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Tonight, following the John Williams Cello Concerto concert at the LA Philharmonic, Yo-Yo Ma and Gustavo Dudamel sat down on stage for a post-concert "Talk Back" session with LA Phil Vice President of Artistic Planning, Meghan Martineau. This 30-min session bounced between questions about their experiences with John Williams the person and his music as well as general questions on their inspirations. About 500-1000 people (capacity 5000) stayed after to hear the two artists speak. Near the end of the talk, Yo-Yo Ma shared news of a possible 2nd concerto. He was speaking to the Maestro's need to write music - not because he has to do it but because he needs to do it. He has all these ideas in his head already. Then came the possible news of a new Cello Concerto. Yo-Yo Ma: "Just yesterday, or two days ago, he [John Williams] said 'I think we need a second cello concerto.'" After some applause, Ma joked. "I think I need a second nap!" He then continued. "You know what? I think he is going to write it. Because... yesterday, he said, 'I've already started.'" Ma concluded that Williams indicated it would be "different" from this one (Cello Concerto No. 1). Ms. Martineau ended the proceedings by half-jokingly stating we heard it there first and she was doing a handshake deal to sign up Yo-Yo Ma and Gustavo Dudamel to premier the new work, date "TBD."

So excited to share my experience at this concert! I'm sure some of you saw my poll that I posted a few weeks ago, but I attended Thursday night's performance. To say that that night changed my life would be an understatement. This was my first ever concert experience with the LA Phil at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and it did not disappoint. I had the privilege of sitting in the very front row, directly in the middle. I was right in front of the conductor's podium on the stage. Looking back at how I got this ticket, I'm still in shock that I got so lucky. I had purchased the ticket directly from the LA Phil's website on August 20th, and it was somehow the only ticket available when I checked out. Before the concert started, I had a lovely dinner at the on-site restaurant "Asterid." The food was amazing, perhaps a bit expensive, but well worth the convenience and quality of food. Next, I listened to Jon Burlingame's 30-minute talk about John Williams' career and concert piece selections. Mr. Burlingame really knew his research, and it was a pleasure getting to hear him discuss the history behind each programmed piece. Moving on to the concert itself, I was absolutely blown away! The musicians of the LA Phil were fantastic, especially the winds and percussion. My favorite piece of the night was Adventures on Earth from E.T., closely followed by Yo-Yo Ma's incredible performance of John Williams' Cello Concerto. Being a few feet away from the stage allowed me to see the expertise of ability and musicality that Mr. Ma possessed; every facial expression and finger movement was meticulously synchronized to the music that was being made. As the night went on, I truly did not expect Mr. Williams to make an appearance. Of course I really wanted to see him, but I knew that after they removed him as being conductor from the program that there was a slim chance he would show up. To my great surprise and delight, Maestro Dudamel pointed out Mr. Williams in the crowd during the middle of the concert, and the roar of applause that came over the hall was electrifying! I could not believe what was about to happen next. After the encore of the Main Title from Star Wars, John Williams was brought on stage. He was situated right in front of me! I knew that I had to do something, and so I raised my fist to get a fist bump, and the rest is history. I got a fist bump from my greatest inspiration and hero. When I tell you that this concert experience will forever be my most cherished, I truly mean it with all sincerity. From the quality of the music to the beauty of the hall to the fist bump with the musical legend himself, this night will live on forever in my life. I'm so thankful to the lady next to me for capturing a great angle of the moment on video, and seeing people upload pictures and videos from elsewhere in the hall gives me goosebumps over and over again. It's hard to believe that I was sitting face to face with John Williams, and I am the luckiest person in the world to get to relive that moment over and over again through video!

Amazing concert. Looking forward to tomorrow and Saturday. Wonderful (and a bit sad) to see the Maestro in the audience and then on stage. I hope he enjoyed the adulation and being with the orchestra. His playfulness was evident even if his movements were restricted. He appeared happy. Or at least to be having a good time.

