chorus will present three performances of Shore’s The Lord of the Rings Symphony. These performances on February 10, 11 and 12 will be conducted by Howard Shore, who has led a number of previous performances of the symphony as well as the enormously successful soundtrack recordings that accompanied director Peter Jackson’s three record-breaking The Lord of the Rings films. Around the same time – and across the Atlantic – the Orchestra National de Lyon will present the symphony (February 10 and 11). Then, in the spring, the Colorado Symphony Orchestra will perform the work in Denver (May 19 – 21). Additional performances of the Symphony for 2006 will be announced in the future.
Over the summer, The Lord of the Rings Symphony received several high profile performances in both America and Europe, including encore performances by the Philadelphia Orchestra (at its summer home, the 6000-seat Mann Center), the Houston Symphony Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Symphony. The Buffalo Philharmonic gave its first performances of The Lord of the Rings Symphony on July 15 and 16, and a critic was heartened by both the quality of the work and by the new faces that attended the show:
“No, it wasn’t the crowd that typically attends an orchestra concert, but it was an uplifting sight to see – and one that has been repeated around the world as Howard Shore’s ‘The Lord of the Rings Symphony’ draws new audiences to the symphony.”
Following the Pittsburgh Symphony’s encore performances, a critic for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported:
“Shore’s symphonic journey certainly echoes J.R.R. Tolkien’s dark and wonderful story, with its mysterious swirling mists, majestic sweeps and whimsical touches where needed. But nothing can match the impact of Shore’s most powerful passages drawing upon full brass and percussion, along with the Mendelssohn Choir and Children’s Festival Chorus of Pittsburgh.”
Performances in Europe this summer were enormously successful. The Athens News Agency reported that a “sold out crowd was enchanted” by a performance at the Acropolis’s Odeon Herod Atticus, one of the city’s most famous outdoor theaters. The Symphony also received performances at the prestigious Schleswig-Holstein Festival in Germany and in Oslo’s Frognerparken, where Norway’s acclaimed Oslo Philharmonic played it for a crowd estimated to have topped 70,000. The same orchestra gave another performance a few days later in Bergen for a crowd estimated at over 30,000.
Since its debut performance in Wellington, New Zealand, on November 29, 2003, Shore’s The Lord of the Rings Symphony has been performed to full houses close to 90 times on four continents. Audiences from Sydney and Tokyo to Los Angeles and London have greeted the two-hour work with rousing ovations following performances in some of the world’s most famous venues – including Sydney’s Opera House, London’s Royal Albert Hall and Moscow’s Kremlin Palace Theater. Some of the world’s leading international orchestras – including the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony and the London Philharmonic – have performed the Symphony in addition to regional orchestras from Albuquerque and Salt Lake City to Dallas and Hartford.
Shore takes particular pride in the fact that performances of The Lord of the Rings Symphony around the world have been given not by a single touring orchestra but almost entirely by local performers: “The symphony has been presented around the world, but regardless of where it has been done the performances have been given by local artists. That’s the real joy of it for me: this work is helping awaken community interest in the symphony orchestra.” In addition to Shore, there are five other conductors performing the piece around the world: John Mauceri, Alexander Mickelthwate, Markus Huber, Alastair Willis and Terry Edwards.
About The Lord of the Rings Symphony: Six Movements for Orchestra and Chorus
Howard Shore wrote his six-movement The Lord of the Rings Symphony for symphony orchestra, adult and children’s choirs, as well as solo instrumentalists and vocalists, totaling more than 200 musicians on stage. Working with conductor John Mauceri, who first suggested that the music of The Lord of the Rings be preserved as an independent work for the concert hall, Shore created a two-hour symphony drawing from the nearly 12 hours of music he composed for Peter Jackson’s phenomenally successful film trilogy. (Shore received three Oscars and four Grammy awards for the soundtrack recordings.) The six movements of the symphony correspond to the progression of the epic through the six books that comprise the three-volume trilogy, capturing the enormous complexity and limitless imagination of J.R.R. Tolkien’s creation – from the simple, pastoral beauty of the hobbits’ Shire to the magic and mystery of the Elves and the monumental battle scenes – in music by turns explosive, ethereal and, ultimately, transcendent.
As Doug Adams, author of the soon-to-be-published book The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films explained in a Chicago Tribune interview, “There’s a different style of music for each culture of characters: hobbit, elf, dwarf. If you go to the symphony performance it’s very much like an abstract version of Tolkien’s story.”
Shore achieves this enormous feat by the ingenious use and juxtaposition of a plethora of recurring motifs – close to 80 in all – associated with the various characters and places in the books. Shore’s employment of some instruments foreign to the traditional Western symphony orchestra – and of choral settings in Tolkien’s languages – help conjure up the ancient beauty of Middle-earth, its diverse inhabitants, and the harrowing struggle between the forces of good and evil.
