On July 29, 1954, English writer, philologist, and Oxford University Don, John Ronald Reuel (better known as simply as J.R.R.) Tolkien, would publish The Fellowship of the Ring, the first installment in what would become his famed The Lord of the Rings trilogy, one of the foundational works of fantasy in all of literature. In honor of the 72nd anniverary of the book's publication, Wednesday afternoon's Classical Music with Foley Schuler will feature music inspired by Tolkein's beloved fantasy epic, in the form of Dutch composer Johan de Meij's Symphony No. 1: "The Lord of the Rings."
We'll, also hear music from that other Ring—Wagner's operatic masterpiece, the Ring Cycle—which Tolkein famously and stricly denied being an influence (though both draw upon overlapping Norse and Germanic mythologies as source material and share the central motif of a cursed ring). In fact he once famously quipped, "Both rings were round, and there the resemblance ceases."
Rounding out the show will be a slightly-belated 85th birthday tribute to Ricardo Muti, including several performances conducted by the legendary maestro.
You can hear Foley Schuler's musical selections—and stories behind the music—every weekday afternoon from 1 until 4 on Blue Lake Public Radio.
