Jump to content

STAR WARS - Live To Projection Concerts


TownerFan

Recommended Posts

On 10/9/2017 at 6:37 PM, Ricard said:

Review of the Return of the Jedi performance from YourClassical:
" Having heard the score innumerable times, it was remarkable for me to be able to look over to stage right and see harpist Nancy Allen pluck out the poignant final reprise of the Imperial March as Darth Vader breathed his last."

 

It's sooooo cool that the reviewer noted that, because I did the exact same thing!!!  I'd been looking forward to that harp moment for months, and it was definitely chilling to hear it live.  Such a subtle but touching moment.

 

On 10/10/2017 at 0:58 PM, Jay said:

I just wanted to thank @DigitalfreakNYC and @rpvee for attending the TESB, ROTJ, and TFA concerts and sharing their thoughts!

I absolutely loved attending SW and I really really wanted to trek back out for TESB, ROTJ, and TFA, but it just wasn't in the cards to happen.  

 

The concerts all sound great and I really hope they come to New England at some point so I can see the other films.


Thanks again guys!

 

My pleasure!!  Glad I could be of some informational help here, beyond the annual Boston Pops concerts.

 

That reminds me, I never posted my thoughts on TFA!  It was definitely a wonderful experience, and after the lackluster impression ROTJ left in regards to its merits as a film, it actually felt good to see the story continue and not have Jedi be the conclusion.  It's weird, but amazing as the music was live, Jedi as a film just really did not hold up well so close in viewing to ANH and ESB.

 

Anyway, back to TFA - interestingly, the music sounded much louder than the film this time around.  The orchestra was clearly the dominant force (no pun intended) for this one, while the original trilogy definitely felt like a pretty even balance.  Definitely not a complaint - after all, the whole point was the live music.  I also saw TFA ten times in theaters as an adult, while I was a kid when the prequels and special editions came out, so I definitely felt more... connected?... to the film than the others.  That's not to say it's my favorite, that's absolutely ESB, but I do think TFA has much fresher and formed memories for me than the other films, between the months of pre-release hype and the experiences around seeing the film itself so many times in so many different settings.  I don't know if that makes any sense - I certainly have extraordinarily strong connections and fond memories of the saga as a whole, but TFA was really the first Star Wars film I got to experience as a grown, independent adult here in NYC when it came out two years ago.

 

Anyway, I really hope the concert series continues with Last Jedi next year.  Let's also not forget that Michael Giacchino said in an interview some time ago that Rogue One live was in the works, though I'm not sure if that's something the Philharmonic would do, since it's not part of the main saga.

 

These concerts were definitely experiences I'll treasure for a long time!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Verbose Alert!

 

59 minutes ago, rpvee said:

It was definitely a wonderful experience, and after the lackluster impression ROTJ left in regards to its merits as a film, it actually felt good to see the story continue and not have Jedi be the conclusion.  It's weird, but amazing as the music was live, Jedi as a film just really did not hold up well so close in viewing to ANH and ESB.

 

Yes.

 

while I think a whole sequel trilogy is starting to stretch Star Wars a little thin (to the point where we are seeing familiar plot points all over the new films even when its not intended), I do think that its good that we got a second shot at a conclusion, because Return of the Jedi doesn't really deliver. Its a good thing that this film at least has some good drama with Luke and Vader, because if it wasn't for that, I'd probably never watch it again.

 

It's directed lazily (to the point of reusing shots from both previous films), there are some terrible blue screen effects, the film wanders away from its narrative thrust in not one but two instances (Jabba and the Ewoks) and takes a long time to get back to business (the Jabba sequence is 40 minutes long!), and it retreads a lot of ground from the previous films: Tatooine, Death Star, a "shocking" reveal of a hitherto-unknown-familial-tie. The idea of splitting the finale into three story-lines really doesn't help, either.

 

The film also boasts the most egregious changes made by George Lucas, and still fails in terms of continuity, with Leia apparently having memories of the mother from which she was taken instantaneously, and old Ben having a very different recollection of his meeting with Anakin than what was eventually portrayed in the Phantom Menace.

 

The trouble is that, as a result, the music isn't quite as inspired: I like the Emperor's theme, but it isn't the main new theme of the entry: that's rather the bloody Ewok theme! There's a horribly underused theme for Luke and Leia, and this curious little triumph fanfare that appears in no other score, which also means that, between this motif, the rebel fanfare and the throne room march, this film for some reason has three "triumphant' motifs. Also, just as the film retreads a lot of territory from the original film, so too does the music: The sail-barge set piece is a direct lift from the original Star Wars, which also means that the rebel fanfare is used in a scene that has little to do with the rebel alliance.

