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Hi! Some of you may know that Eddie Karam was Williams's trusty orchestrator for a long time. Karam gave a talk in 2013 for The Academy of Scoring Arts where he discussed his life in music, his work with various composers (Williams, Mandel, Horner, etc.), and gave some very funny anecdotes. I don't think a thread about this video has been made before, so here are the comments he made regarding Williams. Meeting John Williams: Orchestrating Williams's music: Dividing work between himself and Conrad Pope: "Crystal Skull" story

That 14-minute standing ovation at the end. John Williams has left the building, the orchestra is gone, the lights are dimmed, but half of the remaining seats are clapping like crazy. I've never experienced anything like this in my life.

Hi, just signed up here after reading for years. I attented the concert on Thursday and I was (again) totally overwhelmed. I am not sure yet how it compares to Vienna (where I saw the first performance) - maybe the program was a bit more diverse in Vienna - but I was absolutely stunned by the mutual love and affection between the orchestra and the maestro. I thought the orchestra really responded very well and felt far more comfortable with the music than the Vienna Phil in their first round. The brass and the strings came really together wonderfully and even a piece like Olympic Fanfare which I liked but never loved up to this point gave me chills. As a regular visitor of the Berlin Philharmonic I noticed that there were several very young members of the orchestra there as well (first oboist). And the first violinist was different in this session than in the last concert with Petrenko as well.

Longest applause ever!

I know, but they are all dead.

Here's the standing ovation from the second concert. John also received flowers:

Guys, that applause at the end... I don't go much to concert halls, but I've never seen something like that. I noticed on Thursday that the applause went on for 10 or 20 seconds longer than usual after the musiciens started packing, but tonight it just didn't stop. A good measure of our love and appreciation for that man. I nearly believed he would return ! And he will, next year !

Perhaps they'll film mask free audience reactions during the pickup sessions.

This has been truly one of the most special experiences of my entire life. It almost felt surreal... The orchestra were outstanding and John Williams was smiling, enjoying and really invested in directing. That final applause... when the pace of the applause changed all together was really magical. I will never forget this evening, I am having dinner while smiling.

Seeing JW live was such a surreal experience. The orchestra, the sound, the conducting, were all amazing. I welled up multiple times. Stayed until the end of the applause, and we could have gone on for a lot longer!

Bet he’s already in the hotel alseep

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has it been posted before? Here you can listen to Saturday's concert. https://www.rbb-online.de/rbbkultur/radio/programm/schema/sendungen/berliner_philharmoniker/archiv/20211016_2000.html Hedwig's Theme was my fav. Today and on thursday.

Thursday was my 7th time seeing JW in concert (my first time seeing him in Europe) and there was something extra special about it. Probably a combination of John's talkative and relaxed demeanor, the musicians occasionally smiling at each other while performing, and the audience obviously being utterly delighted that JW was in their city.

