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Summon the Heroes


Josh500

Which version of Summon the Heroes do you prefer?  

41 members have voted

  1. 1. Which version of Summon the Heroes do you prefer?

    • Short Version
      3
    • Long Version
      38


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One of John Williams very best triumphant pieces! I love this! (And yes, we've talked about this before too, but what topic hasn't been discussed here before? ;) )

Quick Question:

Is the last portion of the longer version of STH (4:48 - end) the same recording as the last portion of the shorter version of STH (2:08 - end)? They sound slightly different somehow. Or maybe just mixed differently?

Also, which version do you prefer? I prefer the shorter version, somehow. Unless you're one of those people who say the longer version is always better just because it has more music, I think you'd agree that the shorter version is more coherent and has a greater impact. Well, what do you think? :P

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Long version. The idea doesn't seem to be overall coherence. I don't know if I've read that somewhere, or if it has just always been my own interpretation, but the piece seems to describe the accomplishment of an athlete, from the first trials to the final triumph.

As often with these pieces, Williams introduces an awesome counterpoint in the last section. Very probably my favourite of his olympic fanfares.

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Yes, and it is worth mentioning people generally remember this piece. I was listening to it some time ago and my friend, who is not a film music fan, said: "It's the piece from the Atlanta olympic games". So, I guess, John Williams did it again. :P

Karol - who voted for the longer version.

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Long version. The idea doesn't seem to be overall coherence. I don't know if I've read that somewhere, or if it has just always been my own interpretation, but the piece seems to describe the accomplishment of an athlete, from the first trials to the final triumph.

Hmmm that's interesting! I wonder, though, what (in the longer version) the quiet moment just before the climax is supposed to represent... the section played by the woodwinds, which is somehow quietly alarming.

Never understood what that was all about. Maybe stage fright, just before the Olympics begin?

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Long version, hands down. It is my favorite Williams piece.

(And yes, we've talked about this before too, but what topic hasn't been discussed here before? ;) )

Leitmotif in John Goldfarb, Please Come Home.

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Short version.

Everything you need for this brilliant jubilee piece is there, longer version

loses the magic.

Well, now, I wouldn't go that far, but yeah... the short version has all the good parts of the longer version, and halfway through the longer version does seem a bit meandering and "purposeless"?

But, don't get me wrong, I love both versions, I just prefer the shorter one.

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  • 4 months later...

(BUMP.)

Question: does anyone know why the Summon the Heroes CD was named as The Sound of Glory too? And which parts of the world had which name?

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Probably named that way for foreign markets. Perhaps it would help the marketing & sales overseas.

I didn't realize the album had multiple names.

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  • 7 months later...

Just a question:

there are 2 different albums of Summon the Heroes?

One with 12 tracks and one with 13 tracks that contains the short version?

Because I just checked mine and I have the 12 track version, and in the

http://www.jw-collection.de site I see the album has 13 tracks.

In American and English amazon i can find only the 12 track cds..

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Short version. It has the essence, and the middle part of the long version wanders away to much for an easy listening experience, which it is meant to be. However, if this is an edit, and not a creative decision made by JW himself, I prefer the long version.

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Long version. One of the few Williams pieces that succesfully integrates the melodic style we know from his film scores with the "atonality" that characterizes his most of his concert works. Brilliant.

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How does anyone know which is the original version, the short or long one?

Summon the Heroes was the very first piece I ever saw John Williams conduct live, with the London Symphony Orchestra in 1996. It was definitely the longer version that they played and I think it was either the world or European concert premiere of the piece, therefore I am inclined to believe that the longer version is the intended one, especially as it is described on the CD as the 'Full Version' rather than the 'Long Version'. I actually bought the CD (also entitled Summon the Heroes) at the concert and I vaguely recall that it had not yet gone on sale in the shops at that time - the catalogue number is SK 62622 if that is of any help.

Nowadays I seem to be the last John Williams fan to hear his new releases, but this was the one occasion when I was lucky enough to be one of the first!

:cheer:

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The long version is just a superlative piece of work with brilliant development of the musical ideas.

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Ugh, that short version is awful. Absolutely no attempt at transitions, and a lot of the build up is completely lost.

The theatrics that went with it were awesome, though. Love the buglers surronding the stadium.

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Just a question:

there are 2 different albums of Summon the Heroes?

One with 12 tracks and one with 13 tracks that contains the short version?

Because I just checked mine and I have the 12 track version, and in the

http://www.jw-collection.de site I see the album has 13 tracks.

In American and English amazon i can find only the 12 track cds..

The European version of the CD is called "The Sound of Glory." (If it's titled "Summon the Heroes" it's the American version.)

Here are the track titles and times for the European version of the album:

http://www.lastfm.de/music/John+Williams/The+Sound+Of+Glory

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  • 2 months later...

Just for kicks, two photos from Tim Morrison's MySpace page, the first related to "Summon the Heroes":

"Summon the Heroes recording session/Boston Symphony Hall 1996" (L to R: Shawn Murphy, Tim Morrison, and Williams):

l.jpg

Tim Morrison "with John Williams/Sony Scoring Stage/NBC News Theme recording session 2006":

l.jpg

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This was one of the first Williams pieces that I fell in love with. My parents got me the two CD Greatest Hits set and at that point the only scores I had were star wars SE CDs, TLC, Jurassic Park and TPM. What a magical time that was, I was so new to Williams it was an adventure to listen to each new track!

I remember being blown away by the end section of STH. I loved the low brass repeating figure and the trumpets flourishing on top of the melody. Exciting stuff!.

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