 

But I have to say, I don't see Episode XI serving up a truly climactic and resonant conclusion to all of the nine films.

 

59 minutes ago, rpvee said:

interestingly, the music sounded much louder than the film this time around.  The orchestra was clearly the dominant force (no pun intended) for this one, while the original trilogy definitely felt like a pretty even balance.  Definitely not a complaint - after all, the whole point was the live music.  

 

I think its a learning curve in terms of sound-mixing.

 

59 minutes ago, rpvee said:

Anyway, I really hope the concert series continues with Last Jedi next year.  Let's also not forget that Michael Giacchino said in an interview some time ago that Rogue One live was in the works, though I'm not sure if that's something the Philharmonic would do, since it's not part of the main saga.

 

Now that's interesting. I think they'd be worried of turning it into a very long cycle, because it takes a lot of preparations and rehearsals to put each concert up, and performing six of them across a short time period isn't going to be easy, or cheap to produce.

 

Rogue one isn't part of the main saga, so it can live in its own little world, though I think its a kind of movie that will lose popularity over time: It doesn't have memorable characters, and it holds up on any real action until very late in the picture.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Chen G. said:

The trouble is that, as a result, the music isn't quite as inspired: I like the Emperor's theme, but it isn't the main new theme of the entry: that's rather the bloody Ewok theme! There's a horribly underused theme for Luke and Leia, and this curious little triumph fanfare that appears in no other score, which also means that, between this motif, the rebel fanfare and the throne room march, this film for some reason has three "triumphant' motifs. Also, just as the film retreads a lot of territory from the original film, so too does the music: The sail-barge set piece is a direct lift from the original Star Wars, which also means that the rebel fanfare is used in a scene that has little to do with the rebel alliance.

 

Pointing out such supposed faults in a score with so many virtues doesn't do any justice to the actual quality of the music.

 

5 hours ago, rpvee said:

Anyway, back to TFA - interestingly, the music sounded much louder than the film this time around.  The orchestra was clearly the dominant force (no pun intended) for this one, while the original trilogy definitely felt like a pretty even balance.  Definitely not a complaint - after all, the whole point was the live music.  I also saw TFA ten times in theaters as an adult, while I was a kid when the prequels and special editions came out, so I definitely felt more... connected?... to the film than the others.  That's not to say it's my favorite, that's absolutely ESB, but I do think TFA has much fresher and formed memories for me than the other films, between the months of pre-release hype and the experiences around seeing the film itself so many times in so many different settings.  I don't know if that makes any sense - I certainly have extraordinarily strong connections and fond memories of the saga as a whole, but TFA was really the first Star Wars film I got to experience as a grown, independent adult here in NYC when it came out two years ago.

 

Thank you for this :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/10/2017 at 11:15 PM, DigitalfreakNYC said:

No problemo. I actually went to all four movies and got to see Empire twice. I worked with the 501st at the event. 

 

Totally worth it, my awful experience with TFA aside.  I really, really wish they would do the first three Indy movies.

 

 

You're 501st?  So am I!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Not sure if any JWFan-ers are going but TFA premieres in Melbourne tomorrow. A news channel did a piece on their rehearsals:

https://www.9news.com.au/national/2017/12/03/19/48/iconic-music-of-star-wars-to-be-performed-in-palais-theatre

 

Seems like they're practicing Jedi Steps and Finale in one of the clips, so it's good to know they won't be skipping the credits suite!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How loud would this be sitting 4 rows from the front? Is that generally not advisable for these live to picture performances?

 

I've never actually been that close to an orchestra playing such virtuostic music.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, crumbs said:

How loud would this be sitting 4 rows from the front? Is that generally not advisable for these live to picture performances?

 

I've never actually been that close to an orchestra playing such virtuostic music.

When I was sitting few meters behind the orchestra in Concertgebouw hall in Amsterdam I had to change my place during the intermission. Luckily there were some free left in other parts of the hall. I could barely physically take the sound waves hitting my ears.

 

But then maybe I'm overly sensitive.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Any JWFans in Melbourne still holding off for The Force Awakens by the MSO? Ticketmaster just released $39 tickets right in front of the orchestra!

 

https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/348089

 

No excuses now, I just plunged on a ticket for tomorrow night :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, it's fantastic!! I'm hoping that since they announced ANH and Chamber of Secrets, this will be an annual thing.  The thought of hearing Empire Strikes Back, The Lost World, and Temple of Doom live is mindblowing :D  (especially since I'm a huge fan of the JW sequel scores)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, crumbs said:

How loud would this be sitting 4 rows from the front? Is that generally not advisable for these live to picture performances?

