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I just published a podcast interview with session pianist Ralph Grierson, who performed on many John's scores in LA: https://thelegacyofjohnwilliams.com/2020/08/26/ralph-grierson-podcast He also talks about the use of piano in JW scores.

I don't believe every score is good enough for expansion but I would never begrudge someone that. Go nuts.

I guess there's a reason we've got two of each!

I think MV said they were trying to make a few anniversaries too, so that's a factor. The Patriot would fall into that category (20th Anniversary).

It's a wonderful colour for the orchestra, especially when doubling harp flourishes or low percussive strings. I use it quite a bit for the latter in my own compositions, the low registers of the piano have a great growling timbre when played at a loud dynamic (for JW examples see The Hunt, Battle of Hoth, Ultimate War, Shark Cage Fugue etc).

Fascinating to think about that. It’s hard for me to see the piano as an accompaniment instrument, considering how it’s been in the soloist limelight for centuries... Piano reductions aren’t the topic here. Just sayin’.

I believe the vast majority of his concert works call for piano. They're usually used for added instrumental color, mostly for the woodwind, harp or percussion lines. The piano is usually placed at the back of the orchestra with the rest of the percussion. And yes, The Imperial March Signature Edition score does call for a piano (alternating with a Celeste).

https://www.universal-music.de/john-williams/news/pressetext-john-williams-in-vienna-eine-internationale-erfolgsgeschichte-deen-259939 I felt this would happen. The empty stocks and re-issues were a clear give-away. Good for everyone. "Highest chart entry for a Vienna Philharmonic album in recent years"? Holy smoke... Now, about that Max Steiner award...

https://www.universal-music.de/john-williams/news/pressetext-john-williams-in-vienna-eine-internationale-erfolgsgeschichte-deen-259939

I apologize, but this is just such a purposely obtuse take. If you're openly admitting that you only care about what is presented to you, how can you not see why someone would want the music they hear in the film they watched. People actually do care about the music in the film, because this isn't the Beatles creating a concept album, it's a film score that needs to work for someone else's vision. They go hand in hand, and to deny that is not being fair to the discussion. If anything the complete score is arguably more conceptual than an OST that's under 80 minutes. I just don't get it.

Yes. I don't usually listen to expanded releases, but I deal with them in at least two circumstances: One is when I occasionally get a promo. I quickly "scroll" through the tracks, skipping along, just so I can say I have "heard it", perhaps for review purposes or something. Then delete it. The other is when I deal with releases that are presented more or less C&C from the get-go, without any previous OST. Without a proper album, making a playlist is the second best option. You'll find a list of some 'whittling/playlist projects' of mine in this thread. No, not really. I never use the film as a frame-of-reference for my soundtrack listening. All I care about is what I have in front of me, so to speak. I've never cared about what's missing or not, and am usually even unaware of such things. While the whole expansion preference is 'alien' to me, I'm very curious about how fans approach it and "use it" in their everyday life once they've acquired it. And - desperately trying to move this back on-topic now - my assumption before I created this poll was that most people listened to expanded releases in a piecemeal fashion. But so far, the 'start-to-finish' crowd has it!

Not weird at all. They are all excellent presentations. A great ost doesn't obviate an expansion !

You love it, you make time for it.

We used the only approved poster art WB will approve. If you notice the covers people are not happy the most with are in the same boat. Here are two more clips from WWW: Washington: https://082620club.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/08.mp3 Knife Guy: https://082620club.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/35.mp3 Check them out.