Okay, here we go. I wanted to review the concert immediately, but family came first, which in this case meant a Breaking Bad episode. Half of the notes I made during the concert don’t make sense to me anymore as they’re all in caps lock and full of typos, so this might just end up being a random rant. We’ll see. I don’t care. The orchestra was just fantastic. I loved the trumpets and the prominent percussion in the mix. I loved the woodwinds. The flutes were so moving. I loved the way they were almost… afraid to overdo notes and were so gentle with them. I loved The way they executed their scales so beautifully. I loved the strings and their truly flawless rendition of Hedwig’s theme and their stunning transition from Quidditch to Harry’s theme in HWW. I loved the harp transforming Harry’s Wondrous World into the gateway to Hogwarts itself. I loved the prominent low notes in the Adventures of Han, even if it might have been a little slow. I loved everything. And then there was the joy. There was so much palpable joy every single minute. I don’t want to start bashing Vienna immediately – well, I do, really – but maybe that was the most striking difference between the two concerts. Vienna sounded like a chore. Like a group of good musicians who suddenly realised they were going to have to play notes – together, even! – and who tried to make the best of an awkward situation. This orchestra played on an LSO level, they spoke one language to each other, the language of music, and they had a blast while doing it. Yes, there were some flubs, notably in the percussion, but the Berlin people made mistakes while being wrapped up in the pieces while Vienna was discovering the music as they were playing it. (WHAT HAPPENED IN VIENNA?) Also, did anyone else listening to RBB Kultur notice a particularly weird thing going on where the sound would continually become sharp and muffled, as if someone was constantly adjusting something, or are my headphones broken already? (Please let them not be broken, they cost €150 and I only got them last year.) It was especially prevalent during the applause and there was occasional crackling on the left channel too. Then, there was JW himself. Was he tired from Star Wars in Vienna? My God, he was great today. What I loved the most is how he took so much time introducing so many of his pieces and, even more importantly perhaps, how he seemed to love the audience as much as they loved him. He was so relaxed and lively and happy. If they release… no, sorry, WHEN they release! – this concert, hopefully in one proper edition this time, they absolutely have to include everything he said. It made it all even more special. Why did he say ‘thank you, that’s fine’ when the audience clapped as he mentioned Harry Potter, though? Speaking of speeches, is it only me who never ever needs a radio presenter during live concerts? I can understand what JW is saying in English, thank you very much, and no, I don’t need you to remind me 500 times that this is the Berlin Philharmonic playing, just describe what’s happening in the venue and otherwise just shut up. Also, she would not stop repeating how young the audience was. Well, if they want more young people, I would say the way is clear for this orchestra. I don’t need LSO re-recordings that badly anymore either, these musical wizards will do just fine. Are you reading this, Simon Rattle and Riccardo Muti? Then, Far and Away came. Is it me, or did JW shorten a section (the string bit that leads the love theme from C major to E major), which, again, was played just perfectly? Also a note about the program in general. I loved this one much, much more than Vienna. (No,, I’m not dropping this!) Even though Anne-Sophie Mutter was undoubtedly the best performer in that concert, I didn’t need all the arrangements on that occasion. They’re a fine curiosity and she’s a marvellous musician who was on fire back then, but they shouldn’t have been included in the Maestro’s first concert in Europe since ages. This program was the way to go and, God, was I moved by the elegy for orchestra. I don’t particularly like the repetition of themes, like Nimbus 2000 and Marion in multiple pieces, and I might even say that I didn’t miss Leia as an encore either for that reason. (If the orchestra’s management ever reads this, please note I obviously do want it on the commercial release as it is your duty and my wallet’s wish to preserve every second of this blissful evening.) I am so grateful this concert could go ahead. I am glad that John Williams finally got the European concert and recognition he deserved. Glad he is still around after covid. Glad I am not interested in Indy 5. Glad Vienna was not the end of his adventure on our continent. Glad the orchestra exceeded all my expectations. Glad they made the end of this year even more special than it already is for me. Thank you, Berliner Philharmoniker, for a truly glorious evening. Thank you. Bring on the CDs and more re-recordings. And Vienna, stick to Strauss waltzes and whatever other crap you keep playing at that new year’s thing, will you?

What a night. First row, and I talked to Anne-Sophie Mutter during the break! She was just there in the lobby chatting with another woman. I thanked her for everything she’s doing and told her that the Vienna concert changed my life - she replied that it changed her as well, haha. It was really hard to resist taking out my phone and taking a photo at the very end, but I was able to resist, as no one else was doing it either.

AMAZING SHOW! Here is where I was sitting:

I slapped my wrist to the point of pain. But it was a wonderful evening. Just saw him walk out. We sang Raiders March, he listened and gave us a quick wave. Magical.

Simple incredible!! I just saw the video, you were great! In general I think that we all as an audience managed to convey to him in all the evenings our affection and our joy. And it seems to me that without any doubt JW realized this. it's me that must thank you @GlastoEls for being (even with a little patience and you know why...) my companion in one of the most memorable experiences of my life!

(If anyone would like to hear the whole video, he can send me a Pm.)

That final applause lasted 13:45

Holy shit. It's a cult!!

Amazing seat today 🤩

Damn this simultaneous releases are getting worse and worse for the people who try to bring those stories to the big screen...

Did he scream, "please let Mike expand Star Wars!" as the guard escorted him out?

Why are Frenchmen so reluctant to speak English? You have a lovely accent!

I must make my next purchases on Discogs with better attention, I accidentally bought Innerspace's LP instead of CD.

Of the Star Wars sequels, The Last Jedi proved the most faithful to John Williams' intended score, with one major exception: the opening Escape sequence. After Williams recorded the score's first 8 cues, Rian Johnson restructured the entire sequence, forcing deep music edits to match the revised opening. Sadly Williams followed suit on his OST, presenting a heavily truncated suite of these cues in Main Title and Escape. Now, with the aid of sheet music and mockups, I've reconstructed the film's opening sequence, reintegrating deleted footage where available, and restored Williams' complete score to its intended glory. In my opinion, the best continuous stretch of film scoring in the trilogy. Enjoy! Williams' ability to ratchet up musical tension is simply unrivaled, paired with a climactic release to make the hair on your neck stand up. A shame neither the film nor soundtrack presented Williams' complete intended score; this had every potential of being the greatest opening track of any Star Wars soundtrack, period. Alas, the wait continues for expanded releases that showcase the Maestro's complete musical vision. Special shout out to @BrotherSound and another anonymous user for their help!

