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Cellist, Catherine Wilmers, gives
her account of the orchestra sessions in September 2001 that brought
to life Howard Shore’s score for this new film.
3 September 2001 A huge
orchestra assembles in the gigantic Watford Colosseum (formerly
known as the Town Hall). There is an expectant and excited
atmosphere as Canadian-born composer, Howard Shore, arrives
on the podium. He starts off by describing the film and his
involvement with it. Present a year ago during the filming
in New Zealand, Shore is steeped in Tolkien. Director, Peter
Jackson, a bare-footed New Zealander, is also on hand to meet
us. Howard explains about the languages used in the film:
elvish (two versions) and dwarfish; and how the Tolkien songs
and poems are included. Roisin, the Tolkien language expert,
has helped to coach the choir, especially in 'black speech',
and organised phonetic translations to help the singers. Meanwhile
the red light flashes in the hall, perhaps a gentle reminder
that it is now 2.30 pm and that we should consider playing
some music.
Howard asks how many of us have read the book. Many hands
go up and a few days later new copies are seen lying around
on the floor to be devoured by musicians during the breaks.
This is Howard's first visit to Watford. The sound is immediate,
vibrant and very warm. Perhaps my impressions are coloured
by sitting in front of the marvellous horn section which has
to play some very dramatic music.
Every player has a pile of folders, beautifully organised
with the music of each section in a different colour. The
music is very clear, printed in large notes direct from a
computer. Gone are the days of trying to unscramble incomprehensible
manuscripts! Howard has a screen in front of him and as soon
as we rehearse a section he is able to judge whether the music
sounds correct and whether it fits exactly. Often we are asked
to make a 4-beat bar into a 3-beat bar and later a 4-beat
bar into a 5-beat bar to compensate. Impressively he is also
able to make immediate decisions about whether the instruments
sound right or whether we have to make adjustments such as
cutting out a few cello or violin bars.
We get ready. The number of the 'take' is announced, and we
are off. We soon discover it is vital to take notice of the
metronome marks on the parts as there are often sudden mood
swings with associated tempo changes. When the 'black riders'
appear, the music is suddenly faster, rhythmic and frightening.
Susanna Riddell (my cello desk mate) and I soon discover that
we can go up to the control room in the breaks to watch the
film and listen to the music. Coffee breaks are forgotten
as we get immersed in the film. Computer imaging technology
has been used to 'shrink' the six-foot actors playing hobbits
and dwarfs.
7 September 2001 This is
day four and we work from 9 am to 4 pm as Watford is being
used for a disco in the evening! The music stands, instruments,
microphones and wires all have to be removed for the evening
and then put out again the next afternoon at 2 pm.
8 September 2001 We manage
to start on time. In the control room there is an amazing
array of switches. We go up there to listen to the playback
and hear a noble cello passage to accompany Gandalf. It is
nice to be chosen to represent the good! Then we move on to
deeply scary music.
10 September 2001 We are
at Watford from 11 am to 6 pm, before dashing to check in
at Stansted Airport one and a half hours later. It does not
help that another car smashes into me on the journey and I
have to report it to Hertford Police Station. We are off to
Bucharest for two nights with concerts as part of the Enescu
Festival. We arrive at 3 am. To save time we are met off the
aeroplane and able to avoid going into the terminal building.
We give in our passports as we get off the plane, lug the
instruments straight onto buses and set off for the hotel
with flashing lights and a police escort. Sitting in the front
of the bus and driving through red traffic lights is quite
exciting.
11 September 2001 After
the rehearsal, we receive the devastating news about the terrorist
strike in New York. We somehow get through Bruckner’s
Symphony 3 that night and Dvorák’s Symphony 8
the next. Then the police turn out again to help us to the
airport and we return to England at 4 am on the 13th.
13 September 2001 At 2 pm
we are back at Watford and still devastated about the news.
Howard lived for ten years in a neighbourhood ten blocks from
the World Trade Center and sent his daughter to school nearby.
14 September 2001 We stand
in silence for several minutes at 11 am and later the whole
orchestra signs a card to show its solidarity. We are all
rather subdued but Howard, although obviously deeply upset,
manages a quiet and wry smile now and then.
17 September 2001 We are
on the river Anduin, sailing along with a lovely cello phrase.
A choir of about 60 joins us on several occasions. Sometimes
they are booked to record in the evening from 9 pm to midnight
after we have gone home.We spend a long time on each section
and often re-record the same section a week later, perhaps
when Howard has new inspiration about an extra percussion
effect such as the sound of chains! Rachel Gledhill wears
thick gardening gloves and hits the strings of the piano in
a rhythmic pattern, sometimes jangling the chains on the floor
at the same time. Next there is a detailed discussion about
the 'bodhrans' (Irish drums) and how many players are available
to play and at what pitch. Can the sound be darker? Perhaps
one player should play the side drum to make the sound more
forceful and military but still 'from a long time ago'? There
are long discussions about which tycho drums to use. Howard
has a very clear idea in his head of the sound that he wants
to achieve.
20 September 2001 We have
transferred to Air Studios, Hampstead. In an attempt to get
the correct drum sound it is suggested that the drum could
be heated with the hand drier in the 'Ladies' to tighten the
skin. The violas have no metronome clicks in their headphones
at one take, but they still manage to play in time. Howard
asks: 'How did you manage it?' 'We watched you', came the
reply. 'Novel!' said Howard, obviously rather chuffed.
It takes a bit of time to match the Watford sound. We are
working from 3 pm to 10 pm instead of from 2 pm to 9 pm and
Howard finally admits to a moment of tiredness and then realises
we are working an hour later.
26 September 2001 We have
moved to Abbey Road Studio. Howard tells us there is music
all the way through the film, except for four minutes. As
we are working, the music is being sent down the internet
and mixed with the film track. When we go to listen to the
playback of the Prologue we joke that we would like to stay
there for three hours and see all the film. The Orchestra’s
enthusiasm and level of commitment to the film is evident.
30 September 2001 Howard
tells us we have recorded 8-10 minutes a day. We spend the
day doing 'pick-ups’, matching the sound from one recording
to another. After two hours we have only recorded 31 bars.
On this day there is an Irish band. Another day there were
some Indian instruments (sarangi and ney flute) and a monochord,
a wooden instrument with a rectangular flat top and 50 strings
underneath, which took ages to tune. It is used by healers
as therapy. One lies on it while it vibrates. Apparently everybody
has their own particular chord which helps them to relax.
Howard assures us that 'conductors live a long time because
of all the vibrations they get from the orchestra'.
Howard never lost his 'cool' with us. There was a feeling
of deep trust all the way through. Sometimes he would suddenly
burst into smiles and share a friendly comment on the film
or ask what the orchestra had been doing. When starting work
again he said 'and now back to Middle Earth...'
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