Howard Shore is currently working on King Kong, another film project with Peter Jackson. He is also working on an opera, The Fly, based on his film collaboration with David Cronenberg, for Los Angeles Opera. Earlier this year, his score for The Aviator (his third collaboration with director Martin Scorsese) won a Golden Globe as well as a Critics’ Choice award and his soundtrack for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and the song “Into the West” both won Grammy Awards. Each of his scores for the previous installments of the trilogy – The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – won a Grammy.
Shore likens the daunting experience of writing the music for the three The Lord of the Rings films to that of the humble hobbit asked to carry the ring. “When I started,” he told the Chicago Tribune, “I was the hobbit with the ring saying, ‘I will do this. I will take the ring to Mordor, although I do not know the way.’” Shore considers his work on The Lord of the Rings to be the culmination of everything he has done in his first 40 years of writing music.
Critical acclaim for Howard Shore’s The Lord of the Rings Symphony
“[Howard Shore’s] instinct for melody is superb, his integration of legitimate ancient music sources with contemporary-sounding tonal clusters and harmonic invention is terrific, and, most of all, he creates, as both Jackson and Tolkien did before him, an entire imagined universe that is both detailed and consistent.” – Newark Star-Ledger
“There’s no denying the sweep and rich texture of the work, with its Celtic-like tunes, moody pop songs, and effective use of choral voices (think Carmina Burana, only darker). And Shore’s nod to Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle at the very end, with the orchestra reveling in the healing power of a major chord, makes a satisfying coda. …When the last notes dissipated, it sounded as if the demonstrative audience would keep the ovation going until long after all signs of Elvish had left the building.” – Baltimore Sun
“Shore’s musical opus is every bit as impressive as Tolkien’s literary one, standing on its own as a sweeping, operatic experience, even when liberated from the majesty of Jackson’s trilogy.” – The Seattle Times
“Among the highlights of the six-movement [The Lord of the Rings Symphony] was ‘The Prophecy,’ featuring a lonely ney flute that evoked the other-worldliness of 5,000-year-old Middle-earth. The chorus swelled and climbed with urgent excitement in ‘Concerning Hobbits,’ and a solo fiddle added effervescence to ‘The Shadow of the Past.’ Heavy percussive drive on ‘The Bridge of Khazad-dum’ sweepingly suggested a history of classic cinema spectaculars. Emotional interludes included ‘Hope and Memory’ and ‘The Riders of Rohan’; ‘A Knife in the Dark’ pulsated with ‘Camina Burana’ excitement.” – Variety
Howard Shore’s The Lord of the Rings Symphony: 2005/2006 Performances * all dates below are of the complete Symphony, except the 11/13 concert at Carnegie Hall
Saturday, September 17 and Sunday, September 18 Oregon Symphony Orchestra Portland, Oregon (Civic Center)
Friday, October 14 Grand Rapids Symphony Grand Rapids, Michigan (DeVoss Hall)
Saturday, November 12 Spokane Symphony Orchestra Spokane, Washington (Spokane Arena)
Sunday, November 13 at 2PM “The Rings: Myth and Music” The Collegiate Chorale and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s perform excerpts from Wagner’s “Ring” Cycle (and the Flying Dutchman) and Movements I and II – “The Fellowship of the Ring” – from the Lord of the Rings Symphony under the direction of Robert Bass. New York, NY (Carnegie Hall)
Friday, February 10, Saturday, February 11 and Sunday February 12 Cleveland Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Howard Shore Cleveland, OH (Severance Hall)
Friday, February 10 and Saturday, February 11 Orchestra de Lyon Lyon, France (Hall of Tony Garnier)
Friday, May 19, Saturday May 20, Sunday, May 21 Colorado Symphony Orchestra Denver, Colorado (Boettcher Hall)
Now that all the American ‘Rings’-related conventions have come and gone (ELF, Dragon*Con) it is time to look forward to Europe’s biggest and undoubtedly the best convention around: Ring*Con. The German-based event is scheduled for their fourth installment already, making them the oldest Lord of the Rings-convention out there.
This time around there’ll be some changes though. In previous years the convention has grown so much that it was time to move to a different location, for what orgainsers are claiming will be ‘their biggest and best convention’. Home of Ring*Con 2005 is the Esperanto Hotel in Fulda, but don’t get your hopes op too high; all the rooms are booked.
This years stars include Sean Astin, David Wenham (yes folks, David Wenham, at probably one of his first convention-appearances!), John Noble, Thomas Robbins, Royd Tolkien, John Howe, the inseperable Craig Parker and Mark Ferguson etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. And apart from that the organisers have pulled open a can of lecturers, artists and bands to accompany Master-of-Ceremonies Marc B. Lee in all the acticities that will be held throughout the weekend.
So, if you don’t have any other plans for the weekend of 7 – 9 October be sure to join them and 5.000 other visitors from over 30 countries worldwide in the fun that is Ring*Con! Head over to their website, RingCon.de, for more information, and we’ll see you there!
