I was intrigued and amused and inspired by all the comments on your Maglor playlist post. Would love to see the final list if you want to share!
Thank you so much @sallysavestheday, you’ve given me a reason to finish my Maglor playlist and go off about it! It’s mostly classical music instrumental with a focus on strings, plus a bit of opera, hymns and bluegrass for spice. I am making a bit of a route (libretto?), because I have made it chronological to his arc and put too much thought into it.
Here's the breakdown, with highlights:
Prelude - Technically two different pieces, Zoe Keating’s lovely, lonely strings in Seven League Boot, and then a big operatic start with Agon’s prelude. A prelude for a prelude is kind of cheating, I admit.
For the Valinor period - I wanted to start with the purest, most charming of virtuosity, with a sly edge increasing. Strauss stuff mostly, I thought, and some Valinor-worthy religious pieces. The Agnus Dei might be too much, but in my defence: it is very pretty.
The Unrest of the Noldor - Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, and I'm not even sorry about it.
The First Kinslaying, the Burning of the Ships, the Siege of Angband - This is the one song I knew I had to use when I started the playlist. Listz's Mephisto Waltz, which is not strings technically, but is one of my old favourites.
The Rescue of Maedhros - the well-titled Emotional Violin and Strings Concerto.
The Gap of Maglor and the Long Peace - Dvorak’s Rusalka Op. 114, as I headcanon the Long Peace as a period of cultural revisionism and the sort of folklore adaptation 19th century Romantics loved. La Traditora. Fadinho Picado! I can’t resist adding the Portuguese guitar, and it’s the sort of style that develops best in isolated, fraught circumstances. Ends with Vivaldi’s Cello Concerto in E Minor, II Alegro - which has a funereal, flight-like hurry, to tie in the narrow escape from dragon fire.
The Dagor Bragollach - in earnest now. Or, Maglor invents atonality, to cope! It had to be the Second Viennese School. Schoenberg Chamber Symphon nº 1, op 9, a shameless jump to adagio. Schoenberg & co. should start making appearances whenever things get worse, but tbh? I do not like Schoenberg, so I did not invest a lot on him.
The Lay of Leithian - Quinto Passagio, a pretty fast, anxious, layered harp piece - somewhere far away in the dark, Finrod’s song is coming to an end, and his old duet companion feels strangely uneasy.
Nirnaeth Arnoediad - First a big conquering song, Beethoven’s Lenore Overture (II), and then Adam Hurt’s Forsaken, which articulate well enough together in this context. I am actually pretty proud of as choices - might reconsider if I find better, more epic battle songs that aren’t already in use in the Russingon playlist . Followed by Minha Alma on the guitar, for when the sons of Feanor are scattered like leaves in the wind.
The Ruin of Doriath - Schubert’s String Quartet nº 4 in D Minor, the Allegro. Deceitfully pretty with bursts of force, very repetitive, it does bring the sense of a cycle of violence, by the second minute becomes a siege. I just realized it could have been Vivaldi’s Winter! Well, never mind.
The Sacking of Sirion - Shaskotovich Cello Concert nª 1 in E Flat. This is Kurtag’s quartets in the Elwing/Earendil playlist - I tried not to repeat, but the influence is there in the cello-as-horror genre.
Capturing Elros and Elrond - Paganini’s compelling, unnerving, pitying, pitiful Caprice nª 24 - it works, and not just because of the title. Followed by an almost idyllic part, from Carmen’s Act III, Entr’acte - it really is an in-between acts moment. Again, Zoe Keating on the contemporary violin for Optimist, which despite the name is full of tension. I chose it regarding the conversation with Maedhros, and as a tie-in with the inevitable fate foretold in Seven League Boots, also Keating’s right at the start.
Forth Kisnlaying, Maedhros’ Death, the burning of the Silmarills - Maglor’s fun psychic break is also a genre break! Our one and only not-classical entry, with I am a Man of Constant Sorrow, by the Soggy Bottom Boys.
Wanders ever by the sea - I admit, searching for songs for this was my favourite part. I’m partial to Sillaba’s Na on the kora, Rob Korb’s Sea-Swept cliffs. Also Ricardo Parreira again, now with Meditando.
The End: Phillip Glass's sparse, involving harp composition, in Metamorphosis II - a lot of enjoyable space to dwell on whatever Maglor might become, lamenting by the thankless sea.
In conclusion: I hope this is enjoyable! I like how it is now, but might review it a little bit (the Feast of Reuniting is missing, Maedhros deserves a song of his own here at least), before presenting it as part of the Spring into Arda event, which started this in first place early this month. Not enough harp, maybe? If anyone has harp recs, please do share.
