Saxbabe

LOLZ! We'll see about the concert this weekend, at the rate things are going I may have to not go too. For me also it's kind of bad timing (due to some major problemas con mi carro) and pretty much no one has any money right now! (Surprise...) So we haven't decided yet... Dallas is a loooong way away for me (at least 6 hrs) but who knows, I could be interested in going in April. If we were having a serious meetup, I may try to swing that. I am definitely for sure without a doubt going to the Horn Concerto/Celebration Fanfare concert in Houston I know. April is going to be one busy concert month! Those are back to back weekends, and that week in between Gustavo Dudamel and his Venezuelan wonder orchestra are coming to Houston which I already have gotten tickets for! I wish Texas was smaller...that would make things much easier.

NOTICE! I got a email update from the Symphony that the tickets are almost completely sold out for this weekend JW concerts! That like NEVER happens around here! Has anybody decided if they are going and when? Me and a friend are looking at Sunday matinee, but we really haven't decided yet. Wanted to see what anyone here is doing and then we're going to see about it tomorrow... -Greta

Agreed mostly. There are a few good cues (which I don't even remember the names of) but they are rehashes of Blue Planet stuff, and as a whole it's nowhere near the sweeping beauty of Blue Planet/Deep Blue . Please do. Marian, this turned out to be harder than I thought! But also more fun. :cool: Some of the most interesting and individual takes on this piece I've found: 1) Mackerras/Royal Liverpool PO (Virgin) If you like the Levine, I think you'd dig this one. Has that same irrevent humor and sparkle (and awesome brass.) Lots of fun all-round, and the two-fer comes with a rather good Carmina Burana. 2) Susskind/ St Louis SO (Mobile Fidelity/SACD) I thank Neil for turning me on to this one. There is so much detail and the sound is extremely fine and natural. The interpretation and tempi choices are very individual too. Highly underrated. 3) Gardiner/ Philharmonia (DG/SACD) This is my most often recommended one. The playing is just so clean, effortless, and graceful - it's mindboggling. Jupiter is extremely fast but wow, sooo perfect. The SACD sounds great too and is paired with Grainger's wildly cool piece The Warriors. 4) Norrington/Stuttgart Radio SO (Hanssler) My newest! As with Gardiner and Susskind, again the detail is just superb, as well as the sound and playing. Norrington leaves no phrase unseen to, paying close attention to phrases, rhythmic accent, and style, really letting the music speak for itself. Venus is gorgeous and delicate, like the finest glass - true chamber music. Jupiter hymn brilliantly English and played rather drily and at a clip. Very highly recommended and now available on eMusic and other online stores. 5) Svetlanov/Philharmonia (Conifer) I randomly got this on import as its hard to find and turned out to like it a lot. Also very graceful and beautifully played (LOL same orchestra as in the Gardiner and both recordings made near the same time.) I love the tempi choices, they're unique without seeming strange, and there is a nice depth and color to this performance in all mvmts. 6) Bernstein/NY Phil (Columbia) This was my first one I ever got! Trademark Bernstein high romanticism and dash. I love especially his Jupiter hymn as its very emotional and drawn out, one of my big favs for that movement. 7) Mehta/New York Phil (Teldec) A lot of his tempos are slower than you're used to hearing, which makes the music all that much more dramatic. His Saturn is extreme! He tests the limits, I love it. 8) Levine/Chicago SO (DG) Whew, that trumpet vibrato in Jupiter is something to behold. This one is wild, really a trip. Character and bravado to the max. Fun! 9) Boult/London PO (EMI) I feel this recording, perhaps out of all I have listened to, really tries to be the most faithful to the score's markings. Boult had input from Holst himself when he premiered the piece, so he is an authority. This was his last recording (of like 4 or 5!) 10) Karajan/Vienna Phil (DG) Well, I'm not particularly fond of either of Karajan's recordings, but this one has some cool/strange gear shifts which make it quite interesting to listen to. It's also the only Vienna Phil recording so...yeah. More Unusual Interesting Recordings: - Boult/Vienna State Opera Orch (Westminster) Though some of the playing isn't the most perfect, this is a surprisingly heart on the sleeve performance with shining moments, and very intimate in sound. If anything, it also shows how difficult this piece is! - Holst/LSO (Naxos Historical) The first recordings of the piece were actually made by the composer, and are pretty cool to listen to even if the sound is what you would expect for 1920s. His tempos are mostly really fast and give little time for the music to breathe though. I like the 1924 acoustic recording the best. - Goodman/Queen's Hall Orch (Carlton) This one is on period instruments. Everything has been recreated as closely as possible to the original performance conditions when Holst wrote the piece, the type of strings and ages of instruments, etc. Otherwise pretty staightforward. - Herrmann/London Philharmonic (Phase 4 LP) Herrmann had some interesting ideas about interpreting this one. Some worked and some didn't, but fun to listen to. The orchestra plays very well for him here though. - Stokowski/Los Angeles Phil (EMI) Good ole Stokie...an over the top performance with some of his "extras" thrown in for good measure. Quite fun! Fav Idiomatic All-Rounders in Very Good Sound: Dutoit/Montreal SO (Penguin) Maazel/Orchestre de France (Sony) Previn/London SO (EMI) Slatkin/Philharmonia (BMG) Want to Hear: Davies/Bruckner Orchester Linz (Chesky/SACD) Judd/Royal Philharmonic (Denon) Litton/Dallas SO (Delos) And I have a question: I know there are several that have the Mehta/Los Angeles recording with the CE3K and Star Wars Suites. Is the sound on yours washy and far away?? I got it on the cheapo Decca Eloquence label so maybe that's why. If the sound is better on other releases I plan to replace it. (Anyone have the XRCD version?)

