Musical Chapters from The Lord of the Rings, Trailer 1

Texts: JRR Tolkien by permission of the estate of the author, HarperCollins Publishers and Middle-Earth Enterprises
AT LAST
AN OPERATIC TREATMENT OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS
For many years the Tolkien Estate has refused to allow any musical treatment of the works of the author which employed his own words. Now they have agreed to make a concession in respect of the music of Paul Corfield Godfrey, whose cycle of “epic scenes from The Silmarillion” was finally completed in 2023 with the issue of a ten-CD series of recordings from Volante Opera and Prima Facie Records.
For many years since the 1960s the composer has been working on sketches, fragments and episodes of what a cycle of musical works based upon The Lord of the Rings. Following on from the success of the recordings of The Silmarillion Paul was persuaded to go back to these beginnings and fully explore, expand and complete the work which has now evolved as “musical chapters from The Lord of the Rings”. This fully operatic setting has now become a companion work on the same scale as The Silmarillion. This adaptation takes place over thirty “chapters” designed to be performed over six evenings - over fifteen hours of music.
This work is currently in the process of recording by Volante Opera and it is anticipated that Prima Facie will release a demo recording of the complete cycle, in the same manner as their Silmarillion recordings, in 2025-26.
The professional singers, some thirty in number, come mainly from Welsh National Opera. Returning artists from The Silmarillion include: Simon Crosby Buttle as Frodo, Julian Boyce as Sam, Philip Lloyd-Evans as Gandalf, Stephen Wells as Aragorn, Michael Clifton-Thompson as Gollum, Helen Jarmany as Éowyn, Huw Llywelyn as Bilbo, Emma Mary Llewellyn as Arwen, Laurence Cole as Boromir/Denethor, Martin Lloyd as Treebeard/Herb Master, Helen Greenaway as Lobelia/Ioreth, Rosie Hay as Gwaihir, Sophie Yelland as the Barrow-Wight, Louise Ratcliffe as Lindir with George Newton-Fitzgerald and Jasey Hall taking on a plethora of roles. Angharad Morgan will also be reprising her role as Galadriel from The Silmarillion. Our new cast members and their characters will be introduced as the recording process continues.
Those who have enjoyed the composer’s large-scale setting of The Silmarillion will be pleased to discover that the music inhabits the same musical world as before, with many ideas and themes continued and expanded into The Lord of the Rings. The “musical chapters” also incorporate other works by the composer such as his earlier Tolkien songs (already available on CD) which now assume greater significance in the course of the whole structure.
Although the text is inevitably abridged, it adheres without any but the most minor alterations to the author’s original words, and the original plot development remains unchanged - including such elements as Tom Bombadil, the Barrow-wight and the ‘scouring of the Shire’. And some other passages, such as the coronation and wedding of Aragorn, are given much expanded musical treatment.
Also coming early 2025, a complete recording of Paul Corfield Godfrey’s solo piano works played by renowned British concert pianist Duncan Honeybourne. This will include, amongst other works, the epic piano rondo Akallabêth, a solo piano version of the Wedding March from The Fall of Gondolin and a new work composed specifically for Duncan and this album - The Passing of Arwen.
For more information about the work please visit: www.paulcorfieldgodfrey.co.uk
For more information about the recording by Volante Opera Productions please visit: www.volanteopera.wales
Updates about the recording process will be posted to our social media feeds:
DISCORD: / discord
FACEBOOK: Volante Opera Productions, The Music of Paul Corfield Godfrey
INSTAGRAM/THREADS: @volanteopera
TWITTER/X: @OperaVolante, @TheCorfield
Recordings and scores of Epic Scenes from The Silmarillion and Akallabêth and other Tolkien Works still available from Volante Opera Productions’ website

[@dustwyrm]

This will be beautiful

[@kamilziemian995]

Finally, we will have ability to listen to the songs of Middle-Earth.

[@VolanteOperaProductions]

Along with a lot more!!!

[@noahsomerville3727]

Woah. I'm looking forward to listening to this!

[@VolanteOperaProductions]

We’re looking forward to finishing it and you being able to hear it!

[@onthetrail506]

@Volante your 3 appendices are now incorrect 😊

[@VolanteOperaProductions]

We’ll amend it on the next trailer and publicly blame the Discord for requiring us to add another….

[@onthetrail506]

@@VolanteOperaProductions It is all Discords fault 🙂

[@VolanteOperaProductions]

We’re also going to have to change it to 17 and a quarter hours of music…

[@gracet.]

i was already excited and then! i heard! Frodo's dream of the sea-shell?!?! THIS IS GOING TO BE MY ENTIRE PERSONALITY WHEN IT DROPS I CAN FEEL IT

[@VolanteOperaProductions]

Paul Corfield Godfrey wrote a full setting of “The Sea Bell” or “Frodo’s Dream” in the 1970s, it ran to nearly 30 minutes though! The version that is in LOTR has been trimmed back to 15 minutes and Frodo sings it at the beginning of the chapter “The Grey Havens” as he is preparing to leave the Shire for the final time.