 

I've never actually been that close to an orchestra playing such virtuostic music.

I didn't have problem

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's a pre-concert talk about John's music tonight that goes for half an hour. It's called Art of the Score so it might be with those guys who do the film music podcast of the same name? Should be great to hear their thoughts on TFA.

 

The interval appears to be one hour into the movie. Does that place it somewhere around the battle of Takodana?

 

Also, has anyone seen TFA in concert yet or are the Melbourne shows the world premiere? Curious to see how they handle all the edits in The Falcon, plus what music they play at the end of the intermission. Maybe if we're really lucky, they'll restore some of the dialled out music.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

New cue title, I think.

 

6M57B - Ice Landing, formerly known as Landing at Lightspeed. This goes up until "That's not how the Force works!". This is followed by 6M58A (cue title unknown).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, crumbs said:

Also, has anyone seen TFA in concert yet or are the Melbourne shows the world premiere? Curious to see how they handle all the edits in The Falcon, plus what music they play at the end of the intermission. Maybe if we're really lucky, they'll restore some of the dialled out music.

 

NYC was the world premiere for ANH, ESB, ROTJ, and TFA.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, crumbs said:

New cue title, I think.

 

6M57B - Ice Landing, formerly known as Landing at Lightspeed. This goes up until "That's not how the Force works!". This is followed by 6M58A (cue title unknown).

 

Pic?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/6/2017 at 9:38 PM, crumbs said:

How loud would this be sitting 4 rows from the front? Is that generally not advisable for these live to picture performances?

 

I've never actually been that close to an orchestra playing such virtuostic music.

 

It isn't an ideal location.  Can you get anything further back?  It isn't just because it will be loud, it will not be finely balanced that close. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, crumbs said:

Wow, TFA was INCREDIBLE by the MSO. [snip]

 

 

Nice write up!  Sounds awesome!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Jay said:

 

Pic?

 

Enjoy!

Ice.png

 

And if memory serves me right, they played that clip with the music isolated, which probably means the complete iso score was provided to the conductor/musicians to study. Just an interesting nugget. They also played Rey's Theme from the end of the Abduction and it was the film version (and I highly doubt they used the FYC leak!), further backing this theory up.

 

They also played a rendition of Ren's 'hesitancy' motif that wasn't on either the OST or FYC.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 minutes ago, crumbs said:

They also played a rendition of Ren's 'hesitancy' motif that wasn't on either the OST or FYC.

 

 

What is this motif?  Do you have an example?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for that review, crumbs! Makes me wish we’ll get a re-recording of the score somewhere in the distant future... 

 

Since you mention “The Falcon”, I’m wondering if they kept the horrible micro-edit with a few seconds of “Kylo Ren Arrives at the Battle” as heard on the FYC? Or did they play something that resembled the OST? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah unfortunately they retained the tracked music there. I paid close attention to that cue because it's such a mess in the film. For the most part the edits were present but they had definitely been smoothed out.

11 hours ago, someonefun124 said:

 

What is this motif?  Do you have an example?

 

It's Kylo Ren's B Theme, the one tied to Han and Leia and his struggle between the dark and light side.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

I just popped in to see if anyone else had posted it yet 😉 SO excited SW is coming to Houston!! 

 

And in a season also including HP3, Home Alone, Apollo 13, American in Paris.

 

Live scores to film are truly finally a significant widespread thing and I’m still pinching myself that this is real.

 

I have heard that here the JW live film concerts have become their most money-making concerts of the season, unsurprisingly. It’s a win-win for everyone!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, Saxbabe said:

I just popped in to see if anyone else had posted it yet 😉 SO excited SW is coming to Houston!! 

 

And in a season also including HP3, Home Alone, Apollo 13, American in Paris.

 

Live scores to film are truly finally a significant widespread thing and I’m still pinching myself that this is real.

 

I have heard that here the JW live film concerts have become their most money-making concerts of the season, unsurprisingly. It’s a win-win for everyone!

 

I'm very excited for POA in June and I'm hoping the live choir will be present as well.  And, of course, I will be seeing Home Alone again.  I wasn't expecting it to come back after 3 years!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

29 minutes ago, TownerFan said:

 

Finally a good excuse to set up a quick trip to Londontown.

Close Encounters is not good enough of an excuse? ;)

 

Karol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines.