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[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

I think I also have Aria re-singing files lying around somewhere. Gotta look through those as well at some point.

Aha, found it! A better take than the one currently in the video, and also features the debut of Elanor's new microphone. I thought at the time that I could do an even better one, there were a few moments I wasn't happy with for this one, but my vanity will just need to suffer this one out. Would it bee too much trouble to ask you to swap the vocals in the video?

[Huinesoron]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

By the way, does Tolkien ever say what exactly happened to Thuringwethil? Did she just happen to be an unfortunate evil soul who got crushed in the fall of the tower? How did she actually die?

As far as I know, she's never even mentioned while alive - just as a handy bat-fell.

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

That's neat! It would be nice to see these places, even if just stills. I live in a place with lots of natury places around too now, and I was actually thinking about doing a cosplay / live action thing in some distant future... But for me it's very much still purely hypothetical. Shame about the cave, but it would be nice to see the other places!

Good news!



The follies of planning... originally I was going to use what I remembered as an old white bridge with a cliff-face waterfall at one end for the gates of Minas Tirith. Yeah... that bridge was replaced a decade or two back, and the 'cliff' is more of a gulley. So I moved to this spot, which used to be a bridge until they took it out. The light-and-dark feel was just perfect for the Showdown.

Sort of pondering replacing the V2 banner images in the Libretto with these once I have a full set... I don't know, though; the colour-on-black effect of V2 makes it all look very classy, and these would make it very... green.

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

Appeal - more-or-less-final.

I love the entrance part, and I love Beren's "I ask: give me men" stanza. I knew what I wanted to do with that one from the start, and the whole song was building up to that point. I think it turned out pretty good. My least favourite part is "Carefree is the life" - it still sticks out as a bit bland or at best sarcastic, when I think Beren here is feeling more genuinely betrayed than casually cynical.

I mean.. it's Beren mouthing off to an authority figure, this is literally his whole thing. ^_^ I think the contrast between his initial sassy comeback "Fat lot of good your ring was!" and his more heartfelt "If you'd ever /been/ in love you'd get it" works very well.

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

Going through my files for Minions, I found: revised music, and revised minion choir, which - now I remember - was made hilariously Gollumesque because I screwed up the microphones and it was accidentally recorded through the worst one I have. I was quite bummed about it at the time but perhaps it was serendipitous, depending on how comical or Christmas Elves-like the Minions are meant to sound. I could redo them in more creepy voices if we wanna go for creepy instead of cute little Gollums.

C'mon, cute Gollums is clearly the way to go. They're so precious!

(I'm sorry. But I'm not actually sorry.)

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

Aha, found it! A better take than the one currently in the video, and also features the debut of Elanor's new microphone. I thought at the time that I could do an even better one, there were a few moments I wasn't happy with for this one, but my vanity will just need to suffer this one out. Would it bee too much trouble to ask you to swap the vocals in the video?

I'll take a look at all these files when I get a chance. Just swapping in the vocals should be pretty easy, and I think the Aria already has the new logo title card, so that should be a quick swap.

hS

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Huinesoron

The follies of planning... originally I was going to use what I remembered as an old white bridge with a cliff-face waterfall at one end for the gates of Minas Tirith. Yeah... that bridge was replaced a decade or two back, and the 'cliff' is more of a gulley. So I moved to this spot, which used to be a bridge until they took it out. The light-and-dark feel was just perfect for the Showdown.

There - the breath of springtime fills the air; there - the grass is dappled with the dew...

Very lovely. The contrast of a "dark island" and "bright beyond" is very fitting.

Originally Posted by Hui

Sort of pondering replacing the V2 banner images in the Libretto with these once I have a full set... I don't know, though; the colour-on-black effect of V2 makes it all look very classy, and these would make it very... green.

Your choice. I don't see anything wrong with green. And you know how I feel about Jareth-Finrod.

Originally Posted by Hui

I mean.. it's Beren mouthing off to an authority figure, this is literally his whole thing. ^_^

Very true.

