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If he is an actual fan, he's quite an oblivious and egotistical one. Firstly, he could've read the room and taken cue from the other fans around the entrance, who were thanking and applauding John Williams without intruding on his personal space. That was the appropriate thing to do. It also doesn't take a lot of research to know that John Williams hasn't signed stuff in years, and that he is generally surrounded by bodyguards for a reason. When a star is willing to sign something, they will show it clearly. John Williams was heading straight for the door, like he did during the concert in Berlin. Charging into him with a pen and paper isn't gonna end well. I don't have much sympathy for the justification that he was just a massive fan and really wanted an autograph. To me, John Williams is also a godlike legend. I can't stop enjoying his music, I can't stop buying the CDs/LPs/Blu-Rays, I can't stop talking about him to my friends, I've participated in this community for years, I've done four podcast episodes about his scores, and I've been to 7 concerts where John was conducting, sacrificing my time and finances to such a degree that nothing else in my life even comes close to that. I could sell my soul for an autograph or even a wink from John Williams. But that doesn't give me a right to barge into his personal space. If you're truly a fan, that also means you treat your object of fandom as a human that deserves respect more than anyone else in the world. Autographs are a mutual activity that demand consent from both parties. As a fan, one should have some self-control, know what's appropriate in a given moment, and know the lines that you're not supposed to cross. When a fan cannot behave like a proper fan, then one shouldn't be surprised that people will treat them like any one of those obnoxious autograph hunters.

This right there. You keep responding with "Yes, but…"s. Yes, Williams clearly enjoys meeting his fans *in concert*. The fist bumps on Saturday show just how much (and as far as I know, they were a first). He also clearly does not enjoy being bothered by them outside the concerts. That's why he has bodyguards. That's why he exits the Hotel Imperial through the main entrance to enter a car that drives him just around the hotel and straight into the Musikverein, while as I'm told *all * other major artists just exit the hotel through the rear entrance and walk the couple of metres across the street into the Musikverein. He also sends clear instructions to the hotel stuff ahead of his visit that they are not to accept any letters or items for him. If you've followed the reports of Williams's concerts over the years, you should know the relevant factors. He did use to sign stuff for fans before the concerts, at least up to the mid-2000s in Boston. He obviously stopped doing that, for a variety of reasons. One is that he is old and has to conserve his energy, and is clearly tired after a lengthy concert - so much so that in Berlin, he only waved a brief goodbye at the end and left, while the audience kept applauding for 15 minutes straight. Look at him walking in that video - I'll be happy if I can walk that well at 90, but it's also clear that after standing and conducting for two and a half hours, he has to sit down and wants to get back to the hotel as quickly as possible. Another factor are aggressive fans - there's the famous story of some guy trying to chase his car for an autograph in Boston (if I recall correctly, that more or less coincides with Williams stopping to give autographs, and upping his security). There's the guy in Berlin who rushed to him and tried to get an autograph while he was leaving the stage (and carefully walking down the podium steps because he was exhausted), when the guards didn't pay attention for just one second. There's the guy in the video above who just proves why all the security is necessary. The chief bodyguard in Vienna was the same as in Berlin. Those who have been attending Williams's concerts for longer could tell if he's had the same guy for longer than that, but I expect he has. This is clearly not a case of security personnel being over-protective of an artist who doesn't know how popular he is or who is stopped from interacting as much with his fans as he would like (unlike Horner at the Hollywood in Vienna symposium, who clearly enjoyed the crowds and tried to stick around for autographs as long as possible, but was ushered out by the organisers who wanted to get him to the next gala or something). This is Williams having experienced the good and the bad sides of fan crowds and hiring security because he doesn't want to be bothered outside of his concerts.

Yay, my copy has arrived. This was up on the top of my list of wants! And it is indeed a very impressive set. Just listened to the first Harry potter score and halfway though the 2nd. Its sounds brilliant. It certainly lives up to the hype ! Another superb collection of music from Mr Williams. I only watched the first harry potter movie back in the day so this music is pretty fresh and new to me.

