DESCRIPTION:
About the music:
Symphony No. 1 "The Lord of the Rings" is the first symphony for concert band written by Johan de Meij. It premiered in 1988 with the Groot Harmonieorkest van de Belgische Gidsen conducted by Norbert Nozy. The symphony is based on literary themes from the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien. The CD by the military band Koninklijke Militaire Kapel helped give the symphony world-wide acclaim. In 1989 the symphony was awarded the Sudler Composition Award.[2] An orchestral version of the piece, orchestrated by Henk de Vlieger, was premiered and recorded in 2001 to coincide with the release of the 2001 film, The Fellowship of the Ring. In Celebration of the Symphony's 25th anniversary, De Meij will be conducting the Performance of the piece by the bands of Valparaiso University.

Read more from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._1_%22The_Lord_of_the_Rings%22

About the composer (from English wikipedia):
Johan de Meij (Voorburg, 1953) studied trombone and conducting at the Royal Conservatory of Music in The Hague. He has earned international fame as a composer and arranger. His catalogue consists of original compositions, symphonic transcriptions and arrangements of film scores and musicals. His Symphony No. 1, The Lord of the Rings, based on Tolkien's best-selling novels of the same name, was his first composition for wind orchestra. It received the prestigious Sudler Composition Award in 1989. In 2001, the orchestral version was premiered by the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. The Lord of the Rings has been recorded by renowned orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra, the North Netherlands Orchestra, the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra and the Amsterdam Wind Orchestra. His cello concerto Casanova was awarded First Prize at the International Composition Competition of Corciano [Italy] in 1999. A year later, De Meij won the Oman International Composition Prize with The Red Tower. His Symphony No. 3, Planet Earth was awarded 2nd Prize in the 2006 edition of the Corciano Competition. He received the Dutch Wind Music Award 2007 for his important role in the worldwide advancement of the genre. Besides composing and arranging, Johan de Meij is active as a performer, conductor, adjudicator and lecturer. As a trombone and euphonium player he has performed with the major orchestras and ensembles in The Netherlands, such as the Radio Chamber Orchestra, the Netherlands Wind Ensemble, the Dutch Brass Sextet, the Amsterdam Wind Orchestra and Orkest 'De Volharding'. He has conducted some of the leading wind orchestras of Europe, Asia, Australia, North and South America and has led master classes around the world. In 2010, he was appointed regular guest conductor of the renowned Simón Bolívar Youth Wind Orchestra from Caracas, Venezuela. www.johandemeij.com

About the orchestra:
Since its foundation in 1863 the Symphonic Wind Orchestra St.Michaël of Thorn has evolved to a symphonic wind orchestra with international fame. Next to concerts in famous concert-halls in the Netherlands, also the many invitations to perform in European countries (i.a. Germany, England, France, Spain, Switzerland) testify to this. The realization of unique projects with special and innovating programming makes the orchestra a pioneer in symphonic wind music.

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