John Williams' 10 Best Concert Suites post 2000?

[nightscape94 965]

Williams never really tried to hide his affection for Vaughan Williams in the scores where evoking him seemed appropriate.

 

11 minutes ago, publicist said:

The last minute or so to me sounds more like Leonard Bernstein got mad while conducting a Mahler symphony. Loved that when i was young but now i hardly can listen to all these cymbal crashes without cringing.

 

Well, there's definitely an intentional reference to those types of larger-than-life works at the end, with the classic Zarathustra-style timpani hits leading into a rolling crescendo.  It's very operatic.  The movie earned it by that point, and it feels deserving, at least in my view.

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

8 minutes ago, publicist said:

No, that isn't really Tallis to my ears - too broad a comparison. The 'Nessun Dorma' connection and the quite earthy american feeling seem to me more of a fingerprint tha the divised strings.

 

Ok, granted there is a phrase in the theme that echoes a motive in Turandot... but other than that I think you're grasping at spaghetti.

[publicist 4,643]

That's hardly more of a grasp than dragging out the Tallis Fantasy which is really different in mood.

2 hours ago, nightscape94 said:

Well, there's definitely an intentional reference to those types of larger-than-life works at the end, with the classic Zarathustra-style timpani hits leading into a rolling crescendo.  It's very operatic.  The movie earned it by that point, and it feels deserving, at least in my view.

 

It obviously worked great in 1982. Today it's something that doesn't suit my musical tastes - though the part leading up to it that is basically Williams channeling Hanson is very beautiful and soothing. Sadly it doesn't stay this way...

[KingPin 201]

On May 2, 2016 at 10:01 AM, loert said:

 

Not yet. However it is almost identical to the OST version. The only major difference is that the statement of Poe's theme is extended, so that it sounds closer to the statement present in "I Can Fly Anything".

 

(Btw I'm talking about the concert version of "The Jedi Steps and Finale" here. There is also a concert version of "The Jedi Steps" only, which is quite different from the film version. That also hasn't been recorded, although a few MIDI mockups of it have appeared on Youtube.)

 

Found a live recording of The Jedi Steps concert version: 

 

[Loert 2,510]

AWESOME.

 

Such a beautiful piece of music. Now I'm only waiting for the studio recording!

[mrbellamy 6,272]

Love that he incorporated that little bit from Torn Apart at 1:14. Another fateful lightsaber handoff.

[Dixon Hill 4,232]

I've probably mentioned it before, but 2:50 -2:59. 

 

 

 

I'll take that dose of Williams sugar over, say, E.T....

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Idiot!

[Quintus 5,399]

In all seriousness I've always found that Wonderous World cue (a KM and Ren favourite) to be hugely overrated here at JWFan.com. To me it is the purist form of Williams Americana sugar and smaltz (weird considering the material) and to that end it turns me off entirely.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

It's brilliant!

 

If I were you I'd play it at the wedding!

[Quintus 5,399]

No chance! 

 

Are you a fan of Harry Potter then? 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

The scores or the franchise?

 

I love the first score. The last truly great Williams score up untill TFA.

 

I can't get into the second one at all.

 

The third one is excellent.

 

Stefancos: preparing for a snobbish bollocking.

[Quintus 5,399]

Azkaban I genuinely appreciate, the time travel stuff really made for some fun Williams magic. 

 

I bought the Philosopher's Stone CD, and was mildly okay with it. 

[Dixon Hill 4,232]

Perhaps we all allow ourselves one sugary Williams score.  For some it's E.T., others Hook, and some, the first Potter.  But more than our chosen one is too much.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

Hook is by far the most egregiously sugary Williams score.  It makes HP1 look tame in comparison.

[Quintus 5,399]

Hook has dat orchestration showboating running throughout it though. 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Unlike Potter 1?

[mrbellamy 6,272]

1 hour ago, TheGreyPilgrim said:

Perhaps we all allow ourselves one sugary Williams score.  For some it's E.T., others Hook, and some, the first Potter.  But more than our chosen one is too much.

 

I allow myself all three....

[Quintus 5,399]

46 minutes ago, Stefancos said:

Unlike Potter 1?

 

It's not as garishly indulgent, no. Plus the themes of Potter are weak by comparison. 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

*shakes head*

[Quintus 5,399]

Bear in mind I don't listen to either scores nowadays. Outgrown Hook's sound and was never a fan of the Harry Potter franchise. 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Ive outgrown Hook too, I guess.

 

TGP comparing it to ET is actually slightly offensive.

[Quintus 5,399]

Of course. I just ignore that though. A couple of years ago I wouldn't have, but what's the point? 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

You are right. No use fighting such ignorance.

[Dixon Hill 4,232]

Ah, pulling a me I see.  Can't argue with that!

 

But yeah, I do prefer it to E.T.  Not a fan of the franchise either but I'll be damned if the first and third scores aren't irresistible.  And thematically they're leagues beyond Hook in my view.