Here's a short snippet from sunday's concert last encore. Darth Vader.mp4

Below image was posted on Emil Berliner Studios' Instagram-account. Note the same door, water bottles, chair, collapsable tables, etc. There is a direct-to-disc turntable to be seen (behind the lady with headphones). Oh joy!

Just got done with my first listen (well, I haven't checked out the demos yet). Wow, what a score! The old themes returning all sound great, and some get twisted and turned in so many new ways, it's almost like they are new themes. Astrid's theme especially! I like how different it is from the first score - no one can call this a retread. Even Williams has written sequel scores that stick way closer to their first entries than this score ever does. Sure, it has a similar-ish opening and climax, but everything in between is so wildly different! I haven't even seen the movie and I can tell just from the music it's a different kind of story than the first film was. I can't provide any thoughts on how this compares to the OST, FYC or film, but as a followup to my beloved HTTYD 1 DE (one of my most listened to albums of music in the past 5 years), this is an instant hit for me! I can't wait to get my physical copy and delve into the liner notes! I actually pulled my HTTYD1 DE off the shelf and am going to re-read those liners first. Oh, and I just came across this:

It's interesting that no one has mentioned one of the most important factors why John Williams didn't stop in the street to sign autographs for his fans, at least this time: there's a pandemic going on. He wasn't wearing a mask and definitely didn't want to risk getting infected while signing autographs in the cold a few cms from people who might have Covid. All the other reasons have already been mentioned. What that man did was completely unacceptable, although let's be honest, on some level one can understand why he did what he did and had the Maestro signed an autograph for him, all the people standing around would have been jealous of him and wondered why they weren't bold enough to do the same thing. I myself would never stand in a crowd and stick a photo in his face for him to sign it, I have much greater respect for John Williams. Under these special circumstances in a pandemic, especially knowing that there are bodyguards creating a perimeter for him to enter the hotel I would never even think about approaching him like how that strange person did. Having his phone broken in half was the least he deserved. He is a fan. I'm an admirer of John Williams' art. One can and should celebrate an artist's art with dignity and humility, and, as someone has put it so well, never cross a certain line, not only because that means disrespecting the private space of the object of our affection, but because of our own dignity as well. And one other thing: these bodyguards were doing their job very badly. This should never have happened. What if the man had a knife or a gun or even Covid?

Yeah, like those who bought tickets to both concerts...

I like the song too. It flows very nicely with the rest of the score. I like how Jonsi is integrated more and more into the scores. Doing the song in the first, collaborating with Powell on another one in the second and then making an appearance as a vocalist in the Hidden World cue from the third movie. I'm listening to the album right now. It is utterly wonderful. The original album was great, this is even better. It is definitely bigger of an upgrade than the first DE - there's simply more interesting extra material on this album. Karol - already hoping for the third DE

Karol

Well, no.

I listened to the Children's Suite this week for the first time in a while and found myself enjoying it more than I was expecting to. It's a lot of of fun! I almost feel like "The Stone" (7M3 Three Note Loop) should be added to the suite, it'd fit right in!

So, the track should rather be named "attlestar Galactica".

Ready Player One - Alan Silvestri It’s still very gratifying what an amazing 2018-19 Silvestri had after so many fallow years. I could maybe do with less explicit BTTF references in RP1, but both of the main themes are real winners.

I can think of a few reasons/thoughts why they haven't announced a composer yet, but nothing that doesn't just fuel more baseless speculation. - It's a high-profile composer like Powell, Giacchino or JNH who they want to keep under wraps until closer to the premiere in order to bump the news cycle. - It's an emerging composer, and the media traction they'd get on an announcement isn't much to write home about so they haven't bothered. And if it was Göransson overseeing things again (either solo or with a collaborator) we'd have heard about it by now. He's also probably been too busy with Mando/Boba anyway, so we can safely count him out IMO. - They want people to really hang onto the fact that Williams composed and recorded the theme, and don't want a composer announcement to overshadow that juicy bit. Many people didn't read the announcement of his involvement very closely and think Williams is coming back for the whole thing anyway. - With the above in mind, it could be a long-time collaborator of Williams' like Don Davis or William Ross - on his recommendation - and they might want to just keep the illusion that it's Williams and/or in his style so may never make an actual announcement about it, or it's a footnote in a closer press release. - I can't see Williams signing off on just anyone to directly adapt a new theme of his, so I keep leaning towards Powell or one of the above. It just makes sense. - It's Gordy Haab, which.... eh. Great imitator. Haven't heard anything original of his though.