What about the music, you ask? Understandably, I am guilty of skipping the concert itself in previous posts with news of JW's live appearance. So, I thought I would finally post thoughts on that aspect. The Thu/Weekend of April 3 - 6 features 4 concerts of John Williams' music. April 3 and April 4 bring in Yo-Yo Ma performing the Cello Concerto written for him and revised in recent years. John Williams was initially listed as co-conducting Thursday alongside Gustavo Dudamel. He was moved to curator in recent month following his illnesses which was already his title for the other 3 concerts. Presumably, JW would have led the Cello Concerto and first half encore, and Dudamel would have led the 2nd half of mostly film music (the 1984 Olympic Music was the sole concert work in that part). I guess JW would have come back for encores. But it was not to be. Friday night's concert is similar to Thursday but in a one part concert with a shorter program and no intermission. I am attending that tonight. Thursday/Friday Sound the Bells Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (Thu Encore: Theme from Schindler's List for Cello. Fri: TBA) Olympic Fanfare and Theme (Thu only) Excerpts from Close Encounters 3 Piece from Indiana Jones Scherzo for Motorcycle Marion' Theme (Thu only) The Raiders March (Thu only) Princess Leia's Theme Adventures on Earth from ET (Thu Encores: Main Theme and Finale The Imperial March Fri Encores: TBA) Saturday and Sunday add Three Selections from Harry Potter, a 4 min Dear Basketball piece (which I think is WITHOUT picture - the program does not mention anything about it being live to picture), the Superman March, Theme from Jurassic Park, Out to Sea/Shark Cage from Jaws, and officially concludes with the Star Wars Theme and Finale that was Thursday's first encore. Sound the Bells and the Cello Concerto are not part of the Sat/Sun concerts, and the order is different which can be seen here. Saturday night and Sunday afternoon have no listed soloists. Location: The Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles CA. Background and setting aside, let's dive into how the whole concert on Thursday and how it sounded. In short, it was an amazing experience. My wife and I had never seen Yo-Yo Ma in person. Following the rousing but short Sound the Bells, the stage was reset to add a small riser for Mr. Ma to sit upon. We were sitting about 10 rows back, slight off center, and the seats in front of us were empty. So, we had a great view of his performance. Ma came out with Dudamel (who had retreated after the opening piece) with arms over each others' shoulders. They paused around the first violin trying to urge the other to go first to center stage. Ultimately, unable to negotiate this awkward but charming moment, they walked the remaining 15 feet together. The audience was enthusiastic in its reception of these great artists. Both were full of smiles. As the orchestra, soloists and maestro settled in for 30 mins of continuous music, Yo-Yo Ma turned serious. He closed his eyes and seemed to inwardly focus. He then gave a small visual indication to Dudamel that he was ready. The Cello Concerto features a wide range of styles from across Williams' works across his many decades. The first movement features a hummable theme that bounces around the orchestra and is played with and manipulated by the cello. There are lyrical moments, but the piece quickly moves to much more modern territory, particularly in the solos. It is angular at times and not always in an ear pleasing manner. The cello can sing but can also sting, and Ma attacked certain moments with urgent energy. Sharp bowing and aggressive fingering. Even in the sonorous Disney Hall, some of the most quiet moments were almost inaudible. I assume this is how the score notates the work. I felt like the music was being broken down from the jubilant opening to the quietist and sparsest of notes before emerging from this darkness back into the light. The joy of watching and hearing this live is focusing on each instrument as it plays. While I've heard this work many times, I've never had the same experience with it. The hall was so still during the dark moments as if the audience was holding its collective breathes. Yo-Yo Ma's intensity added to this experience. No smiles or relaxation were in evidence during the piece. Other great moments featured the cello and the timpani - no one like Williams combines instrumental colors in such unusual but interesting ways. At least not since someone like Bartók. It was all a kind of magic to my ear and eyes. The piece finishes with the opening theme returning but not exactly the same. The music has been changed by its journey to nothingness. Ma seemed impacted too. Even after releasing the very last note, he was still, eyes closed, bow frozen above his instrument for what seemed like 30 seconds. The audience politely held its appreciative standing ovation until he opened his eyes and told us all he was out of the work. His smile reemerged. At that point we were collectively made aware of John Williams being in the audience. The place went wild again, only exceeded when the Maestro joined Dudamel on the stage at the very end of the concert. However, between the Cello Concerto and that moment, we were treated to a lovely rendition of the Schindler's List theme arranged for Cello (and previously recorded by Ma on "A Gathering of Friends"), intermission, and 45 mins of more music. While the music in the 2nd half was comprised of well worn areas of the Williams' canon, the performances were first rate. The stand out two tracks for me were the Olympic Fanfare and the Raiders March. In particular, the Raiders March sounded amazing. I remarked to my wife that it felt like Disney Hall was constructed for that piece. At the end of the piece, every instrument is playing. Thats' a big tutti! Yet you could hear the instruments within this wall of sound, the brass remaining distinct (I have heard the Raiders March end up sounding muddled) and the strings, percussion, and woodwinds all lovely and distinct. Rousing beyond belief. That's not to say any of the pieces were really of lower quality than others. The principal flautist, oboist and harpist all had workouts in various pieces. Good horn playing was evident for Princess Leia. Trumpets led by Tom Hooten drove the brass. Every now and then, I felt a person came in a bit soft or perhaps not facing exactly the right way to the front to get enough sound forward. Just a few of those, and it will be interesting to see if there are similar moments on the subsequent concerts. So, it was not perfect but it was energetically performed and seemed enjoyable to conductor and orchestra to present to the crowd. Following the last listed piece (ET), the Star Wars Theme and Finale was presented after a long applause for Duadmel and Williams (still in his seat). Williams at this point made is his way out of the hall. As documented earlier in this post, he then reappeared on the stage to enjoy the best seat in the house for the robust Imperial March. For about half of this piece, Dudamel basically stood aside, I think hoping Williams would conduct from his wheelchair. And Williams did indeed make a few hand gestures from time to time. I felt Gustavo and John were sharing the moment tougher, us fortunate to be witness to it. Overall, a night of John Williams, led by Gustavo Dudamel and played by the Los Angeles Philharmonic is not going to disappoint. Quite more so, it is exhilarates and expresses joy in the energy and music.

