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John Williams' concerti on Naxos


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Is it possible to get cd versions of the Naxos editions of Williams' concerti with the Detroit Symphony/Leonard Slatkin? Thanks.

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Speaking of which, can anyone tell me what these versions offer vs. the "original" releases (meaning the LSO/Williams of the FST and the Yo Yo Ma/Williams version of the CC)?

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I have been wondering about that as well, especially with the Cello Concerto. I have mixed feelings about the Detroit Symphony's plan to record all of Williams' concertos. I wish they had endeavored to record his more obscure, unrecorded work. I have been wondering what "Fanfare for Michael Dukakis" sounds like for years.

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Speaking of which, can anyone tell me what these versions offer vs. the "original" releases (meaning the LSO/Williams of the FST and the Yo Yo Ma/Williams version of the CC)?

Thor, you really impress me.

The more JW's works will be recorded the best it will be.

You have two choices about these Naxos digital releases... you ignore them and give up your pleasure by waiting an hypothetical CD boxset that may comes out in few years, or you discover them, as they are issued, one at the time, encouraging Naxos to continue the project... and ENJOYING the music.

:up:

So far, Naxos has released these Leonard Slatkins recordings with Detroit Symphony:

- Concerto for Horn and Orchestra (2010)

- Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, rev. 1998 (2011)

- Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra (The Five Sacred Trees) (2015)

- Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, rev. 2012 (2015)

Note that Slatkin recorded the Violin Concerto and the Flute Concerto with the London Symphony in 1983. These recordings were reissued in 2014 by Varèse Sarabande for digital download.

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I know it is not very financially viable these days but I really wish they could have done the recordings in a studio instead of a live concert. There is a different kind of energy performing live to be sure but there is also the audience ambience which I am not a fan of. Nothing quite ruins the moment like having a beautiful quiet solo undermined by coughing etc.

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Speaking of which, can anyone tell me what these versions offer vs. the "original" releases (meaning the LSO/Williams of the FST and the Yo Yo Ma/Williams version of the CC)?

Thor, you really impress me.

The more JW's works will be recorded the best it will be.

Thor's only asking what these versions offer over the original releases, Bespin. The Concerto for Cello and Orchestra as presented here is the revised version, I believe, as opposed to the original incarnation on the Yo-Yo Ma/Williams CD.

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Note that Slatkin recorded the Violin Concerto and the Flute Concerto with the London Symphony in 1983. These recordings were reissued in 2014 by Varèse Sarabande for digital download.

I'm well aware of that, Bespin. If you disregard a number of expansions, I think I have a pretty good grasp of Williams' discography! :)

I have two versions of the violin concerto -- the Slatkin/Peskanov/LSO and the Williams/Shaham/BSO, so unless this Detroit/Slatkin offers some radically different in interpretation, I think I'm set on that.

I'm all FOR multiple interpretations and recordings of concert works, but I'm usually content with listening to one of them myself. Unless -- as I said -- there's a radical difference. Hence my curiousity about the aforementioned two albums.

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What would be the John Williams concerto with most recordings? The Tuba Concerto perhaps with 4, including the bass trombone adaption?

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What would be the John Williams concerto with most recordings? The Tuba Concerto perhaps with 4, including the bass trombone adaption?

5.

But there is actually 6 released recordings of concerto for alto saxophone & orchestra (Escapades).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Williams_discography#Concert_works

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Ah I forgot the On the Way album. And yes I was more interested in the actual solo instrument concertos. Some of his other concert pieces have been recorded many times over.

Nice to see Escapades getting so much love from the musicians (and audiences as well) and so many recordings and also making rounds around the world in concerts I understand. :)

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So twice revised.

Actually there is a third revision of the Cello Concerto. It came after the Detroit performance and was performed by Ma with Williams conducting the Houston Symphony.

What would be the John Williams concerto with most recordings? The Tuba Concerto perhaps with 4, including the bass trombone adaption?

5.

But there is actually 6 released recordings of concerto for alto saxophone & orchestra (Escapades).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Williams_discography#Concert_works

I believe there are more recordings of the Tuba Concerto.

And regarding Escapades, a couple of the ones mentioned are shortened arrangements for wind band, not the actual piece.

I know it is not very financially viable these days but I really wish they could have done the recordings in a studio instead of a live concert. There is a different kind of energy performing live to be sure but there is also the audience ambience which I am not a fan of. Nothing quite ruins the moment like having a beautiful quiet solo undermined by coughing etc.