My friend and I straight out cried several times doing this last concert. We shortly afterwards agreed that this was the greatest experience of our lives. Guys, let’s meet up in Milano next year. This experience is insane!!! Edit: I am slightly drunk now and I also was drunk typing that message, but I’d love for someone to share this experience with in the future. It’s euphoric!

Pure magic. Thursday and Saturday for me, the time of my life, honestly! Thank you to @Hugo and Boris for being my companions on the way!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CVGj7Zxg1J-/

Amazing!!!!!!!

The final applause was nuts. How wonderful to have been part of it!

The response from the audience has been incredible indeed. Terrific concerts!

They all deserved it!

Pretty epic. Would be nice if JW came back to mingle with the faithful

Body guard getting a good applause there

I always thought of Eddie Karam as a bit of an enigma. I could never really find much information about him online, and not even a single photo of him! Some pretty cool insights into how JW scores go about being orchestrated here!

This concert is awesome. Having a blast watching all this LIVE from Karachi. We are moving through History guys!!! P. S. Saw him whisper "Very Good" at the end of Marion's Theme. I must say his conducting is still lively as it was 25 years ago.

Watching digitally. This is incredible. He is incredible.

Goosebumps all the way. And Anne-Sophie Mutter two seats below. Heaven on Earth.

Intermission right now. From the beginning of the live-stream to now, seeing the Maestro conducting the Berlin Philharmonic, my expression has been awe, wonderment, and a few tears of joy. Would someone refresh my memory? Has it been confirmed that this concert will eventually be released on CD and/or Blu-Ray? If so, like the Vienna concert, I will buy it in a heartbeat without a moment to spare. This is absolutely phenomenal.

I love how engaged the Maestro seems with the orchestra. The Nimbus 2000 piece with the woodwinds featured him intently concentrating and almost micro-conducting each player. He then gave a joyous smile at the end indicating he was pleased! (Which was warranted in my opinion.) And Far and Away earlier was amazing - felt a tad slow versus other performances, but the playing and sound was magnificent. (Also, I don't mind the masks. It's a snapshot in time of October 2021. In fact, in some ways they are creating a bit more light falling on people's eyes and in some ways when I see the behind JW, they seem more connected to the music. In Vienna, the light level is much higher so we could see people relatively well, but in Berlin it is pretty dark. The masks are oddly helping. Are they giving these out at the door? It seems everyone is wearing the exact same kind.)

If only he shot Sith Lightning out of his baton!

He needs a better wife!

It was a night to remember! The Friday concert lasted 115 minutes, not including the 25-minute break, and it was pure magic. I won't write anything that hasn't already been written here, but the experience was absolutely wonderful and also felt different from the Viennese in many aspects. Mostly because there was no Anne-Sophie Mutter and Williams was much more talkative. The performance of the Berliners was of course phenomenal. They played as if they were designed to perform that music. I suppose that the first encore, 'Princess Leia Theme', was omitted because maestro could be tired and exhausted - but I hope it will be performed today. If not, maybe it'll show up on Bluray in the version played on Thursday. When it comes to highlights, I must say definitely 'Far and Away' (pure joy!) and 'Elegy' (very touching) maybe because they are so rarely played, but I liked everything. 'Superman Theme' was a monster, as were 'The Throne Room and the Finale' and The Imperial March'. Maybe I would skip 'Nimbus 2000' in favor of 'Fawkes the Phoenix', but it's a minor matter. Today I'll see the maestro for the fourth time in my life (I have also been at Vienna concerts twice) and it's something that a few years ago was only in the sphere of my dreams. If I manage to go to Milan, I can say that it'll be my Perfect Five.

Interesting to see the Sontarans looking more like they did in the 70s and 80s here. On the tone ... well, John Bishop is predominantly a stand-up comedian. I'd imagine he'll bring at least some of that to Dan.

Are you wearing the Star Wars suite, then?

What a fantastic photo! He looks like a proud dad

And his scenes with Davros in Magician's Apprentice/Witch's Familiar are effin' awesome! Man, series 9 really is just da best.