PRESS RELEASE - WALT DISNEY PICTURE COMPANY, DISNEY+™ AND LUCASFILM LTD.™ (SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA) Back by immeasurable demand, Walt Disney Studios™, Bad Robot™, Lucasfilm Ltd.™ and JJ Abrams™ invite you to experience a newly remastered, ultra high-definition, 3D, HDR, high-frame rate 60FPS, Dolby Atmos edition of JJ Abrams' renowned reimagining of the Star Wars™ Original Trilogy™: The 4K Experience. First released in 2021, these newly constructed reimaginings of the original Star Wars™ trilogy were immediately beloved by fans the world over, correcting many of the flaws of the existing versions. And now, after several minutes of painstaking remastering from our state-of-the-art artificial intelligence algorithm, alongside a brand new Dolby Atmos soundtrack (supervised by the acclaimed audio mastering team who oversaw the Skeleton Crew™ OST and Star Wars Remastered Soundtracks™), John Williams' iconic music has never sounded better. At last, fans can experience the Star Wars™ Trilogy™ exactly as JJ Abrams always envisioned. Basic Edition available now for pre-order ($1,499 USD). Jedi Master Edition ($2,999 USD). Available exclusively at Celebration Japan in a limited edition 18 disc collection (discs 4-18 contain exclusive screensavers and desktop wallpapers). JWFAN EXCLUSIVE: Experience the meticulous ultra high-definition remastering in this exclusive clip from JJ Abrams' Star Wars™: Return of the Jedi™: The 4K Experience.

Hey gang— I wanted to share with you my new Substack, Behind the Moon, which will delve behind the scenes of my upcoming biography. Today's inaugural post goes into much more detail: https://behindthemoon.substack.com/p/welcome-behind-the-moon It's a free newsletter, basically, that may end up spawning a companion podcast and other media. (But if you want to throw a couple bucks into the hat every month, I would be very grateful!) I'll keep posting any big book updates here on the forum, but my Substack will be the main hub for announcements and exclusive treasures from here through September 2nd and beyond. (Oxford University Press recently moved the publication date by one day, to avoid the American Labor Day holiday.) And no, this is not an April Fool's Day prank! Tim

https://lalalandrecords.com/gladiator-25th-anniversary-remastered-expanded-limited-edition-3-cd-set/

Williams is here. Was just brought in via wheelchair and then was helped to his seat. But he’s in attendance.

Not yet, sorry! Hopefully I'll know more about such things before long. Another update—and a long story that directly involves his majesty: the book has a new cover.

Not a single second previously released isn't in this album. Apart from the awful techno remix "Maximus Mix" ! lol But did you want that ?

He came on stage for Imperial March at the end of the encore and sort of faux conducted bits from his chair with his hand and he had the most insane ovation. So much love for him in the room. Got some video I’ll try to upload when I get home but he was in such good spirits, motioning and insisting each section of the orchestra stand and be acknowledged.