I actually prefer live recordings to studio ones. There's so much more energy in those... as for some minor noises, most of them can easily be corrected. Heck, you don't even hear anything on the recent release of the Cello Concerto, not even the clapping, and I did listened to an earlier untreated recording of the performance, and there were a few little noises here and there.

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So twice revised.

Actually there is a third revision of the Cello Concerto. It came after the Detroit performance and was performed by Ma with Williams conducting the Houston Symphony

Oh yes wasn't there a very different opening to the first movement for example?

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I find Slatkin's Williams' concerti series with the DSO very interesting and well performed. The overall interpretations do not differ hugely from other recordings, but his conducting is precise and the orchestra is very responsive. Slatkin stays faithful to the score and shows a lot of respect toward the writing.

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So twice revised.

Actually there is a third revision of the Cello Concerto. It came after the Detroit performance and was performed by Ma with Williams conducting the Houston Symphony

Oh yes wasn't there a very different opening to the first movement for example?

Yes, somewhat reminiscent of Memoirs of a Geisha.

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I know it is not very financially viable these days but I really wish they could have done the recordings in a studio instead of a live concert. There is a different kind of energy performing live to be sure but there is also the audience ambience which I am not a fan of. Nothing quite ruins the moment like having a beautiful quiet solo undermined by coughing etc.

Modern live recordings rarely have a noise problem. Often you can't hear the audience at all, and if you can, it's usually so low key that it doesn't matter. I like both studio and live recordings, so it's nice to have both. Though I don't have any of these Naxos recordings yet... I was always hoping for a physical release.

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And regarding Escapades, a couple of the ones mentioned are shortened arrangements for wind band, not the actual piece.

 

Recently I heard a arrangement for clarinet of a Mozart work, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, I think. Well, it still Eine Kleine Nachtmusik by Mozart, even if yes, it's not the original work. :)

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For me, "Escapades" will always remain an adapted score piece more than a concert piece (in fact, it's not even included on my list of JW concert works), but yeah -- it's a good one.

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Escapades is kind of blurred between the two worlds, imho. While it's born as film music, the piece has such a musical integrity that it really stands up as a fully developed concert piece. IMHO, it has the same dignity and integrity of pieces like Jacques Ibert's Saxophone Concerto or Debussy's Rhapsody for Saxophone and Orchestra.

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John Williams published this work with an original name, Escapades, and also gave each of the three movements an original name: Closing In, Reflections and Joy Ride. That's pretty clear.

So yes, it's indeed included on my list of JW concert works. :)

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And regarding Escapades, a couple of the ones mentioned are shortened arrangements for wind band, not the actual piece.

Recently I heard a arrangement for clarinet of a Mozart work, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, I think. Well, it still Eine Kleine Nachtmusik by Mozart, even if yes, it's not the original work. :)

Yes, of course, but as some of this arrangements are quite shortned, i wouldn't put the together.

I've just got Anne-Sophie Mutter's Club Album, recorded live at a disco club or something alike, and there is no noise whatever from the audience. If this an audio only release, I would take it as a studio recording.

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And regarding Escapades, a couple of the ones mentioned are shortened arrangements for wind band, not the actual piece.

Recently I heard a arrangement for clarinet of a Mozart work, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, I think. Well, it still Eine Kleine Nachtmusik by Mozart, even if yes, it's not the original work. :)

Yes, of course, but as some of this arrangements are quite shortned, i wouldn't put the together.

I've just got Anne-Sophie Mutter's Club Album, recorded live at a disco club or something alike, and there is no noise whatever from the audience. If this an audio only release, I would take it as a studio recording.

If you want to know if an orchestra respect the reprises in a Bach recording, just watch the length of the cue. You'll now it, that's the same thing.

In my disco, I will always show all the recordings of a work. Period. ;-)

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I don't really think it is. Escapades its a 3-movement piece for alto sax and orchestra lasting around 15 minutes.

At least one of those arrangements is for alto sax and wind band, lasting half the time, with the movements interwoven into each other. Not the same piece,if you ask me,rather based on it.

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All JW completists would want to know that 6 recorded versions of "Escapades" can be actually found, because they want to get these 6 versions and listen to them all. I will never tell people that there is 5 1/2 recordings of Escapades. :)

I count them, I don't describe them!