[publicist 4,643]

The second has some wonderful parts, tough.

[Stempel 136]

Sorry, but I have 22.   :-)

 

 

 

A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

1. Where Dreams Are Born

 

HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE

2. Hedwig's Theme

3. Harry's Wonderous World

 

STAR WARS EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES

4. Across The Stars (Love Theme from Attack  Of The Clones)

 

HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS

5. Fawkes the Pheonix

 

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN

6. Catch Me If You Can

 

HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN

7. A Window To The Past

 

THE TERMINAL

8. The Tale Of Victor Navorski

 

STAR WARS EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH

9. Battle Of The Heroes

 

MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA

10. Sayuri's Theme

11. Becoming A Geisha

12. The Chairman's Waltz

 

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL

13. The Adventures Of Mutt

14. Irina's Theme

 

THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN

15. The Adventures Of Tintin

16. Snowy's Theme

17. The Adventure Continues

 

LINCOLN

18. The People's House

 

STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS

19. March Of The Resistance

20. Rey's Theme

21. Scherzo For X-Wings

22. The Jedi Steps

 

 

 

[artguy360 1,843]

Dobby the House Elf is an underrated concert cue. It's got a nice, understated melody fitting the character, some humor and whimsy, a really simple progression, and just a really satisfying orchestration. A good 2nd tier Harry Potter theme. 

[Loert 2,510]

11 hours ago, publicist said:

The second has some wonderful parts, tough.

 

Indeed. Like 0:00 - 0:53 of this, for instance!

 

 

[Will 2,215]

On 5/7/2016 at 6:49 AM, KingPin said:

 

Found a live recording of The Jedi Steps concert version.

 

I can't get over how Dark Side the end of the piece sounds. It almost seems as if Williams was given info saying Luke and/or Rey are going to/already have turned to the Dark... But I'm mystified because that seems like a hint the maestro would have put in the film itself; a concert arrangement released later seems a strange place to do that. Maybe what I think sounds evil actually is just representative of the mystery and "the scariness of the unknown" (as Rey does not know what Luke will be like)?

[Muad'Dib 1,801]

Here's hoping Williams keeps expanding on Jedi Steps on VIII.

[TownerFan 4,983]

On ‎09‎/‎05‎/‎2016 at 3:55 AM, Bill said:

 

I can't get over how Dark Side the end of the piece sounds. It almost seems as if Williams was given info saying Luke and/or Rey are going to/already have turned to the Dark... But I'm mystified because that seems like a hint the maestro would have put in the film itself; a concert arrangement released later seems a strange place to do that. Maybe what I think sounds evil actually is just representative of the mystery and "the scariness of the unknown" (as Rey does not know what Luke will be like)?

 

I think Williams is purposefully playing with ambiguous tonalities and overall uncertain harmonic territory. The piece suggests a lot in terms of what it could represent--there are hints of Vader's theme of course (it stats in G Minor as well), but the actual theme opens with a perfect fifth that it's more Luke-like. Also, before the finale, some notes of the melody (as heard in the woodwinds) are inverted to sound almost like "Luke & Leia" (which is itself a variation on Luke's theme). I guess JW's target was to make it feel as ambiguous and mysterious as he could, but I don't think he wants to suggest something really specific about future development of the plot. To me it sounds more like he's playing with a series of compositional devices to link everything together in pure musical sense.

[Tom 4,639]

Do you ever wonder if instead of these complex connections we think we hear, Williams is just flat out drunk when composing and has no clue of any of the character themes/modalities in the process?

[mrbellamy 6,272]

Yes, the ambiguity in the piece reflecting Williams' struggle to remember what he did last night and why JJ Abrams is in the kitchen making breakfast.

[Loert 2,510]

Well, he has admitted before that he has a very short term memory!

 

 

[crocodile 7,984]

Across the Stars

Abandoned in the Woods

The Chairman's Waltz (the concert version)

Jedi Steps and Finale

The Adventure Continues

Fawkes the Phoenix

Epilogue (from War of the Worlds)

A Tale of Viktor Navorski

Recollections (The Father's Theme)

Avner's Theme (guitar version)

 

Karol

 

[TownerFan 4,983]

On ‎10‎/‎05‎/‎2016 at 3:46 PM, Tom said:

Do you ever wonder if instead of these complex connections we think we hear, Williams is just flat out drunk when composing and has no clue of any of the character themes/modalities in the process?

 

LOL

 

Well, he spoke several times about how certain thematic relationships in the SW scores are results of "happy coincidences", but I guess it's Williams playing it down as usual not to look too pompous when it comes to these things. Maybe he isn't purposefully interlocking all the thematic material in Wagner-ian fashion, but his musical mind works in a very similar way and the end result is Wagner-ian nonetheless. When he works on a Star Wars score, I guess his mind sets on a very precise musical vocabulary, so there is a logic at work that gives the music a sense of connection and continuity.