Originally Posted by Hui

C'mon, cute Gollums is clearly the way to go. They're so precious!

(I'm sorry. But I'm not actually sorry.)

Nah, me neither.

Originally Posted by Hui

I'll take a look at all these files when I get a chance. Just swapping in the vocals should be pretty easy, and I think the Aria already has the new logo title card, so that should be a quick swap.

Looking at the video, I realized you put me as "first author" in the credits - but Aria is yours.



EDIT: lectures are very important... veeeryyyy impoooortaaaant....
(But now I'm stuck because the first stanza of the chorus has different chords from the second and things just aren't lining up properly)
(Edit2: I think I figured it out, and updated the link. And I also now think that I did Captivity incorrectly, but it's a still-sounds-good incorrectly)

[Galadriel55]

Light and dark can both be damned, together will crazy work schedules!

...It's amazing what one can accomplish with the inertia of constant intense work when one suddenly lands in a free weekend with relatively few responsibilities. I am somewhat surprised at the amount of productivity. This song for one can no longer be said to be unfinished. ^.^

(I rather am proud of myself for catching up to the imaginary schedule, so that it might be finished sometime before I retire )

I rather enjoyed the variations-on-a-theme feel with that short repeating down-up-down drip-drop segment. And is that Luthien's theme making an appearance in the second section of the piece? You bet it is. Why? I think my best answer is - why not? It's about love, and it's not terribly obvious or out of place, it's like an easter egg for people who know the musical (because this piece of the melody doesn't formally appear until Dream).

A word of warning, this piece is much quieter relative to the other ones I've done recently. Part of that is that it's not a mini orchestra the entire time but more of a piano with wind instrument support, like Wind - it has fewer competing voices. And the other part is that the volumes I've set here are more in the mezzo range as opposed to the f to fff I had in the last few pieces. So it would probably need more volume adjusting relative to the recording to be heard. I am actually wondering if I should not make the quieter parts louder relative to the more exciting bits, because my suspicion is that they might not be heard at all beneath the voice, or if they are then the loud bits would be overwhelmingly loud. I think the best way is to test it out, and I can adjust the volume if there are issues on the first take, it's a bit hard to judge without the voice there. It's a more thoughtful and gentle song, it's supposed to be more subtle - but it should also be in the hearing range.


EDIT: I couldn't rest easy until I tried it out, even though I'm too hoarse to sing properly and can't hit the higher notes. I think it works reasonably enough that I have hope for it and don't feel the compulsion to go rebalance the volumes immediately. ^.^ It's a grand song, I am very happy that we can now sing it with music. Happy First Song to you! :-)


EDIT 2: hey, look what the cat dragged in to my youtube feed! Another Zong performance! I've only seen the Prison Duet so far, but it looks like they have a whole concert. I like this version of Prison - and they change the words a bit: in the end instead of Finrod's "of these two lamps", they have Beren commending him for his loyalty, before going into his "only the faithful can stand on the edge without fear". I like the music and the acting, and the music here is actually very simple sounding and I might use it to draft the piece. ^.^ Beren's aesthetic is also interesting - he seems to still be "medieval warrior" rather than "bandit" appearance, but a bit more on the rougher side and not the super romantic V1 style, yet not in Thug zone. I peaked at Duel of Song too - they have Sauron wearing the Silmarils. >.< The acting is superb, they do some amazing staging stuff there. Finrod is right on. I don't agree with their choices for Sauron though (and not just over the Silmarils) - I think they might have been going for the "Necromancer" aesthetic, but it ends up more like necromancee. The result is that he isn't convincing, he doesn't sound/look powerful, it doesn't sound like he actually should be winning. But yes I am biased because I am just so enamoured by the V1 Sauron, who met my vision perfectly of what the embodied Sauron would have looked like - Elf-like but slightly vampiresque, haughty, overbearing in his confidence, and giving the general sense of emanating power. Or at least Rock God, who might be awfully gleeful but still has that sense of easy power. This Sauron doesn't carry the same conviction. But all of this aside, I really enjoyed that performance! I am totally watching this tomorrow!

