“The Lord of the Rings” by J.R.R. Tolkien adapted for opera
British composer Paul Corfield Godfrey has been creating musical adaptations of Tolkien’s prose since the 1970s. His score for the writer’s magnum opus “The Silmarillion” was released as a ten-CD series of recordings with a small Welsh label Volante Opera.
Now Godfrey has obtained permission from the Tolkien Estate – the legal body managing Tolkien’s copyright and other assets – to finalize his work on operatic adaptations of “The Lord of the Rings” that he has been composing for years.
The project is a large-scale venture. There are over fifteen hours of music in thirty “chapters”, intended to be performed over six evenings by thirty singers. The “Lord of the Rings” opera will premiere on the world stage exactly seventy years after the publication of the book. Despite the plot shortcuts, the libretto will remain faithful to Tolkien’s prose.