Yeah I love this one too. I love the main theme but I think it's HGW. Nevertheless, it's superb fun. The opening cue (and the second) sounds so Powell though. It's great. Out of interest, what's your favourite Powell / HGW collaboration? Antz Chicken Run Shrek Mine has to be Chicken Run. By far. I fucking love this and it's not even the best from Howard's original Disney trio. I absolutely adore the main theme and Silver's theme. The Celtic swashes and pirate-y swashbuckling stuff is very welcome. And despite some Mickey-Mousing here and there, I absolutely love the action music. Silver Leaves is one of my favourite emotional powerhouse finale cues. Breaks my heart.

I absolutely love the song. I mean, it's basically a song made after Powell's theme, and of course they both worked on it. So it feels very much like a piece of the score, unlike the other two songs in the trilogy.

@King Mark's theory is mine as well. I don't think Williams is capable of restraining himself from writing a full concert piece. If we're super-lucky, he might have done the multiple-cues route as with Solo, but then we're butting up against the limits of what he could reasonably have recorded in one session in February.

That cover reminds me of he scene 'John Williams must be rolling in his grave' from the Simpsons

I think it's going to be a 4-5 minute concert version and the actual TV titles might be a shorter version or edited.

Only if they rip the direct-to-disc recording onto a digital media. But as far as I've understood, this is not the point. Vinyl copies are made directly from the master disc. Some conductors (Hrusa, Haitink) have even signed the master discs in the middle - so you would get a copy of that signature too. I honestly cannot imagine that they did a live direct-to-disc. But the red light and mic during rehearsals could mean that they did some direct-to-disc takes before the concert (without the distraction from the audience). That coat is at least 20 years old.

So we get a recording of the concert...on LP? Well...

That's a fantastic Aliens cover.

The HTTYD1 demos are more like worse sounding versions of the film cues, the only difference being the mix, with some different instrument balances making some details more audible. These ones for 2 are more like alternate takes with some different orchestrational or phrasing differences all over the place.

I'm pretty sure (think I read it somewhere... but do not hold me to it - I'm happy to be proven wrong) that the heroic theme you speak of (below) is definitely HGW. It certainly sounds more like him in any case. Seriously, I think this one of the best scores from the past five years (at least). The new themes are amazing and the action music is second to none. You know something's good when you wish you could erase your memory of it so you can experience it for the first time again.

TITANIC (1997) I visited my sister last weekend and we re-watched this for the millionth time. Still impresses me to this day. There's not much I can add to the positive criticism that abounds but I have to enforce just how good the visual effects hold up. It's utterly spectacular and some of the finest blends of practical and visual effects in modern cinema history IMO. I had to go back, just now, and pick out my favourite shots of the ship in all its glory (and demise). Interestingly, only one of the screenshots here contains the full-size ship that they built for the production. Can you guess which one?

Even before you said this, this is 100% what I hear when people mention Zimmer doing Star Wars. Terrifyingly accurate.