Yay. another thread about one of my most fav pieces! Tough but: 1) Jupiter 2) Venus 3) Neptune 4) Saturn 5) Uranus 6) Mars 7) Mercury Not to say I don't love Mars and Mercury, but Mars especially is so repetitive. And I have developed a much greater appreciation for the latter movements with time. Jupiter is still my sentimental favorite because it was what I knew first of the piece, and the middle hymn section is just so incredibly noble and beautiful to me. It is such a great contrast to the rest of the movement too. Well, I collect this piece and have 48 different recordings of The Planets (not counting radio broadcasts ) and I can definitely say, there is no definitive recording. There are so many good ones I couldn't possibly pick. <_< I think the Dutoit/Montreal is close overall, but there are other recordings I like as much or more for their individuality. In fact, I could name like 10 right now that I consider must-hears for different reasons. :cool:

Scandal? What else could they have done? I would rather them mime to tape then possibly sound bad due to the weather. This is really, really common in outdoor performances and I have no problem with it. The military orchestra at the "We Are One" concert the previous day also did not actually play, they had prerecorded everything in rehearsal. In fact, I read where when they softly played during miming to the prerecorded track, the strings were found to be a 1/2 step to whole step out of tune in about 15 mins in those temperatures! No big scandal here, I'm afraid...

Poo on the critics! I really liked the piece and was pleasantly surprised. I loved his creative arrangement of the Shaker tune, lots of neat twists and turns, he even kind of jazzed it up at a point, it was great. Fun chances there for the musicians to show off their mad skillz too! I thought the piece sounded very fresh and current, updating a classic Americana theme with his beautiful additions. It's so neat JW got this opportunity (very fitting!) and the dignitaries definitely seemed to enjoy the piece and the awesome performance. And BTW, have you guys read about this: Because the ceremony was running late - 12:00 noon struck DURING the piece, and as per the 20th Amendment, Obama became President at that moment (even before being formally sworn in, which happened at like 12:03). So JW's piece truly ushered in a history making moment!

I'm here! I agree with the above, I have a lot of other female friends that love film scores (fellow musicians) but I think it never really occurs to them to look up a forum to post online about it! I just kind of stumbled upon JWFan several years ago, and thought it looked fun so that's how I got active. I did mention the forum to a couple of female friends before who are also big JW fans and they thought it was really cool but far as I know just visited a time or two and that's it. Maybe it's considered kind of a guy thing or nerdy, all the endless online discussions and debates back and forth. But I also think it inherently has something to do with the differences between men and women and styles of communication. On forums, guys seem to get their egos involved and go round and round for pages and pages into esoterics, whereas for girls that quickly gets kind of boring. (Sorry guys - I love you! ) Also it could be guys are perhaps more attracted to the filmscore forums because of the film/franchise "fanboy" element. Not to say there aren't "fangirls" - but again they just don't post on forums as much. Another interesting thing from my experience, is that girls who casually listen to film scores seem to usually be musical themselves, playing a musical instrument or singing - while it seems with guys it's more balanced, there is a larger proportion of guys who are really into film music yet aren't musical. I think this stems from guys being more avidly into films and the filmmaking process in general, which leads them to a love for film scoring. Just some thoughts...interesting topic... -Greta

Close Encounters of the Third Kind E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Jaws Superman: The Movie Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Schindler's List Empire of the Sun Jurassic Park Always (Spaces denote a fraction of difference between the groups.)

When I read this I was not expecting chamber music! Will be neat to hear this, should be a special moment during the ceremony.

Oy! KM, I think Johnny would have to compose something new for that one... I'm meh about this new SW "event". Personally I would enjoy a two hour condensation of the SW music (like "best of") with NO narrator and NO film. I would go see that. This? Not so sure... (BTW, is JW conducting it even?)

Get ahold of some Ravel! I think Daphnis and Chloe is amazing...Debussy La Mer is a must too.

Joe Hisaishi and Tim Morrison - Laputa from Castle In The Sky And also doing Iron Side What is Iron Side...it reminds me of Bond kind of? BTW all the clips on YT from the Joe Hisaishi concerts are awesome!

And an ouchworthy example of what can happen if one does not use good timpani technique...

Thanks for the elaboration! IIRC, my college band did some of the Hunsberger Star Wars before I got there...the segue into Main Titles rings a bell! Yeah, not sure why he chose to do it that way... Shame about Raiders leaving Marion's Theme out, I love that part of the piece. But the concert lineup looks great! Do put up some stuff sometime...but no hurry at all. EDIT: To ask who the sax soloist is?

airmanjerm: Thanks so much for the informative posts! I sure wish I lived in L.A. so I could see this. Who arranged the other selections you guys are playing, also USAF Band arrangers, or are they some of the Hal Leonard publications? It would be super if you could post any bits from your arrangements and the concert on your site, I know we'd all love to hear them. The thought of Forest Battle is mouthwatering! Best of luck to the band for Sunday. ~Greta

Such terrible awful news! I just heard on TV. I also had no idea he was even sick. I really got teared up...he was absolutely one of my favorite writers and I just can't believe he's gone. Crichton was a treasure to modern sci-fi and he will be missed so much. Mr. Crichton, thank you for all the wonderful (and cautionary!) tales you gave us, and for the great films your stories have inspired. May strength be with his family and may he Rest in Peace... One of the saddest deaths of this year. ~Greta

So...it's pretty neat that this spring there will be at least FOUR concerts I know of featuring music by JW, and many chances for JWFans to get together. We sure had a blast in 2007 when we met up, and it would be really cool to get to meet even more JW fans this time around! (Non-Texans are also invited. Actually anyone is! ) I think it's not too early to start planning, so listed below are the upcoming concerts in Dallas and Houston. FEBRUARY 6, 7, 8, 2009 "Star Wars and More John Williams" A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...all-powerful Jedi Master Michael Krajewski and his followers have their instruments loaded and ready to take you for an epic journey through the music of Star Wars. May the force be with you as you hear “The Imperial March,” “Star Wars Main Theme” and “Yoda’s Theme.” Also enjoy John Williams music from Indiana Jones, ET, Jaws and Harry Potter. Houston Symphony Michael Krajewski, conductor FEBRUARY 19-22, 2009 Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 3 Glazunov: Concerto for alto saxophone and orchestra J. Williams: Escapades for saxophone and orchestra Dallas Symphony Orchestra Andrew Litton, conductor Branford Marsalis, saxophone APRIL 2, 4, 5, 2009 "John Williams and Rachmaninoff" You can hear John Williams’ life-long love of the horn in his concerto, which was written as he was completing the music to the third Harry Potter film. Imagine your own picture to the concerto’s movements—Angelus, The Battle of the Trees, Pastorale, The Hunt and Nocturne. Houston Symphony Peter Oundjian, conductor William VerMeulen, horn Vaughn Williams: Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis John Williams: Concerto for Horn and Orchestra John Williams: Celebration Fanfare Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances APRIL 10-11 "The Music of John Williams" Richard Kaufman conducts an epic musical adventure with the DSO featuring music from your big-screen favorites, including Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark and more. Dallas Symphony Orchestra Richard Kaufman, conductor I'm already getting excited...I should be able to do the two Houston ones. Last time what we did is met that afternoon, had dinner, stayed the night of the concert in a hotel nearby, hung out, and had breakfast the next day. Really fun. ~Greta

Saw this somewhere. People may be interested: http://www.slso.org/sales/calendar/view.aspx?id=1952 Friday, December 12, 2008, 6:30 pm "Discover America" Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra David Robertson, conductor Carolyn Banham, english horn Thomas Drake, Trumpet JOHN WILLIAMS The Cowboys Overture BERNSTEIN Three Dance Episodes from On the Town -The Great Lover -Lonely Town: Pas de deux -Times Square: 1944 COPLAND Quiet City RODGERS Carousel Waltz BERNSTEIN Candide Overture

Stumbled on this... http://www.akronsymphony.org/the-music-of-star-wars-live/ Sunday, October 26, 2008 – Star Wars: Music & Myth E.J. Thomas Hall – 3:00 p.m. Akron, Ohio Akron Symphony Orchestra The music of the Star Wars film saga Christopher James Lees, conductor Special guests 2:00 p.m. – Pre-Concert Activities begin in the E.J. Thomas Hall lobbies Tickets available: $15 – adults; $10 children 12 and under From site: "The Akron Symphony will take audiences on a journey to a galaxy far, far away when it performs music from the Star Wars film saga – LIVE – at The University of Akron’s E.J. Thomas Hall on Sunday, October 26 at 3 PM. Star Wars: Music & Myth will explore the films’ major themes through the music of composer John Williams and a cast of collaborators including costumed characters courtesy of the 501st Legion and Rebel Legion, highlights from Chicago filmmaker Cris Macht’s The Force Among Us documentary, on stage lightsaber battles by Masters of the Force and a multi-media presentation of the art of Star Wars concept artist, the legendary Ralph McQuarrie. Costume Contest and Pre-Concert Activities at 2 PM Concert attendees are encouraged to arrive in costume. Those wishing to participate can register their costumes beginning at 2 PM in the E.J. Thomas Hall lobby. Guest judges will choose several finalists and winners will be recognized on stage at the end of the concert. The E.J. Thomas Hall lobbies will also hold other activities appropriate for children and their families. All pre-concert activities begin at 2 PM. Photo Opportunities with Star Wars characters Following the concert, audience members will have the opportunity to meet and take photos with the costumed characters from the 501st, Rebel Legion, and Master of the Force. Attendees are asked to bring their own cameras, however photography during the concert is not allowed."