...Ugh, who am I kidding, I've watched it all today. It's not a whole concert, just a few clips.
Meeting - an excellent example of acting out that song without making it look the slightest bit like a rape scene *glares at V2 on which I still hold a grudge for ruining that song for me*
Appeal - I don't think this version is my favourite, but some good acting and some interesting musical choices.
Ballad to Amarie - very heartfelt, I like it. The music cut out in the middle, and the guy didn't beat an eye, he landed right on the note and the beat when it came back on - damn he's good!
Duel of Song - as I said above, I am in love with the staging here, and Finrod here is truly someone who could take on a Maia in a Song of Power. Absolutely recommend watching. Actually... is Sauron trying to mind-control Finrod's Elves?... Could very well be... It's an interesting idea, but I think it misdirects Finrod's second section to be more specific than intended (e.g. "falsehoods and illusions" now only seems in context of his bewitched friends, and not the world in general, and "strength to counter you" does in no way mean a couple extra guys with spears). This puts a very different interpretation of how and why Sauron won - almost like he did so by "convincing" the Elves of his point of view, rather than finding the crack of doubt within Finrod. Still, watch it for the acting, you will not regret it!
Captivity - okay, now Sauron just looks like he's wearing a nightgown and he's just hard to take seriously. But man do he and nearly-broken Finrod make a great acting pair when it's just them and not the Elf choir! Seriously, this cast and whoever did the staging/choreography are really good at their stuff.
Prison Duet - yup, good acting, and I am so using this to sketch out the melody.
Truth - very believable. If I'm not mistaken, the score is the same or very similar to the ...2010?... concert performance with the V1 cast members, where I also liked Truth.
A collection of fragments - a different channel but this is clearly the same performance. Featuring the Loyalty stanza of Lament, Luthien Not At Bay (another bit with some cool acting), a snatch of Dream which seems to taking place after Captivity (with the alternate lyrics that I can finally make out!*), and Showdown (where Sauron tries to zombifie Beren with some interesting results).


Overall impression? Excellent acting skills, and I think I've finally found a Finrod to rival the V1 actor - though I still think Susalev holds the gold trophy. The music is not too heavy on the rock, and the singing is pretty good. Some curious interpretations, which I don't necessarily agree with but make sense within the frame of the lyrics. I wish there was a full performance video available, I would totally watch the full thing. This show definitely gets the Best Acting and Choreography trophy, it's not even a competition.


*Let heart over duty all decide,
Let [=so what if] my path lie over an abyss!
The threads of former ties will tear,
What do I care for the weight of immortal years
When my soul belongs to you?

(And now that there is pretty much a rhyme already in there my translation reflexes are tingling)
Let heart over duty all decide,
Let my journey take me far and wide,
The threads of former ties will tear,
What good are my immortal years -
Only a burden while my heart with you abides!



Huh, and here's another neat fragment collection that was in the same batch of links - Lay of Leithian the Musical. It has what seems to be an equivalent of Doriath Duet / Tonguelashing, followed by the lovers' return, and the hunt for Carcharoth. Features mentions of Daeron and Huan! Maybe I'll jot down a translation tomorrow, it doesn't have subtitles.


...Aaaand now it is nearing 1am and this time it is entirely my own fault that I'm not getting enough sleep.

[Huinesoron]

Oh

my

giddy

aunt.

I am unsure whether to describe those last few posts as a flurry, tide, or torrent of stuff, but apparently I'm clear that it's some form of meteorological phenomenon. I've been kind of jumping back and forth for the last couple of days to see what I'll discover this time. (I completely missed until tonight that you'd snuck the entire Ballad to Amarie in there, for instance!) As for responding to it - it's gonna take me a while, is what I'm saying.