Hollywood, Switzerland! 🇨🇭

"We meet again at last...after meeting again at last a few years ago. When I left you, but before we met again at last in the meantime, I was but the learner, now I am the master"

A new Desplat OST album drops this Friday! Physical CD: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09TWMWGCT ‘The Outfit’ Soundtrack Album Details Back Lot Music will release a soundtrack album for the thriller The Outfit. The album features the film’s original music composed by Academy Award winner Alexandre Desplat (The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Shape of Water, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,The King’s Speech, The Queen, The Imitation Game, Godzilla, Philomena). The soundtrack is expected to be released digitally next Friday, March 18. A CD version is scheduled to come out on April 8 and is now available for pre-order on Amazon. The Outfit is co-written and directed by Graham Moore and stars Mark Rylance, Dylan O’Brien, Zoey Deutch, Johnny Flynn, Nikki Amuka Bird, Simon Russell Beale and Alan Mehdizade. The movie revolves around an expert tailor who must outwit a dangerous group of mobsters in order to survive a fateful night. The thriller premiered at this year’s Berlin Film Festival and will be released in theaters nationwide on March 18 by Focus Features. Here’s the album track list: 1. The Outfit 2. Snow Globe 3. Cutting 4. English 5. Wounded 6. I Am the Rat 7. A Long Night 8. Handkerchiefs 9. I’ll Break Your Arm 10. The Coat 11. The Next Morning 12. I Had a Daughter 13. The Explanation 14. Tattoos 15. The Lafontaines 16. The Tape 17. Sharp Shears http://filmmusicreporter.com/2022/03/11/the-outfit-soundtrack-album-details/

My brother is a professional musician and a Powell fan and he says this. I swear it's all because of Dragon Racing. To me Powell plays the old themes in Dragon Racing and then goes off the rails with the new stuff. Stoik's Ship makes me cry EVERY damn time.

Regarding the guy that tapped John Williams in front of the Hotel; both ways of looking at it it’s sad. His behavior was a bit cheeky and a no Go, on the other Hand somehow you have to get noticed. And then again the bodyguards are of course only doing there job in this case, but has it to be that harsh I mean you can judge in a second if someone is a danger or not. This guy seemed like a fan that wanted to get something signed or so I guess John Williams himself is way cooler as most of his crew around him. Tricky situation...

I love the song - Powell's orchestral bits are the icing on the cake Does Dragon's Lair have a slight Stargate vibe for anyone else?

Clip with score - I think I hear some material from Crimes.

I think there are more Williams works in those so at least that part is better.

In 1998, Reader's Digest gave us a hint of another approach to listen to some of the material from the Philips era... The Very Best of John Williams and the Boston Pops (1998, Reader's Digest, I-21-179, Compilation; Boston Pops O/Williams) CD 1 - AMERICA, THE DREAM GOES ON: Liberty Fanfare; America The Beautiful; This Land Is Your Land; Richard Rodgers' Waltzes (Lover / Falling In Love With Love / Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin' / It's A Grand Night For Singing); March From Superman; Fanfare For The Common Man; America, The Dream Goes On; Hoedown From Rodeo; Seventy-Six Trombones; THE POPS PLAY A MOVIE SPECTACULAR: Theme From A Summer Place; Singin' In The Rain; Over The Rainbow; The Trolley Song; Somewhere Out There; March From Raiders of the Lost Ark; A Salute To Fred Astaire (Top Hat, White Tie And Tails / The Carioca / Dancing In The Dark / I Won't Dance / The Continental); Theme From 2001, A Space Odyssey (Also Sprach Zarathustra); Theme From New York, New York; CD 2 - QUIET NIGHT... WITH THE POPS: Fantasia on "Greensleeves"; Theme from Out Of Africa; Clair de Lune; Adagio For Strings And Organ; STARLIGHT SWING... WITH THE POPS: Sleepy Lagoon; A String Of Pearls; Begin The Beguine; Song Of India; Sing, Sing, Sing; THE POPS ON BROADWAY: Sophisticated Ladies - A Tribute to Duke Ellington (Sophisticated Lady / Take the "A" Train / Mood Indigo / It Don't Mean a Thing [If It Ain't Got That Swing]); Memory; There's No Business Like Show Business; Slaughter On Tenth Avenue; Overture To A Chorus Line; CD 3 - THE POPS SALUTE ALL-TIME POPULAR FAVORITES: Ebb Tide; More; Here You Come Again; Unchained Melody; The Girl from Ipanema; Theme from Summer Of '42 (The Summer Knows); Friendly Persuasion (Thee I Love); Where Is Your Heart? (The Song from Moulin Rouge); Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing; THE POPS AROUND THE WORLD: Never On Sunday; La Bamba; Irish Tune From Country Derry (Danny Boy); American Medley (New York, New York / Lonely Town / America); Tuxedo Junction; Fiddler on the Roof Medley (If I Were a Rich Man / To Life / Miracle of Miracles / Sunrise, Sunset / Matchmaker, Matchmaker / Tradition); Ciribiribin; CD 4 - POPS... GO THE CLASSICS: Rhapsody In Blue; Pavane; Orb And Sceptre (Coronation March); The Swan; A POPS TRIBUTE TO GERSHWIN: An American In Paris; MARCHING WITH THE POPS: St. Louis Blues March; Under The Double Eagle; American Salute (When Johnny Comes Marching Home); Strike Up The Band.

