Maybe you've been to a marathon screening of each Lord of the Rings movie. But you've never been to one like this. Lincoln Center in New York City has played host to stage productions, movie shoots, concerts and operas, but next spring, it's symphony space will be home to The Lord of the Rings in Concert for just five days.
Gothamist tipped us to this extraordinary cinematic event. Taking place from April 8th through April 12th, 2015, The Lord of the Rings in Concert will screen The Fellowship of the Rings, The Two Towers and Return of the King, twice over the course of the five days with a live orchestra performing Howard Shore's Academy Award-winning scores.
The 250 musicians that make up the 21st Century Symphony Orchestra & Chorus will perform these scores in time with the films. For them, it will be an endurance test. For their audience, it's a rare opportunity to hear live music while watching The Lord of the Rings Trilogy play above the orchestra on a massive screen.
Howard Shore will not be the event's conductor; instead, that honor has gone to the fantastically named Ludwig Wicki. But Shore has sung The Lord of the Rings in Concert's praises, saying, "The trilogy at Lincoln Center is unique. And something powerful happens - a synergy is created - in bringing together the music, live on a massive scale, with the films, in a magnificent house, and not only for one night, but presented over the course of a week... We hope that everyone who travels from near or far will feel they’ve arrived at a kind of contemporary, cultural Middle-earth."
Tickets are now on sale, and are expected to sell out. So don't let the 2,755 seating capacity of the David H. Koch Theater convince you there's time to waste before purchasing your passes. Individual tickets run from $59-$150 per screening. Or you can upgrade to fancier packages.
The Hobbit Package goes for $240, and includes premium trilogy tickets, entrance to a post-concert "Shire Reception," as well as a commemorative program book autographed by Howard Shore himself.
But if you’re a total J.R.R. Tolkien devotee, you might want to trade your hoarded gold for the $400 VIP Gondor Package. In addition to all the perks and prizes in The Hobbit Package, those who go Gondor will also gain access to the Lord of the Rings at Lincoln Center Symposium Event. Plus, it should be noted, Gondor Package purchasers will be granted better seats than even the Hobbit Package holders.
You might be thinking you've heard of an event like this before. Well, separate concerts of this sort were held in 2009 and 2010. These played host to the first two films of this trilogy respectively. But this is the first time the third film will be accompanied by a live orchestra, as well as the first time all three are playing together as part of a major event.
To buy your tickets to The Lord of the Rings in Concert, click here..