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  • 3 months later...
8 hours ago, Mari said:

The DSO is performing (and recording for Naxos) the Trumpet Concerto this week. It will be streamed on the DSO Live webcast on January 22nd.

 

http://dso.org/live

Yay! That will be the third recording the piece! :)

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OK, fine. Multiple recordings of concert works is nice and all. But DAMMIT, why can't someone focus their attention on the UNRECORDED concert works instead? How long will we have to wait for a decent recording of the clarinet concerto, for example?

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I wouldn't take the fact that it has not yet been recorded by DSO as an indication that he is not fond of it. Naturally I would prefer to hear the yet unrecorded concerti first but I advise patience.

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15 hours ago, Incanus said:

Yay! That will be the third recording the piece! :)

 

Wait, there's already another recording than the Sandoval one? Where can I get this?

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1 hour ago, Nemesis said:

 

Wait, there's already another recording than the Sandoval one? Where can I get this?

 

p_jjvcd118.jpg

 

John Williams, Arttu Sipilä: Concertos for Trumpet and Orchestra / Harjanne, Finnish Radio SO (2013, Pilfink Records, JJVCD-118)

John Williams: Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra.

All the recorded concert works of John Williams: http://www.goplanete.com/johnwilliams/music/composer/concert.htm

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7 hours ago, Bespin said:

 

p_jjvcd118.jpg

 

John Williams, Arttu Sipilä: Concertos for Trumpet and Orchestra / Harjanne, Finnish Radio SO (2013, Pilfink Records, JJVCD-118)

John Williams: Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra.

All the recorded concert works of John Williams: http://www.goplanete.com/johnwilliams/music/composer/concert.htm

And not to toot our own horn (or trumpet) but the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Jouko Harjanne version is much better than the Sandoval one.

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On 21/01/2016 at 5:40 AM, Incanus said:

And not to toot our own horn (or trumpet) but the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Jouko Harjanne version is much better than the Sandoval one.

 

After today's fine performance from Detroit, I still prefer the Harjanne performance.

Don't get me wrong, it was a great performance, but can't say that I found it superior. Also, the brief passage from the second movement we discussed, when the Harjanne recording was released, that was missing from the Sandoval recording, was included. So for some odd reason, they did omit it on the first recording of the concerto, as I don't think it was a revision.

 

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4 hours ago, Miguel Andrade said:

 

After today's fine performance from Detroit, I still prefer the Harjanne performance.

Don't get me wrong, it was a great performance, but can't say that I found it superior. Also, the brief passage from the second movement we discussed, when the Harjanne recording was released, that was missing from the Sandoval recording, was included. So for some odd reason, they did omit it on the first recording of the concerto, as I don't think it was a revision.

 

 

Any word if there's an archived video of the Detroit performance?

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The video will probably be available soon at their on-demand service -- for which you need to be a DSO donor to have access to.

As for the Naxos release, I won't be holding my breath... they still have two other concertos to release, and those were recorded a year or so ago. It will come, surely, but propably we'll still have some time to wait.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On ‎21‎.‎1‎.‎2016 at 7:40 AM, Incanus said:
On ‎21‎.‎1‎.‎2016 at 7:40 AM, Incanus said:

And not to toot our own horn (or trumpet) but the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Jouko Harjanne version is much better than the Sandoval one.

 

Wow! I had no idea that they have made a recording of Williams' trumpet concerto. I didn't like the Sandoval version so I have to ask Jouko Harjanne all the

details of this recording since he is my (Facebook also) friend.

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On 7.2.2016 at 3:09 AM, hornist said:

Wow! I had no idea that they have made a recording of Williams' trumpet concerto. I didn't like the Sandoval version so I have to ask Jouko Harjanne all the

details of this recording since he is my (Facebook also) friend.

You mean you missed this release entirely?!!!

 

You can buy it here at Pilfink Records.

 

P.S. You should start pestering Santtu-Matias to let you record Williams' Horn Concerto with you as the soloist. ;)

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11 hours ago, Incanus said:

You mean you missed this release entirely?!!!

 

You can buy it here at Pilfink Records.

 

P.S. You should start pestering Santtu-Matias to let you record Williams' Horn Concerto with you as the soloist. ;)

Yes I missed this release!! Thanks for the link.

And your idea for that horn concerto....sounds cool...perhaps someday!!

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  • 7 years later...

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