Their Zulu re-recording (including some suites from other movies [those you surely have on your compilation]) is a must. https://www.discogs.com/fr/release/4487895-John-Barry-Zulu/image/SW1hZ2U6MTA4NDY2MjY=

Damn, these labels do mot invest much in quality control...

I really love this speculation, thank you for spending the time on providing such an in-depth analysis, haha. I'd like to spend some time ranking the likelihood of each of these scenarios but I simply don't have the effort.... I just wanna know!

There were a lot of things I was afraid they might screw up on this release. There were a bunch of 10-20 second snippets of music on the OST that weren’t on the FYC and vice versa. There were a ton of differences in mix between the two albums as well. Having played most of it twice now, I’m pleased to report that my fears were pretty much completely unfounded and this album came out fantastic! Even editing the film version of Dragon Racing turned out to be pretty easy. After doing that, I added in the album version of Where No One Goes, recreated two additional album tracks from the new master just because I liked them (“Hiccup’s Gonna Be Chief / Drago’s Coming” and “For the Dancing and the Dreaming”) and as a final touch threw in the FSM interviews Tim Burden conducted with Powell when the film came out. Now I’ve got a fairly exhaustive personal album for this score that I should be satisfied with for years to come. I’ll be shocked if this isn’t my favorite soundtrack release of the year.

I was under the impression that the heroic theme that appears here at 0:18 was Powell, but I wouldn't be surprised to know If it was HGW, considering he's the guy who did Sinbad. Either way, it's a great theme. DW's older movies had some pretty fun swashbuckling themes, like this one and El Dorado (which was also Powell). I like all three of them, but I guess Chicken Run is indeed the best one. Anyway, that's a nice idea for a JWfan poll, I think I'll do one someday.

They wanted the series to show a bit more hope, so I think they hired Marc Shaiman for the music. Expect some songs.

One of my favourite pre-Shawshank Newman scores. This is actually an excellent example of the crossover between his early stuff and what followed The Shawshank Redemption. His more-than-expected array of percussive angsty off-kilter rhythms are joined by some gorgeous dreamy synth and string washes. He did revisit some of the stylings here in later scores (I even hear some of it in The Best Exotic duo and WALL-E) but I would love to hear more.

Doesn't that just make it even more authentic?

What's so bad about the applause? He's 90 years old, lots of people are desperate to see him live. What were they supposed to do, cough without reason and fidget to make a spectacle of themselves?

Batman elevated Elfman's career more than any other score mentioned here elevated other composer's careers - and its not even close.

They didn't like Ww84?! That was the first time in decades Zimmer had crafted proper music!

Indeed. This is why it's my favorite Batman movie, it's because, well, a Batman movie. Unlike TDK, which may be more competently done from a filmmaking point of view, but it's also deeply uninterested on Batman and Bruce Wayne as a character. I mean, it's a crime thriller starring comic book characters. Begins, on the other hand, has a lot of cool Batman moments and it's a more comic book-y feel. Also, Begins is way funnier than TDK, which can be a little exhausting and depressing to watch.