Summon the Heroes (Full Version)

[Josh500 1,620]

I want to know what you think! In the full version, there's a section (3:40 - 4:30) that sounds kinda dangerous and menacing. It reminds me somehow of the assassination music from JFK! I was wondering what's this part supposed to MEAN??? This is music for the Olympics, so it should be full of energy and vigor and power, right? Well, that's what you'd think, but this . . . when I first heard it, I was like, "What the hell . . ." (Not that I wasn't impressed, though.) And finally I decided, JW must be psychic as well! STH was composed for the Atlanta games, and there was this incident, right? I think it was a bomb threat, or something. And THAT must have been what JW was thinking about when he wrote that section! Haha. Am I kidding? Maybe . . . but, what do YOU think?

[hornist 1,261]

Short version.

Full version always sounded weird( except the beautiful trumpet solo) and... too...long.

[Miguel Andrade 1,725]

Long Version.

I've always imagined that that section stands for the strugle to reach the finish line.

And I fail to understand the bomb threath connection, as the piece was written months before the opening of the games.

[Josh500 1,620]

Long Version.

I've always imagined that that section stands for the strugle to reach the finish line.

And I fail to understand the bomb threath connection, as the piece was written months before the opening of the games.

That was actually meant as a quasi-joke, that's why I said he must be psychic!

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

i have summon the heroes on american journey, greatest hits and the summon of the heroes album itself. i guess i dont have the short version?

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

Yeah, from the sounds of it, I don't believe I have the short version either. What album(s) is it on?

Ray Barnsbury

[BLUMENKOHL 1,110]

Short version sounds way better, structurally.

The whole last couple of minutes of each is brilliant.

[Red 75]

I've only heard the long version, so the long version it is.

[Josh500 1,620]

i have summon the heroes on american journey, greatest hits and the summon of the heroes album itself. i guess i dont have the short version?

Ehhhh, on the Summon the Heroes album, first track??? Hello???

Short version sounds way better, structurally.

Not only structually, I think the short version is performed better. I am still convinced that it's a different recording.

[Marian Schedenig 11,694]

The short version was only on the European release of the album, and it's nothing but a cheap cut & paste job of sections from the long version. Rather worthless.

I've always imagined that that section stands for the strugle to reach the finish line.

Same here. I like the concept of the piece... Unsuccessful attempts at the beginning (all those stray notes), then improvement, the aforementioned struggle and finally the "classic" triumphant march section.

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

i have summon the heroes on american journey, greatest hits and the summon of the heroes album itself. i guess i dont have the short version?

Ehhhh, on the Summon the Heroes album, first track??? Hello???

they are all about 6min 15sec long. :S

[tuneman_21 0]

Long Version.

I've always imagined that that section stands for the strugle to reach the finish line.

And I fail to understand the bomb threath connection, as the piece was written months before the opening of the games.

I have the Signature Score of this - as it is my most favorite JW piece ever. In the score, the piece is sectioned off and is, for all intents and purposes, a 6 minute musical representation of the games themselves. The atonal section is supposed to represent the struggle for victory and reaching the finish line. So, you're right Miguel. It says right in the score.

It does not represent anything other than that.

[King Mark 3,975]

Of course there is also the 2004 re-recording which is pretty awesome.

K.M.

[Josh500 1,620]

The short version was only on the European release of the album, and it's nothing but a cheap cut & paste job of sections from the long version. Rather worthless.

I beg to disagree. I like the short version better--it seems to make much more sense and is more coherent. The beginning from 2:02 onward is played slightly better than in the longer version, somehow tighter. It IS a different recording. (Of the rest I am no so sure!)

[andrea 0]

long version......it's fantastic piece!!!

[Marian Schedenig 11,694]

Of course there is also the 2004 re-recording which is pretty awesome.

K.M.

2004 re-recording?

[Ollie 1,375]

What recording?

[King Mark 3,975]

It was rerecorded for Athens and sounds more actionny with new transitions and ending.THX99 (I think) recorded it off his TIVO and made a file then.

[Mr. Breathmask 624]

I think I have that.

It's awesome.

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

Is that the 2:55 length version? Yeah, it's a great reworking of the original piece.

Ray Barnsbury

[pi 0]

I think musically this is the most well written concert piece of JW's career. It stands right next to the shostakovitch with no weaknesses.

[QuartalHarmony 1,005]

Yeah, I know, 17 years later is a bit silly; nevertheless:

 

I’ve just got the HL score and tried following it whilst listening to my 1996 Summon the Heroes CD, bought at the Barbican on pre-release in June 96 just before I saw JW conduct it:
 

 

It’s the CD with both long and short versions but neither matches the score! The opening and closing sections are the same, but there’s no trumpet solo after the opening section, plus other changes.

 

However, the version of the (supposedly) same album on Spotify matches the score exactly, as does the ‘bonus track’ on my copy of Call of the Champions:

 

 

The recording dates suggest that all three versions were recorded at the same time (Boston, January 1996), but does anyone know why there seem to be three versions?

 

Apologies if this has been discussed elsewhere in the intervening 17 years, but my searching suggested it hadn’t.

 

Mark

 

[Marian Schedenig 11,694]

The version on Call of the Champions is exactly the same 6:17 recording as the last track on Summon the Heroes/The Sound of Glory. On CotC, it was a last minute replacement for the dropped Happy Birthday Variations.

 

The short version on StH/TSoG is (as far as I know) just an edit of the 6:17 recording (and an entirely unnecessary one at that).

[QuartalHarmony 1,005]

1 hour ago, Marian Schedenig said:

The version on Call of the Champions is exactly the same 6:17 recording as the last track on Summon the Heroes/The Sound of Glory.

Well, I must have been having some sort of seizure then: having just listened again, you’re absolutely right. How embarrassing. No idea how that happened.