From the moment The Lord of the Rings series debuted, it captured my attention. After watching The Fellowship of the Ring, I became a devoted fan. This epic saga transports viewers to extraordinary worlds and is a cinematic masterpiece in every sense—from its script and editing to its music and groundbreaking visual effects of the time. I saw each of the remaining five films the week they were released and loved them all. Here’s a chronological list to refresh your memory:
The Lord of the Rings 1: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
The Lord of the Rings 2: The Two Towers (2002)
The Lord of the Rings 3: The Return of the King (2003)
The Hobbit 1: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
The Hobbit 2: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
The Hobbit 3: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
A few months ago, I saw on social media that The Two Towers would be screened at Volkswagen Arena with a live symphony orchestra and choir. I didn’t hesitate—I grabbed two tickets right away. And thank goodness I did. What we witnessed was a full-on visual and auditory spectacle.
Despite the Usual Organizational Chaos…
The event wasn’t without issues. As is often the case in Istanbul, we faced the usual nightmare of traffic, lack of parking, poor planning, and general disregard for the audience. But we didn’t let any of that spoil the magic of the night—we still had a fantastic time.
To paint a clearer picture, here’s a quick rundown of what went wrong:
- Even though we arrived 1.5 hours early, we still couldn’t get inside on time and ended up entering the film 15 minutes late.
- During intermission, we weren’t allowed access to the nearby restaurants, so we couldn’t grab a quick bite outside.
- The “fast food” options inside were terrible, and the line was so long that we got back to our seats 10 minutes late for the second half.
- The lobby was insanely crowded—so packed that we were practically swept away by the tide of people.
- The one outdoor terrace, the only place where we could breathe, was filled with smokers. The cigarette smoke created a fog-like effect that hung over everyone. It was really unpleasant.
- With both the inside and terrace areas overcrowded, we found ourselves being pushed and pulled from one spot to another.
I feel obligated to document these issues because such magnificent visual and auditory experience can be seriously diminished by poor planning. It felt like putting a gas tank on a Ferrari to save money—a cheap, counterproductive move. Sadly, this kind of cost-cutting mindset is becoming more common due to the current state of the country.
250 Musicians Performing Live
Back to the highlight of the night: On 16 March, we had the chance to experience Peter Jackson’s record-shattering adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendary story, brought to life by a live orchestra and choir performing the breathtaking score by Oscar- and Grammy-winning composer Howard Shore.
The film was screened in its original language with Turkish subtitles, accompanied by the 100-piece Istanbul Film Orchestra and a 150-member choir.
Can you imagine the effort that went into this? Add the live performance of 250 musicians to the incredible work that made The Lord of the Rings series legendary, and you’ve got an epic artistic journey.
Like an Ice Cream Sandwich
For me, the experience was like eating ice cream sandwiched between two crispy wafers. I love both on their own, but when combined, they create a next-level treat. When two things I enjoy so much come together in perfect harmony, it’s not just 2 + 2 = 4—it’s more like 5. There’s energy, a synergy that elevates everything. I watched the entire show with my jaw dropped. It was simply phenomenal.
Speaking of The Two Towers, let’s briefly recap the film’s story. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is the second installment in the trilogy, based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel and directed by Peter Jackson. It premiered in 2002. The plot follows three storylines: Frodo and Sam journeying to Mordor to destroy the ring while encountering its former bearer, Gollum; Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli joining a resurrected Gandalf to defend Rohan; and Merry and Pippin escaping captivity and meeting Treebeard the Ent.
The film was both a critical and commercial success, earning over $900 million at the box office and becoming the 13th highest-grossing film of all time. (See: https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y%C3%BCz%C3%BCklerin_Efendisi:_%C4%B0ki_Kule).
I don’t know who first came up with the idea of pairing cinema with live music or even pushing it further by presenting cinematic masterpieces with live orchestral and choral accompaniment. But whoever did—whoever conceived it, executed it, and offered it as an alternative form of entertainment—has my deepest thanks and respect.
Let’s Expand This Brilliant “Ice Cream Sandwich” Concept
Here are my suggestions for this concept going forward:
1) Apply it to the rest of the LOTR series:
I’m personally ready to watch each Lord of the Rings film all over again with live musical accompaniment. Now that we’ve experienced The Two Towers, I’m eagerly awaiting The Return of the King.
2) Extend it to other iconic films:
How incredible would it be to see more cult classics with live orchestras? Here are 20 films that immediately come to mind—each packed with legendary music. I love all of them equally. To me, every one of these is both a cinematic and musical masterpiece:
- Rocky 4
- Pulp Fiction
- Gladiator
- Star Wars
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Zorba the Greek
- Grease
- The Bodyguard
- The Godfather
- The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
- Chariots of Fire
- Interstellar
- Dune
- The Lion King
- James Bond
- Mission: Impossible
- Titanic
- Ghost
- Good Morning, Vietnam
- Pretty Woman
A Local Selection
My third suggestion—because it can’t all be about Hollywood, right?—is to celebrate some of our own great films through similar live performances. Below is a short list of Turkish movies that I think would be incredible to experience with live music accompaniment. (The list is a bit shorter since Turkish cinema leans heavily into drama, but here are five films I truly love for both their music and storytelling):
- The Girl with the Red Scarf (Selvi Boylum Al Yazmalım)
- The Chaos Class (Hababam Sınıfı)
- Where Are You, Firuze? (Neredesin Firuze?)
- Pocket Hercules: Naim Süleymanoğlu (Cep Herkülü: Naim Süleymanoğlu)
- Çiçek Abbas
Speaking of Çiçek Abbas, Barış Manço’s song “Dönence,” featured in the film, was also used in the trailer for the hit series Stranger Things. That’s a great example of how music truly is universal.
Çiçek Abbas – Dönence: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x87k119
Stranger Things – Dönence: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x66902s
Adding a Dance Element
My final suggestion for the future is to take films like Grease or Ghost—those with iconic dance scenes—and incorporate live dance performances into the screenings. It would add another artistic layer to the experience. There are some incredibly talented dancers and dance groups in Turkey. Highly recommended!
Fusion and Creativity
And while we’re at it, imagine adding visual effects to the mix of cinema, live music, and dance, you’d end up with something similar to a Cirque du Soleil performance. And why not? I’m a huge fan of Cirque du Soleil, especially since it originated in my second home, Montreal, Canada. So it holds a special place in my heart.
Let me emphasize again how much I love creative blends. Whether it’s fusion cuisine (think Japanese Peruvian!), an ice cream sandwich, or an unexpected design combo that somehow works—when multiple styles or disciplines merge, magic can happen. That’s the kind of experience that sweeps me off my feet.
As I always say: Show me something different. Teach me something new. Let me experience something I’ve never felt before—and you’ll have my full admiration.
Now that we’re living in the age of artificial intelligence, I want to repeat this message loud and clear:
The world is beautiful because of creative people.
Notes:
- The Lord of the Rings live concert series is currently touring in multiple cities. You can check out the events here on Viagogo.
- The Lord of the Rings concert screenings began with the first film in the series, The Fellowship of the Ring:
See more at VW Arena https://www.vwarena.com/tr/etkinlik-detay/eh8xm
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Tag: memory
