HSO Will Unveil Majestic

‘Lord Of The Rings Symphony’

HARTFORD — Hartford Symphony Orchestra will open its 2004-05 Pops season with a spectacular event featuring Oscar® -winning composer Howard Shore, who will conduct the New England premiere of his massive work, The Lord of the Rings Symphony: Six Movements for Orchestra and Chorus.

Performances will be Saturday, September 18, at 8 pm, and Sunday, September 19, at 3 pm, in Mortensen Hall at The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts.

The performance will feature six symphonic movements, drawn from the 12 hours of music Maestro Shore composed for the motion pictures in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, along with projections of original illustrations and storyboards by artists Alan Lee and John Howe. The Lord of the Rings Symphony is one of the largest productions in the history of Hartford Symphony Orchestra, calling for more than 100 musicians, a 120-member chorus, a children’s chorus, and soloists.

Tickets to the Sunday afternoon performance will go on sale May 17, and range from $25 to $65. Tickets will be available through HSO Ticket Services at 860-244-2999 (Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm) and online at www.HartfordSymphony.org.

Saturday’s performance is part of the Hartford Symphony Pops! subscription. Subscriptions to the entire HSO Pops! season start at $84 and are available through HSO Ticket Services at 860-244-2999.

Single tickets to the Saturday performance will go on sale August 2.