Don’t tell Thor that composers don’t piece together their own albums, or he’ll have to change his whole worldview.

Disney and Deutsche Grammophon to Dump All Their John Williams Recordings on Public Server Labels say "We give up"; Fans rejoice; U.S. Government unexpectedly helpful April 1, 2025 — Burbank / Berlin In a joint statement issued today, The Walt Disney Company and classical music powerhouse Deutsche Grammophon announced what industry insiders are calling “the most generous surrender in modern soundtrack history”: all the John Williams recordings in their vaults will be made available on a public server. This unprecedented move comes after years—if not decades—of persistent fan requests, angry tweets, obsessive forum threads and open letters begging for complete, remastered, remixed, expanded, alternate and isolated editions of the Indiana Jones and Star Wars scores. “Look, we’re tired,” said a Disney spokesperson, audibly sipping a large cold brew. “We tried to make some nice cover art in the past, we gave you a few fancy LPs, we even put out the original soundtracks again with, like, new mastering or whatever? But no matter what we did, people still want more. We’re done. Take it. All of it. Do it yourselves and leave us alone.” No Musicians Were Paid in the Making of This Initiative In a surprise twist, the U.S. government has stepped in to aid the initiative, citing “a rare chance to make everyone happy”. Thanks to new legislation passed during an unnoticed clause in a tax reform bill, Disney are now legally allowed to disband the entire Los Angeles Musician’s Union and are no longer under any obligation to pay reuse fees for any release of any recording session. “We’re calling it the John Williams Exception,” the Disney spokesperson continued. “We realized this was the only way we’d ever get clean access. We expect court cases, of course, but we hope to sort those out by releasing another messed-up Alan Menken expansion or by brick-walling The Lion King some more. We’re feeling really good about this.” A Germanic Disgrace Deutsche Grammophon, meanwhile, added that they “aren’t emotionally or spiritually prepared” to release John Williams in Vienna II in any physical format whatsoever. “We know the concert was recorded. We were there, we even asked for the recording,” a DG executive confirmed. “We have the audio. But we just don’t feel like releasing it. We have our reasons. Very German reasons. We could have put it on Stage Plus or kept releasing it in singles, but we’re just not gonna.” Asked to elaborate, the executive changed the subject and muttered that everything would be available on the brand new server now. Whether or not DG has the right to release any audio or video from the Milan concert is anyone’s guess, but it will be put on the new server anyway, just in case. Mike Matessino Saves the Day, as Always Initially, both companies intended to just zip the folders, throw them on the internet and walk away. However, legendary soundtrack producer and restoration master Mike Matessino intervened. “I couldn’t let it happen,” he said, stepping out of a climate-controlled archive full of meticulously labelled DAT tapes. “I mean, they were about to upload raw data, a pile of files named ‘final_mix_4_USE_THIS.wav’ and ‘final_version2_EDITED.wav.’ No track titles, no structure, no recreated performance edits. Chaos.” Though Disney and DG were initially reluctant to involve Matessino—“he’s yet another person we’d have to pay!” complained a Disney intern—John Williams himself stepped in. “Pay the man,” he reportedly said, his vanity clearly bruised. “Or don’t. Just give him control. But not of the source music.” Legal representatives confirm Matessino has now agreed to oversee the entire project, ensuring that every cue will be future-proofed and presented properly. Whether he will ever see a single dollar in exchange for this time-consuming endeavour remains to be seen, as Disney’s budgeting department is currently very busy calculating the costs for five additional Star Wars series and two extra feature films nobody really seems to want at this point in time. Fortunately, he, at least, understands that there are bigger and more important things than money in this world, like culture, and he will start working next week. The server will be free to access by anyone who can type “May the Force be with you” and answer a few questions only true hard-core Williams fans will know. “We’re not giving anything away just yet,” Disney said, “but Williams’ first reaction after seeing Schindler’s List might come up.” Exactly when this new server will be up and running remains a mystery: Disney will first need approval from the device’s manufacturers, the builders responsible for the construction of the server room and Italian shoppers who spotted the Attack of the Clones soundtrack on its eleventh afternoon in stores. DG’s marketing team, meanwhile, are setting most of their time aside for Max Richter’s recomposed Handel’s Water Music on period instruments, which will be available on SACD, but not digitally, because. “Give it time,” Disney told us. “A couple of decades should do it.” Asked whether fans would eventually be able to buy Music by John Williams on Blu-Ray or DVD, the spokesperson stormed out, although we were able to spot designs for the vinyl cover art before security arrived.

