Lord of the Rings Opera Recording Available for Pre-Order, Release Set for September

Volante Opera Productions has announced that Paul Corfield Godfrey’s operatic adaptation of The Lord of the Rings is now available for pre-order. Titled Musical Chapters from The Lord of the Rings: The Cycle Completed, the 15-CD box set will be released on September 5, 2025. This marks the first time the Tolkien Estate has approved a musical treatment using J.R.R. Tolkien’s original words for The Lord of the Rings.

The recording features more than 17 hours of music performed by a cast of 35 singers, many from Welsh National Opera. The libretto, drawn almost entirely verbatim from Tolkien’s text, includes seldom-adapted elements such as Tom Bombadil, the Barrow-wight, and the Scouring of the Shire.

Composer Paul Corfield Godfrey began work on the score in the 1960s and revisited it after completing his operatic cycle of The Silmarillion, which was released in 2023. The new work spans 30 “chapters” intended to be performed over six evenings, and includes both the main narrative and an appendix disc with extended musical settings of Tolkien’s narrative poems.

Returning cast members from The Silmarillion recordings include Simon Crosby Buttle as Frodo, Julian Boyce as Sam, Philip Lloyd-Evans as Gandalf, and Angharad Morgan as Galadriel. New additions include Rhodri Prys Jones as Legolas and Gareth Long as Gimli. The full cast list includes over 30 performers covering a wide range of roles from Tolkien’s epic.

The set includes a 64-page booklet with the full libretto, composer’s notes, and complete recording details. Cover art is provided by Tolkien artist Ted Nasmith.

Musical Chapters from The Lord of the Rings is being released by Prima Facie Records in partnership with Volante Opera. Pre-orders are available now.