I don't really think of myself as an 'Expansion fan', more so I prefer to have the ALL the music that is in the film on a CD (or 2) Similar to how some believe the OSTs are the best listening experience, it could easily be said that ALL the music in the film equates to the best listening experience. I'm not saying that an OST can't have a better listening experience than a C&C, I'm saying it always depends. Listening experience is purely subjective, and should not be a reason why C&C's are frowned upon. Take the Temple of Doom OST, you're really going to tell me thats your preferred listening experience over the Concord version (technical issues aside?). If so, then I don't think you can ever be convinced. Let's face it, if CD's could hold 200+ minutes of music, and musician fees, ect. were not an issue, people like Thor probably would have never shunned Expansions, because the only thing we would be accustomed to is ALL of the music in the film. The C&C would be the OST. I'm obviously disregarding the people that want alternates and edited versions of cues, upset with wanting all of those on an expansion is another thing altogether. Where do we draw the line with what cues should and should not be left off these cds? Simple rule that gets best of both worlds is to produce cds that contain all of the film music. In regards to the poll, I chose 'It varies, but most often start to finish' If it's a score I'm well aware of, and really interested in the missing cues, I'll go straight to those cues. If it's a score I'm not too familiar with, I let it rip from start to finish.

My precious at last!

It took me eleven years.

Shit score to an even shittier film.

They are Gold Lynels. With regenerating HP.

I will never understand how some people don't have room for both the orchestral stuff and the more minimalist scores.

I cannot disagree more. Considering Manhattan fought for America in the Vietnam War, there is no way he would be considered not-American and enough of an external threat to unite the world. The space squid is important because it has no nationalism associated with it at all, it is an enigma, and could therefore shock the world into working together for a time. Manhattan would have been looked at as an extension of America and so it wouldn't work. The change doesn't hold up to logic. He's certainly powerful enough, and you could argue the attack on American soil would help sway those opinions, but there is no way someone wouldn't think it was part of some American conspiracy to control things. Alan Moore doesn't make those kinds of mistakes. His stories should never be adapted for the screen. They are designed to take apart what comics are. By their very nature, they are subverting a different medium, so they do not transfer well at all, or ever.

I think building Tarrey Town is my favorite side quest... in any video game, ever Everything about it tickled my pleasure centers. I love how it stems off another great sidequest (building your house), with the one guy wanting to leave the company and set out on his own. How you find the location as this amazing circular peninsula with great scenery all around. How every time you bring him more wood and more people to help, the village grows and grows and gets filled with more and more NPCs, some of whom can eventually give you their own sidequests. How it was relatively easy, but still had some challenge to it; Like because of this quest I realized I could farm wood for free by using bombs. And when you have to seek out people with names ending in "son" (I wonder how this goes in the Japanese version BTW), some are obvious (like, I remembered a bird in Rito who talked about wanting to open his own shop), and some you have no idea who it could be and have to go figure it out (for the Gerudo one I must have gone to the city 6 times looking for a -son and never seeing one, before randomly ending up back in the oasis place and finally finding the right one). And really, how you're just helping out making something great happen. When most quests are of the "go kill this thing and come back" or "go fetch this thing and come back", this was a great change. And finally how it all tops off with a wedding, was just a great ending. The whole quest was great! But what really kicks it up a notch, an elevates it from just great to an all time great, is THE MUSIC. In general, I like the minimalist and non-thematic idea they went with for the music in the game, I think it was the right choice. It ties in nicely with the general "you can do anything you want in any order, we don't tell you what do do" nature of the game, and was a nice change of pace from the history of the series. And the nice thing about a general lack of music, or minimalist music when there is some, is when more traditional music is used, it REALLY stands out more. Like the Hyrule Castle music we were discussing the other day... and like this quest! I love how they came up with this great, long-lined, emotional theme for this town, it's brilliant. And even better, I love how it starts with the base level of somewhat minimal instrumentation, but then as each new member joins the town, the instrumentation gets richer and richer (bringing in elements from their region). But even better is when you find the right person in the world and send them on their way, the cutscene when they head out for their new destiny is scored with the theme too... and then the final wedding is yet another new variant of theme with completely different instrumentation. A++++!

If I have purchased the expansion then I already have an intimate knowledge of the score beforehand and so I'll know which are the more boring parts to skip.

They're all the same song

I listen to the main program, from start to finish. The bonus tracks are bonuses. I listen to them once in a blue moon I don't think any of your poll options really reflect this.

But I never listen to additional or bonus tracks, I set them apart. After the end credits, if music continue to play I go mad.

Is it the last Goldsmith? It's fun and various! I have the feeling that there are intented references to some old scores of Goldsmith (I noticed the Gremlins rag).