Make sense. And might I add that I think it's FANTASTIC how engaged you are with these threads? Really makes this whole experience very special.

Some photos I took of the maestro. And some others!

He came on stage again tonight after the sole encore - Star Wars Main Theme and Finale.

I was there last night and also at the Miami concert recently. I flew 5 hr non-stop from Fort Lauderdale yesterday morning. Loved every minute of the concert. John stood up a couple of times to acknowledge the crowd, from his seat, 3rd row from stage (facing the orchestra). You can see this in my pictures below. I originally planned on going to tonight’s show as well (April 4) and have a ticket that I want to give away. Free to a good person who would absolutely love to go, is in or near Los Angeles, and promises to use it. I only have one. It’s a great seat. We don’t have to meet. I can send a transfer link from La Phil.

“Tim Greiving takes us on a fascinating and insightful journey into the brilliant mind of composer John Williams. Fantastic! I could not put it down." -- Howard Shore, Composer "John Williams defines the word inspiration. Almost every young composer I meet says that John was their inspiration for wanting to compose (including my own son!). I am personally inspired by how incredibly generous, supportive, and kind he is as a human being. It's rare to know someone so successful with such genuine humility and compassion. I think the world of John." -- Marin Alsop, Internationally renowned conductor "Readers be aware, the deep love for music on the following pages is highly contagious!" -- Hildur Gudnadóttir, Composer and musician "John Williams' music was essentially the soundtrack for my entire childhood, and I'll never forget meeting him for the first time at President Obama's inauguration in 2009. To record and perform his piece, Air and Simple Gifts, with Yo-Yo Ma, Gabriela Montero, and Itzhak Perlman was one of the greatest moments of my life. He has given all of us the gift of perfect storytelling through music. It is fantastic to see his amazing story told to the world." -- Anthony McGill, Principal Clarinet, New York Philharmonic and internationally acclaimed Clarinet Soloist "Captivatingly written, Greiving's book understands deeply the power, the art and the humanity of John William's music. From his beginnings and musical heritage, this is a fascinating walk-through of William's life and his musical influences. Steeped in interesting detail of the musical era and the beginnings of film music right through to current times, the book is especially luminous when Greiving pauses, steps back and comments on William's music and his person. Greiving knows his subject well and has painstakingly immersed himself in understanding William's work, writing engagingly, while enlightening the reader with deep insights into the man himself." -- Rachel Portman, Film composer

Dudamel acknowledged him (not verbally) after Yo Yo Ma was done and there was a lengthy ovation for John. He can’t stand unassisted it seems but from where I sit, he seemed to be in great spirits and was helped to his feet to acknowledge the audience and eventually motioned for everyone to sit down. So happy to see him here.

Well, not content to sit and wonder, I inquired about the status of the concerts, and this is the answer I received: Our concert planning department is of course in close contact with John Williams and his agency. As a result of this close communication, we have already arranged for him to share the conducting of his works with Stéphane Denève, who will conduct the first half of the concert (the information about this has been published here since before the advance booking date for the concerts). As it is a great wish of John Williams to take part in all three concerts in June, we are of course doing our best to make his performance in June possible. Please note that, in case Mr. Williams will be unable to conduct at all, Mr. Denève will take over the conducting of the entire concert, so the concerts won't be cancelled. In accordance with our terms of use, this would not entitle a return of tickets. It's somewhat reassuring. But yes, it's definite that the show will go on in Williams' absence.

