Lord of the Rings returns with The Two Towers and a full, live orcs symphony

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers in Concert returns this weekend at the Jubilee Auditorium, pairing Howard Shore’s score with the on-screen rescue of Merry and Pippin and other key sequences including the Battle of Helm’s Deep and Sam and Frodo’s negotiations with Gollum. Performances run 7:30 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday. The series continues with local orchestral players and choirs “our aforementioned orcs” in a long-running affectionate reference for musicians dressing up for stage rules. Conductor-composer Ben Phelps says the show brings a full team, including a soprano soloist, and cites technical advances that helped make complete film-and-symphony pairings possible live.