I look forward to hearing this recording sometime!! I love the Tuba Concerto. And the soloist Oystein Baadsvik is really amazing. yesthis is the worst I agree with you.. I can get agrssion and a veryclolourful fantasy what I'd like to do with these persons: mostly the colour of blood!! people who can't stop talking, or with ringing phones, beeping cameras while taking pics from the concert, people sneaking in DURING a piece OMG I know, I had to suffer an endlessly beeping watch during Mahler 5 Scherzo recently, in the horn solo! I was And another time (again during Mahler, scherzo of #2) a guy next to me was unwrapping his Riesen for several minutes. I went to evil eye him, and met gazes with his wife who was doing the same thing - she sharply elbowed him and fussed at him LOL! (Messed up quote fixed)

Hey all... Saw this in a solicitation mail from the Houston Symphony which mentions the Celebration Fanfare, scan: Good thing JW still had the score somewhere... Maybe this has not been performed or recorded because the orchestra holds the performance rights? It would be really cool if they recorded a CD of all the fanfares when they are able to buy all the scores...I think many of them have almost never been performed. This is an almost complete list of the commissioned composers: Steve Reich, William Schuman, John Harbison, Jacob Druckman, Elliot Carter, John Adams, Christopher Rouse, Charles Wuorinen, John Williams, Carla Bley, Victoria Bond, Joan Tower, Tobias Picker, Marius Constant, Carlisle Floyd, Olly Wilson, Poul Ruders, Tikhon Khrennikov, and Aulis Sallinen.

That's tough...since we had to evacuate for nothing I think I'd say neither... There was an SUV we saw in the traffic to get out that had "Blow THIS, Gustav!!!" written on the back in shoe polish. It was funny. But, yeah, Mahler would be my choice.

Ooh! I have seen the trailers for this and it looks quite good. Didn't realize Desplat was scoring, he is one of the few of the newer set that I follow. Very much looking forward to hearing what he does with it. His scores usually are well-crafted with really nice detail and orchestration, I remember being impressed that his great score for Girl With a Pearl Earring had the rare credit of "Composed, Conducted, and Orchestrated By". Is anyone familiar with his earlier scores for French films? Any worth recommending? Can't believe Golden Compass slipped by me, I was just thinking of renting that movie this week. I will have to hear that one.

Oh thanks! I knew I had seen some of them available before...but my mind could not dredge up where... But there are still many of them missing though. :cool: Like TreeSong, Violin Concerto...the Cello stuff...Clarinet and Flute Concertos...Soundings... Still, wonder if any of those could be possible to see "on perusal loan"... The place to ask would likely be Boosey & Hawkes, it looks like...it would be whoever orchestras rent the music from when they perform one of his concert pieces. It is common when orchestras are figuring out concert programming for the next season, that they may request perusal scores of works under consideration, so that can help the music director decide if the piece would work for the group - he gets to check out the conductor's score, in essence. For example, see here: http://www.boosey.com/pages/licensing/RentalUS.asp From that page: Q: How do I obtain a perusal score? A: You can request a perusal score by emailing your name, phone number, and mailing address to our promotions department at perusals.us@boosey.com. Please be as detailed as possible regarding the work you are requesting and note we CANNOT accept any address with a PO Box. Perusal scores are available to help customers finalize concert programming; they are not meant to replace rental materials. If you need extra and/or advance scores to supplement a rental request, please indicate this on your rental order form and we will provide those as part of your order. Sometimes they will do it for study too, not sure about B&H, but I know from experience the publishers Chester/Schirmer are quite generous in fufilling study perusal requests...

Okay, I looked for a topic on this and didn't readily see one...so... I am curious about seeing some of the scores to JW's concert works...are any of these available for sale? First, I tried to look up who publishes him, which seems to be Boosey & Hawkes (link), but that page doesn't have much information, they redirect you to Warner-Chappell, which sends you in circles eventually, about all they tell you is they handle his film scores, yadda yadda. Confusement!! I was in search of an actual list there, for his concert works, like this: John Adams Or is JWFAN the only source of such a list? :cool: With contemporary music, for scores that aren't available to be bought, often you can write the publisher and request a perusal score, which they can send you to be checked out for study for a couple of months. I didn't even know such a thing existed until this year, when I had to do this for research. It is an awesome opportunity to know about. Obviously, two scores that would be amazing to see, are that of Soundings and the Horn Concerto...but, well, any of his concert works really! Anyone studied any of these before? EDIT: I'm referring specifically to his orchestral pieces/concertos, I know some chamber music such as the Duo Concertante is not hard to find..