I mean, I watched the first half of this review and he even had me coming around to the idea of making the effort to watch it sometime: But then in the second half he put me right off it again. I'm not a fan of flashy technical exercise movies. Which in my view is Nolan's chief motivation as a filmmaker, and the main reason why I could never get onboard the Nolan hype train. All I see is gloss and veneer.

I don't remember that. Then again, I don't follow Snyder's every move on twitter. I'm not into comic books but maybe he's popular amongst DC fans? Don't forget, DC fans are less into godlike heroes.

It also has plenty of issues with slow tempi and weird tempo changes.

Grinch had a cd release a few months after the movie came out.

It's not unusual in "newer" music to have the piano as just another instrument of the orchestra. Or I guess not even with less "newer" music. It wasn't common in the concert hall (as far as I'm aware), but opera has used the harpsichord as a standard instrument right from the beginning. I'm currently ripping a Blu-ray of Richard Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos which features a harmonium, a celesta, and a piano (in an orchestra of just about 40 instruments altogether). Even more fun stuff happens when the piano is used more as a percussion instrument than for melody or harmony. The Hunt from The Lost World is awesome in that way.

This is a very cool podcast series. Very engaging and enjoyable. Congratulations.

Speaking of ESB concert suites where you might not expect it, The Asteroid Field also has a piano. Do you mean for album recordings, or also for live concerts? Because whenever I say an "orchestral" piano on stage, it's usually at the front of the orchestra, to the very left (next to the rear violins). For practical reasons if nothing else, I expect, since you can't easily move a concert grand to the elevated sections of the podium. It was in that location for the Williams in Vienna concerts, too.

So? You didn't ask to vote on the concert and it was at the concert that they messed it up. It's really sad to see so many people love everything as long as JW is conducting.

From what I know about Hook, and the bits and pieces I've seen, I think it's just as well to use your imagination while listening to the score.

I've waited for Hook for 4 years. Does that count?

From Powell, I'd love an expanded El Dorado and Evolution.

Perhaps Paul McCartney should persuade John Williams to arrange some Beatles songs for the VPO with Amp-Sophie Mutter?

King of Kings (Tadlow re-recording) by Miklós Rózsa: My first actual listen to this Rózsa epic and I have to say I love it. While I would have preferred a bit more spacious recording, I understand James Fitzpatrick's philosophy of making the mix and recording a bit drier and crisper in recording studio style rather than a concert hall in the same vein as he did with El Cid both to mimic the original studio conditions and to bring out all the details he wanted. And details there are in abundance and I have to take a listen or ten to delve into the intricacies of this sprawling grand soundscape and its melodies although I have to say that The Lord's Prayer theme s among my top 5 Rózsa pieces ever. While I might place this behind Ben-Hur, Quo Vadis and El Cid among the composer's epic film scores, this is another winner from Tadlow, Fitzpatrick, the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus and the conductor Nic Raine.

The Chamber of Secrets AINEC Fawkes is a great theme, and the concert arrangement is fine, nothing wrong with it, but I like the way the theme is integrated into film cues more than this particular arrangement, which gets a bit more flighty then the film ever called for. That's interesting, but not my cup of tea necessarily. Dobby The House Elf is a perfectly fine theme for the character, and works well in the film, but the concert arrangement doesn't really take it in any new places or say much about the character that the film cues don't. The Chamber theme is wonderful, a great new addition to the series' bed of themes. The way the theme is worked into various cues are among my absolute favorite parts of the score, and to this day I will never understand why JW didn't include those cues on the OST album. The concert arrangement is also just aces. Takes the small theme and explodes it into grandiose proportions in a really cool way. I love it.

Why does the Hollywood one look so shit but the DeepFake one look so good? Are digital production houses trying to justify their existence by making it more complicated? Are they a bunch of luddites?

These Hollyweird clowns know they're losing.

RAIDERS Call me crazy but my favorite parts of the score are the first three cues, before the Indy theme even appears. It contains some of JW most inventive and exotic orchestration. No real themes, but totally gripping!

Dune did the desert planet trope way before Star Wars

I think he's a she, and I think she's a changeling.