Came across this and thought it was pretty cool! Has anybody ever seen anything similar for other scores? https://www.twitter.com/GoSoundtracks/status/905358343132258304 UPDATE: These are by Santiago Barx and available to purchase at https://www.santiagobarx.com/scoremaps/

Watch this latest (and very interesting) interview with Batu Sener to get clarification of how his collaboration creating additional music for John Powell really is This might be more apt to be posted in Batu Sener's own thread, but this is also good to be posted here as it gives clarification of this additional music process for Powell,... ...especially for those who believe additional music credit in Powell's score means that particular cue is fully written by Sener. And, based on this interview, it's never like that, and in fact it's more restricted So in summation, this is Sener's full working process creating additional music for Powell: 1. So John Powell wrote all of the tunes; the basic version of it. Then Sener and him brainstormed together to create various thematic arrangement from that very basic sketch. Sener said this is purely an internal process before presenting to director, to see together whether the tunes truly work or not 2. Then Sener explained there usually three approaches for this additional music process. > The first approach, they would sit and talk about a scene. And Powell says something to Sener like "see what you can come up with". And Sener then using only all the material that John Powell has created and maybe some of the arrangements that they've done before, and extend it or shorten it, whatever needed > The second approach, Powell would sometimes do a full complete map of the cue just on the piano; basically all is figured out, the tempo etc, but that's all purely done on the piano. And then Sener would take that and orchestrate it in the computer. > The third approach, Powell would sit and do like an eight bars or 16 bars completely flashed out, orchestrated, absolutely finished section of the cue and he says something like this to Sener; "you have to sit and continue", usually it's an action cue that takes so much time and too many Midi notes to program. Powell already has the basic idea and he tells Sener to, for example, "continue carry this for another 50 seconds and then keep it interesting and continuing" that sort of thing 3. But even after all of that process and Sener has delivered his tasks, John Powell would still listen to them and fix stuff, change stuff, whatever he wants to do it, before finally it can be presented to director and producers I hope this gives clarification to all of this 'additional music' debacle, at least for John Powell's scores

John Williams would despise this. Be ashamed.

Call me crazy, but I wish John Williams would do exactly whatever the fuck John Williams wants to do, up to and including conducting and traveling.

I ordered this. Really gonna miss that dialog though.

This might be silly, but could Desplat/his management have requested his involvement not be announced until everything was done and dusted? He's had three incredibly high-profile 'firings' (Rogue One, Black Widow and Barbie) and I would speculate his management were wary of him getting a reputation for it.

So, three films got me into scores, back in 2000/2001. All are now expanded Took just four years for the first, 17 years for the second, and 24 for the last one!

The expanded scores of the 9 Star Wars movies, presented as WE want them, don't need to be sold exclusively in one big box set. And here, I don't even want to consider an even bigger box set that includes scores not composed by Williams... let's be serious. Please consider that these scores were composed over a span of, what… 42 years? Three trilogies, each representing a distinct era... Perhaps it would make sense to release three separate box sets... or, just one expanded edition per movie. By releasing them individually, people could choose which expansions interest them. Over 42 years, there are now several types of Star Wars fans... We have to respect that. A single massive box set, like the Superman one from a few years ago, probably encouraged piracy more than anything else (and it was just 8 CDs!). I doubt it sold very well… just my thoughts...

Well he always told me "the albums are for the fans", and well, I'm a fan, so I have an idea what fans might want ! I always consider his initial albums to be "his take" on those scores. But make no mistake he rarely compiles even his OSTs. He'll definitely won't sit down and go through 2 or 3 hours of an expanded release, even though I like to send him some cues for feedback (on mastering, or remixing if need be) and he's always helpful. If he has a problem with anything, he knows he can tell me. But usually the only concern he tells me is... "Is it any good ?" and he trusts me to not fuck it up ! The score was recorded at Air Studios, Lyndhurst Hall. I believe since the orchestra had no name, they used the place's name !

Can I plead the Fifth ?

I’m not singling out Yavar, however his remarks about the second half of the score are mind-bogglingly pervasive among many in the community. I don’t get it. Don’t you want to hear the thrilling Superman theme in action? Even before that, there’s genius vintage Williams sneaking music and military music in the Missile Convoy sequences. And the devilish Villians theme snarling on trombone as Lex leaves Superman to die in the pool. All of the other great stuff has been leading up to hearing some awesome rolling thunder and triumphant trumpet licks in Chasing Rockets (which I’ve always considered a close cousin of Star Wars’ “Last Battle”) There’s the gripping superfeats music of the Golden Gate Bridge sequence, pulsing forward with rapid tempi. There’s the noble B theme of Pushing Boulders, a rare theme used in the scores at all. I like the anppealing interplay of the Love Theme and Fanfare in the resolution of Turning Back the World as Superman flies away. Don’t you love the satisfying landing music as they touch the ground in Prison Yard? I’ve heard so many people bored with the second half of the score, and I just can’t fathom it, because it is more “SU-PER-MAN” than the first. And that’s what the kid in me came for. End rant.

