Wolf Trap's 2008 Filene Center Season Opens With the U.S. Premiere of Howard Shore's Score to The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Featuring Live Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and Entire Film in HD

Wolf Trap's 2008 Filene Center Season Opens With the U.S. Premiere of Howard Shore's Score to The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Featuring Live Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and Entire Film in HD

Wednesday, May 21 & Thursday, May 22, 2008 @ 8:30 p.m., $25 - $55

VIENNA, Va., May 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts ushers in its 2008 Filene Center season with the U.S. Premiere of Howard Shore's Academy(R)- and Grammy(R) Award-winning musical score to Peter Jackson's film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. On May 21 and 22 conductor Ludwig Wicki will lead a live symphony orchestra; the City Choir of Washington; and the World Children's Choir, in a unique presentation of Shore's three-hour original score performed live beneath towering, high-definition projections of the film. Widely regarded as one of the most ambitious cinematic undertakings of all time, Jackson's film leaves an indelible imprint upon viewers with its stunning realization of J.R.R. Tolkien's literary masterpiece. In this moving performance, the musical score is allowed to bear the story's narrative weight, both supporting the film and driving it.

(Photo:

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080505/DC21366 )

Upon its 2001 arrival, Howard Shore's original score to The Fellowship of the Ring was proclaimed an instant classic. The composer crafted a fully-developed musical epic that echoed Tolkien's tale with intricately related themes for each of Middle-earth's cultures and charted the One Ring's journey with an exhilarating flourish. Shore's work on The Lord of the Rings is counted among film music's most complex and comprehensive works. The composer's score creates a world as rich and thoroughly realized as the story that inspired it.

This wholly new, live concert experience marks the first time auidiences have been able to hear Fellowship's full score played live. Fresh off its Canadian and European premieres, Shore's vibrant music has been embraced by audiences for its emotional depth and intellectual detail. Wolf Trap's limited engagement back-to-back dates are currently the only performances scheduled on U.S. soil, and are not to be missed.

One hour prior to both performances, attendees will have the opportunity to experience a Pre-Performance Preview on the Old Farmhouse Lawn for a lecture and demonstration that offers insight and interpretation of the evening's attraction. More information can be found on Wolf Trap's Pre-Performance Preview Series at: http://www.nps.gov/wotr/planyourvisit/ppp.htm

Tickets can be purchased by calling 1 (877) WOLFTRAP; or online at www.wolftrap.org. For more information, call Wolf Trap at (703) 255-1868.

Wolf Trap is metro accessible! Our environmentally friendly shuttle travels from the West Falls Church metro stop every 20 minutes two hours prior to show time. For more information, please visit, http://www.wolftrap.org/plan_your_visit/access_by_metro.aspx.

High-resolution downloadable images of Lord of the Rings are available on
Wolf Trap's Web site:
http://www.wolftrap.org/Media_and_Newsroom/Photos_for_Publication.aspx
First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Photo:

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080505/DC21366
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts

CONTACT: Chris Guerre, Director, Public Relations, +1-703-255-4096,
chrisg@wolftrap.org, or Graham Binder, Manager, Public Relations,
+1-703-255-1917, grahamb@wolftrap.org, both of Wolf Trap Foundation for the
Performing Arts

Web Site:

http://www.wolftrap.org/

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