Symphony Nr. 1, “The Lord of the Rings”

Johan de Meij’s five-movement Symphony Nr. 1, “The Lord of the Rings”, won first-prize in the 1989 Sudler International Composition Competition. The first movement is a portrait of the wizard Gandalf, one of the principal characters of the literary trilogy. His wise and noble personality is expressed by a stately motif. The piece begins with a slow Maestoso; the sudden Allegro Vivace is indicative of the unpredictability of the grey wizard, followed by a wild ride on his beautiful horse Shadowfax. (Source: published score.)