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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brings a facet of the saga to life in an exciting new way!, July 9, 2003
This review is from: At Dawn in Rivendell: Selected Songs and Poems from The Lord of the Rings (Audio CD)
Christopher Lee can send chills up and down your spine with his reading of the familiar "Verse of the Rings," a much-quoted piece of J.R.R. Tolkien lore lifted from the endlessly popular Lord of the Rings. His involvement with the recording of "At Dawn in Rivendell: Selected Songs & Poems from The Lord of the Rings" is a coup indeed! The majority of the credit, however, goes to the Tolkien Ensemble, a group of musicians formed in 1995 to create "a faithful musical interpretation" of the poems in Tolkien's hallowed text. With the current Tolkien-mania surrounding the trilogy of "LotR" movies, this is a perfect time for the ensemble to share its music with the world. (There were two earlier recordings, "An Evening in Rivendell" and "A Night in Rivendell," released respectively in 1997 and 2000. A fourth CD is planned.) The ensemble is made up of Danish musicians, obviously with a classical background rather than folk. That is, perhaps, the only failing here -- the courtly air works on some tunes, particularly the elvish ones, but I would imagine a more relaxed, less operatic feel for songs sung by hobbits and the merry Tom Bombadil. But no one could gainsay the excellent musicianship here; the ensemble clearly knows its music, and the stately arrangements have a distinctly period air.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding on so many levels!, November 9, 2003
This review is from: At Dawn in Rivendell: Selected Songs and Poems from The Lord of the Rings (Audio CD)
Caspar Reiff and Peter Hall and their Tolkien Ensemble are back conjuring magick! And this time with a white wizard aiding them. It was a stroke of genius to capitalise on the multi-talents (often ignored) of the wonderful Chris Lee. The attempt to put Tolkien's poetic works to music is an inspired undertaking, but to bring in Lee (the films' Saruman) was brilliant choice all around. He has a a beautiful voice (and if you think he cannot sing, you certainly missed The Wickerman!), that lends itself well to poetry and song. His readings are breathtaking, chilling and work so well with the moody, atmospheric scores. It beautiful, provocative and a must for the lovers of the films, books, the Tolkien Ensemble and a gem for lover of Christopher Lee.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Near magnificence, but not quite, September 15, 2003
This review is from: At Dawn in Rivendell: Selected Songs and Poems from The Lord of the Rings (Audio CD)
"At Dawn In Rivendell" is the third album for Peter Hall, Caspar Reiff and the Tolkien Ensemble - and behold! They are joined by intelligent, deep-voiced British actor Christopher Lee. Being a collector of Tolkien-related matters, I had already learned that Lee would rather have become a singer than an actor. This album must have been a little like a dear wish come true for him. (He also sings on the soundtrack for The Wicker Man - however, hardly more than three lines.) The Tolkien Ensemble's first album "An Evening In Rivendell" counts as the pivotal body of music in my - none too exhaustive - Tolkien-music collection. I rank it higher than any Howard Shore film-soundtrack, "which is sayin' a lot." I hold this album in very high regard as well, yet on slightly different grounds.
The first album reached its height by force of composition: the music and songs alone sufficed. By now... they have resorted to trickeries. If this sounds demeaning, it isn't meant as such: the compositions are still top-notch. But bringing in Lee is - besides wonderful and splendid - a miracle of a publicity stunt. Lee sings well, and "Treebeard's Song" is my favourite song of the album. There are also reprises of earlier records, which isn't entirely creative, but presenting "The Old Walking Song" from the first album as a hidden bonus track humours me deeply. As said, overall, the album simply doesn't jump as high and far as the earlier albums. Perhaps they have already spent their most inspiring poems, or they are running low on them. Look at it from that angle, and Lee serves to mask these shortcomings. "There's an eye-opener and no mistake!" Surely not! Not the Tolkien Ensemble! Nevertheless, this album gets four stars. Why? Well, despite my somewhat negative tone, these people are still making the absolute essential Tolkien-music in the field. Just make sure you buy the former two albums for comparison. I eagerly await a fourth. Bram Janssen
The Netherlands
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