The Rings composer in back in Middle-earth for The Hobbit - and much more...
Empire: You've been reworking the scores for an orchestra to play live with the movies, most recently The Fellowship Of The Ring at the Royal Albert Hall. What was the origin of that idea?
HS: As I was editing the complete recordings I did over the last three years, I realised I'd not heard this piece played in concert. I had the idea of doing it to a projection of the film since I'd done it before, with Naked Lunch. I then assembled the score and worked with conductor Ludwig Wicki.
Empire: It must be a tricky feat to pull off...
HS: I know from Ludwig that the tricky part is the synchronisation. There's no audio guide for the conductor other thatn the sound of the film, and he does it with visual references with incredible precision. It's an interesting relationship; it's like a heightened reality. Music never sounds better that seen with the imagery from the film. And live music is exciting - you can feel the energy of 220 musicians playing while you're watching this incredible film. It's the best of both worlds.
Empire: Have you started work on The Hobbit?
HS: We've thought about making that film for a long time so it's been in our consciousness. I like to do a lot of reading and research just to mentally put myself into Middle-earth so I can create new music from a sincere part of my being. It's just such a wonderful world to be in, Middle-earth.
Empire: So does this feel like new territory for you?
HS: It will be new territory for Guillermo. I recently met with him in New York. He's a wonderful director. He and Peter have brought in many of the original creators of The Lord of the Rings for the Hobbit. The road goes ever on...
Dan Jolin
To pick up the full issue of Empire--which really is worth the read--visit their website or your local newsstand.