Yeah I mean I have no problem discussing albums once they come out, but for sure I won't jinx whatever I'm doing at the moment ! All I can tell you is that I'm extremely busy ! The year is far from over !

I mean exactly that, like it was done in the 2000 album. If you ask me, initially I would have kept Elysium / Honor Him / Now We Are Free as one big 8 min track lol. But can we do that to a track as popular as Now We Are Free ? And legal reasons also explained why we went this way. Remember that all of those tracks have 2 studios owning them, so have to be careful & smart how to present them ! Not even to mention cue credits & publishing ! It really depends on the scores I believe. For the most part I agree with you (and how I presented The Rock or Backdraft, or League prove this). But on some occasions, it works really well that way.

While not exactly the right thread to post for tonight’s concert since Yo-Yo is not here, but I am happy to report that the Maestro is here again! 3 for 3!

I don’t know if it’s appropriate to start a thread yet but I was able to confirm that John Williams is scoring this movie. Have no clue whether he started to work on it yet but really praying his health allows him to complete the project. (Not an April fools joke)

At least Desplat is realistic about the realities of Hollywood: "John Williams' wings are flying above us, so I do hope Spielberg enjoys the score. We'll see. Maybe I'll be fired! You never know."

Of all the Star Wars movies that have been announced, this is definitely the most recent.

Always look forward to learning the title of the next cancelled Star Wars project.

Fixed.

One thing I wanted to explain, don't bother too much about the label "film version" on some tracks. You might think "why is there a film version and no other version ?", but it's just a technicality to differentiate the tracks with the previously released ones (meaning they are not exactly the same, either longer unedited, or not crossfaded etc.). It doesn't mean they are alternates. Like for instance Patricide was crossfaded in 2000 (they even made a tiny bridge of the string section that last a few seconds longer) while it's not the case here...

Now this is a HUGE release! All JWFans on deck! I LOVE how this one is laid out... no doubts that 3 discs were really needed. No OST included, and no dialogue versions. Entire main score plays out in order across 2 discs. And the third disc with tons more material, with the most interesting stuff first, then all the rest at the end if you still want more. These are CDs that I'll actually want to put in my CD player and just listen straight through. Kudos!!

Not so long actually. I mean I got the composers on board almost 2 years ago but we knew from the start that with Gladiator 2 it couldn't happen, even though Paramount was always in. Once Gladiator 2 was out, we actually started working. That gives you the time it took, which isn't amazingly long.

Ok. Let's serious for a minute. A couple of years ago, I had a birthday with a "0" in it. At that time, I felt a great sense of achievement, first that I'd made it that far, and second because somehow it allowed me to think what I think, and to do what I do. I had permission to be me. The downside of that is, that I have been thinking about my own mortality ever since. I reckon that I have around 10 more years before I shuffle off this mortal coil, maybe a bit less. I'm grateful for every experience I've had (even the ones I didn't like), and I've learned to assimilate them into "my life", and to look back and to create some sort of cohesive whole. Most of it makes sense, and some of it doesn't, but that doesn't really matter. What matters is, I've enjoyed myself. As to "will I ever hear expanded Star Wars Prequel soundtracks", the honest answer is: "I don't know, and I don't know who will ". I'm not going to say: "I don't care", because I do. I want to hear the complete scores, but if I don't, then I don't. What I do know, is that I am grateful for what there is, out there, expanded or not. The question asked in this thread, I leave for a younger generation, one that will have a true chance to appreciate the expanded releases, if they happen. At this time, I'm more than happy with what I have.

I thought the fist bump was cute! Williams did that at one of his Europe concerts too from memory. If he wasn't comfortable with it, he wouldn't have reciprocated. Simple as that.

He seems to be in great spirits and that is more important than mobility, at least for me.

"After a long hiatus, the Maestro is reborn with this vibrant panoramic music composed by John Williams himself and adapted by William Ross, building upon the well-known themes from Steven Spielberg's "Jurassic Park" and "Lost World". This score promises to become a cornerstone of the soundtrack of our lives." To be released on May 4th 2025 on Disney Music Emporium https://www.disneymusicemporium.com/product/XVLP306/star-wars-lofi-music-from-vol13?cp=81712_115236_81750 Source: Free download of Main Theme here: