Mid-Columbia Symphony finale to feature ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Star Wars’

What do a 19th century German composer, an iconic space opera and a fantasy epic set in Middle Earth have in common?

They all play a central role in Mid-Columbia Symphony’s season finale, for one thing.

The show, planned next weekend in Richland, features music by Wilhelm Richard Wagner and the Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings films.

“It will be spectacular,” said Nicholas Wallin, the symphony’s music director and conductor.

“The combination of all of the voices and all the different instruments — it’s something really exciting to hear,” he said. “To hear it live and watch us creating the sound — that’s what makes going to a performance really exciting. You’re watching people create this incredible sound.”

Performances are at 7:30 p.m. May 20 and 3 p.m. May 21 in the auditorium at Richland High School, 930 Long Ave.

The 75-piece orchestra will be joined by Mid-Columbia Mastersingers, the Mid-Columbia Boys’ Choir and Hanford High School’s Varsity Chorale.

The show wraps up the symphony’s 2016-17 season, which had the theme, “Circle of Fifths.”

The concerts all centered on a well-known composer’s fifth symphony, from Tchaikovsky to Beethoven.

The finale ties in by having a “ring” theme, Wallin said, pointing to The Lord of the Rings and Wagner’s famed The Ring of the Nibelung.

Wallin said the show will be memorable. And Wagner, Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings have a lot more in common than it might seem.

Wagner’s operas are known for their use of leitmotif, in which people and objects have their own recurring musical themes. Composer John Williams used that to great effect in Star Wars, and so did Howard Shore in The Lord of the Rings, said Wallin, who teaches a class on the topic at Lake Forest College in Illinois.

The concert will illuminate that, he said, and celebrate live symphonic music in a fun and accessible way.

“The way people encounter symphonic music these days often is in the movie theater. People might not know that right away, but when they watch movies they’re often listening to big symphonic orchestras and choruses,” Wallin said. “We want to present that aspect of what is, to us, a very important living art form.”

Tickets are $27 to $55 for adults, depending on the seat, and $15 for students.

They’re available at midcolumbiasymphony.org, by calling at 509-943-6602 and at the door.

This story was originally published May 11, 2017 at 12:38 PM with the headline "Mid-Columbia Symphony finale to feature ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Star Wars’."