DCist: Return of the King

Tonight is the final performance of the live orchestral screening of The Return of the King, in the Filene Center at Wolf Trap. My review of last night's performance was published at DCist today:

The King Returns at Wolf Trap (DCist, September 11):

The latest spin-off from Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy returned to the Filene Center at Wolf Trap last night. You may have already shelled out for the DVD boxsets, both the theatrical release and the extended versions, and role-played with dwarfs in the online game, but true LOTR fans surely will be happy to pay even more for the experience of watching the movie on a giant screen with a live orchestra. Howard Shore, LOTR score composer, has recently made a six-movement symphonic version of his internationally performed and Academy Award-winning scores. For the past few years, conductor Ludwig Wicki has been leading orchestras in live (amplified) performances of Shore's music during screenings of the films in mega-venues like Radio City Music Hall. Wolf Trap has already presented the first two films in this way, Fellowship of the Ring in 2008 and The Two Towers in 2009. Finally, the Filene Center hosted the U.S. premiere of this version of the final film last night; an evening of pleasantly cool air, no rain and plenty of amped-up Tolkien nuts.

[Continue reading]