Doug Adams

We are going to eat there, but have no solid plans beyond that. PM me? I almost never check Facebook these days.

Yep! Although the lack of Uber service in this town isn’t making life any easier!

Thanks. I will be at the premiere of Williams' Violin Concerto #2 at Tanglewood next month, so if anyone else is attending and wants to see a digital version ...

Wait, someone was supposed to pay me for that!? Rats! Contracts -- at least in my situation -- are not necessarily given expiration dates. Not that I think it would matter in this case. The rights are so specific that you can't really even shop these things around. Between the movie and likeness rights, the Tolkien Estate, and the music publishing, the book needs to be done a very specific way. Right now, I'm trying to see what comes with the Amazon show. My deep hope is that a) it sort of clears up some rights restrictions and b) it rekindles a bit of interest. We shal

I've moved.

I think they were referring to Frodo's initial reluctance to take the Ring.

A few of you already have!

That's in my basement now ... but I'm working on getting it displayed where more people might be able to see it in person.

Happier, yes. Happy, no.

The Rogue One stories are indeed true. Same thing happened back on Shadows of the Empire, although in that case it was too late to change anything. Rogue One, on the other hand, had to be largely rewritten.

That's not inaccurate.

There was a lot of movie in those movies.

It's still better than this laughably awful screed: https://www.splicetoday.com/music/the-australo-hungarian-empire-strikes-back It's a masterpiece of how not to write about music. Or anything.

My midwestern guilt makes me feel like I'm being meaner than I probably am. At least I hope that's the case. I once attended an orchestra's first rehearsal where they decided to start with the Shire music. About 5 seconds after their first note, I started hollering: "Stop, stop, stop! Basses are supposed to be half pizz. half arco, not all arco!" The conductor (not Ludwig) responded, "I checked the recording and didn't hear that." I told him to go check again. Somebody dubbed me the Niles Crane of film music for the remainder of that week. I don't think they meant it flatteringly.

It's not that they don't know of the use of that term, but many aren't familiar with the Rings scores per se, so they have to guess at what's being called for. Fortunately, as performances circulate more and more, these scores are becoming part of the modern repertoire, and so percussionists are better prepared. Size is left to the performers. It's not specified. But I've never seen drums larger than 16 inches being used, I don't think.