But I have made a start! Several starts, actually. I have videos - plural.

05 - Appeal

I've had to fudge in the Choir myself, so this isn't strictly final, but that's the only thing I expect to change. I wound up doing a full re-recording of the lyrics, because... I was in that sort of mood, I guess?

(Are we happy with just 'Appeal' here? The only alternatives I can think of wind up of a length with 'Of Tuor and His Coming to Gondolin', which would be a bit unwieldy.)

09 - Melian's Aria

This should be final, though in all the bustle I haven't actually rewatched to check nothing went wrong in adding the new recording.

I haven't yet looked at the files you dug up for Minions - that's one for tomorrow maybe?

I also haven't had a chance to listen to your recording of the Ballad - but that didn't stop me making my own!

06 - Ballad to Amarie (hS recording)

I love that song. ^_^ Thank you so much for bringing the English version to life! I'll get the video done... soon? I think I know how I'm doing the backdrop, and at least there's only one singer!

(Any preferences on the title? I've had it as Ballad to Amarie, Ballad of Finrod, Finrod's Ballad, and just Amarie. I think the Libretto is at Amarie (Ballad of Finrod).)

I've also discovered... okay, I'm sure at some point I discussed the ancient SilmFilm project I was involved in, and I mentioned that I'd snuck a tiny reference into the Zong? I have no idea what, and can't find me saying it... anyway, whatever that reference was, I found another: Verse 2 of the Ballad uses the phrase "time and Sea", which is cribbed from lyrics I wrote for Silm Film: That world is lost forever / Cut off by Time and Sea... yeah, I'm homaging myself at this point, what a world.

Of the new recording, I've not yet taken more than a cursory look, but I'll get it listed in the Libretto soon. It's interesting that they have Meeting, but no hint of either of Amarie's pieces - it suggests they're doing a hybrid script maybe? Or maybe they just didn't feel like recording her. (And, naturally, nothing of the elusive Doriathrin Intelligence or whatever that's called.)

hS

[Galadriel55]

Squeeeee!!!!

(Actually, this is the happiest I've been today or in the last few days)

Originally Posted by Huinesoron

I am unsure whether to describe those last few posts as a flurry, tide, or torrent of stuff, but apparently I'm clear that it's some form of meteorological phenomenon.

It's actually sad, but that phenomenon is simply a proper weekend. :/ But as I think I've said somewhere, I expect things will not be so bad in the coming few weeks.

Originally Posted by Hui

05 - Appeal

I've had to fudge in the Choir myself, so this isn't strictly final, but that's the only thing I expect to change. I wound up doing a full re-recording of the lyrics, because... I was in that sort of mood, I guess?

(Are we happy with just 'Appeal' here? The only alternatives I can think of wind up of a length with 'Of Tuor and His Coming to Gondolin', which would be a bit unwieldy.)

Your Beren is fantastic! If you ever do this as live action... oh, I would si love to see it. That was amazing.

The high voice part of Choir will be a long time coming, otherwise it will sound like the Elves' singing improved dramatically with a few days of torture in Sauron's dungeons. I want to make a recording of the full piece too, just for the fun of it, I've been waiting so long to sing this piece - but again, to avoid having everyone sound like Necromancee Sauron, I will do so when my voice is back.

Name - "Appeal" maybe sounds a little sharp. Maybe Beren's Appeal? Some part of my mind early on also nicknamed that song Nargothrond, or Beren In Nargothrond. A song with a thousand names and none. Just let's please not do Beren Arrives In Nargothrond And Appeals To Finrod, anything else goes.

Originally Posted by Hui

09 - Melian's Aria

This should be final, though in all the bustle I haven't actually rewatched to check nothing went wrong in adding the new recording.

Thank you for changing it. I watched it, I did not notice anything wrong. So, can I finally say it - hurray!...

Originally Posted by Hui

I haven't yet looked at the files you dug up for Minions - that's one for tomorrow maybe?

No rush. Plenty of time ahead.

