Northwest orchestra to perform 'Lord of the Rings' suite

The Northwest Symphony Orchestra will present "Heine, Hobbits & Holst" at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 5, in Charles Johnson Theater.

The auditorium is located on the first floor of the Olive DeLuce Fine Arts Building on the campus of Northwest Missouri State University.

Admission is free.

Program works will include a selection from Gustav Holst’s "The Planets" as well as "Suite from Tannhäuser" by Richard Wagner.

The ensemble will also perform "Passemezzo Antico" featuring cellist Jan Kobialka and "Symphonic Suite from 'The Lord of the Rings'" by Howard Shore.

The "Heine" of the concert refers to Heinrich Heine, whose poem, "Elemental Spirits," was one of the inspirations for Wagner’s opera, "Tannhäuser," a story that centers on the struggle between sacred and profane love, and the possibility of redemption through love.

Shore's "Lord of the Rings" suite will be familiar to anyone who watched the Peter Jackson movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien's classic fantasy novels.

The Northwest Symphony Orchestra is a full orchestra consisting of woodwinds, brass, percussion and strings that performs one or two concerts each term during the regular academic year. The ensemble is open to all student-musicians on campus regardless of major.

Selections performed by the orchestra range from Baroque pieces to compositions by modern-day composers.