Live in Concert: The Lord of the Rings

The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra are taking Howard Shore's score for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring to bp pulse LIVE on Saturday 19 December. It's a live-to-picture screening, so the film plays on the big screen while the CBSO performs the music in the room around it. The whole thing is presented by The Flying Music Company by arrangement with Cami Music.

It's a bit of a milestone, too: the concert marks the 25th anniversary of the Academy Award-winning film. Shore's score is one of the most complex and comprehensive in film music — an immense symphonic piece that draws on centuries of stylistic tendencies to bring J.R.R. Tolkien's literary imagination to life. Hearing it live rather than through speakers changes the experience, as the full weight of the orchestra sits right there in the room with you.

There are two performances on the day, one at 13:00 and another at 19:00, so you can pick the matinee or the evening. Doors open at 11:00, which gives you plenty of time to get settled before either start. Tickets run from £35 to £75, and if you're driving, you can pre-book parking at the venue to save up to £5.