Originally Posted by Hui

06 - Ballad to Amarie (hS recording)

I love that song. ^_^ Thank you so much for bringing the English version to life! I'll get the video done... soon? I think I know how I'm doing the backdrop, and at least there's only one singer!

(Any preferences on the title? I've had it as Ballad to Amarie, Ballad of Finrod, Finrod's Ballad, and just Amarie. I think the Libretto is at Amarie (Ballad of Finrod).)

Oh my... Varda's Stars. I swear I love this piece more and more the further along we get. This is so good. And it's very clearly your piece, it just all goes so well. I've listened to it three or four times just while writing this post. It's so good. And to think that my feelings for it were very lukewarm when I first watched the Zong!

How do you feel about the music? If you think that it's too tame in contrast with the surrounding stuff, I can redo it. I think this version balances well, and at least as a stand-alone I think it works nicely, but it's your song and your call. But if we change it, I would still want to save this recording as an alternative stand-alone, because it is just so good.

As for the title - I think the only one I would maybe vote against is "just Amarie". It confuses me because it makes me think of the Amarie songs. But "Ballad to Amarie" is very nice, just as the other two. I suppose "Finrod's Ballad to Amarie" combines all the options, but is it beginning to press on Of The Ballad Of Finrod To Amarie Where He [insert summary of song content]?

Originally Posted by Hui

I've also discovered... okay, I'm sure at some point I discussed the ancient SilmFilm project I was involved in, and I mentioned that I'd snuck a tiny reference into the Zong? I have no idea what, and can't find me saying it... anyway, whatever that reference was, I found another: Verse 2 of the Ballad uses the phrase "time and Sea", which is cribbed from lyrics I wrote for Silm Film: That world is lost forever / Cut off by Time and Sea... yeah, I'm homaging myself at this point, what a world.

...I cannot for the life of me remember either what the other reference was. But nothing wrong with a bit of self-homage. :P Besides, all projects and fanfics sort of serve as inspiration for the next generation of projects, so it's a rightful reference.

Originally Posted by Hui

Of the new recording, I've not yet taken more than a cursory look, but I'll get it listed in the Libretto soon. It's interesting that they have Meeting, but no hint of either of Amarie's pieces - it suggests they're doing a hybrid script maybe? Or maybe they just didn't feel like recording her. (And, naturally, nothing of the elusive Doriathrin Intelligence or whatever that's called.)

I wonder if they just didn't/couldn't cast her. In all else they are working with the newer script (and even the newer-newer Dream), but they do switch around the order of some songs. But these are only snatches of the concert, and I honestly have no idea if they've ever cast Amarie - or, as you say, either of the Doriath sovereigns.

[Huinesoron]

Looking now at the 2021 performance... it's very lovely! I'm kind of tempted to splice the beginning of Meeting onto the better copy in the clip video, just to get a "viewer's edition". From the shot of the Lament, I think they have Thingol and Melian, but not Amarie...

... and I've just found their website, which confirms. There's a gorgeous shot of Melian-as-Yavanna down there, though I think they might have a different Luthien? Anyway, they're still performing - they're selling tickets for the 5th September - so we might see more videos floating up.

They're also on VK, which confirms that the cast are being shuffled around a bit. This VK page seems to cover earlier versions? I don't know, it keeps running me into the cheery "why not sign up?" page, and I dun wanna.

I've put the 2021s into the Libretto, though I haven't yet inserted them into each song's header. I've also put a Welsh banner image for the Lament, as well as a rejigged version of the Showdown one; I'll keep working on those when I get the time & inspiration.

EDIT: Yeah, okay, so now the 2021 concert is in place in every relevant song, and I'm up to about five Wales/lyrics header pictures on the Libretto. I got carried away.

I've said for a while that I want to redo the pictures for the Minions... do you think the white masks used by the fallen Elves and Sauron in the 2021 would work? It would avoid me having to draw 'evil faces' (other than Sauron's, of course).

hS