Saxbabe

Yesssss!  Two of my very favorite Reich works Will!! Had not seen these particular performances. I went through a couple weeks last year where I was just obsessed with Double Sextet (and every few years do the same with Music for 18 Musicians!) Insane grooves.  Spot-on descriptions of why it's so great - about 20:27 on is my favorite portion of the Sextet, setting up the modulation with that cycling chord progression, soooo good! Tactile in harmony and rhythm somehow, you can feel it. Both of these - incredible Reich pieces.
 
Not sure if you're familiar with the Dutch minimalist Louis Andreissen but I think you'd love his stuff too, here's a real gritty performance of his famous De Staat - a must-hear if you enjoy Reich:
 
 

Yesssss!  Two of my very favorite Reich works Will!! Had not seen these particular performances. I went through a couple weeks last year where I was just obsessed with Double Sextet (and every few years do the same with Music for 18 Musicians!) Insane grooves.  Spot-on descriptions of why it's so great - about 20:27 on is my favorite portion of the Sextet, setting up the modulation with that cycling chord progression, soooo good! Tactile in harmony and rhythm somehow, you can feel it. Both of these - incredible Reich pieces.
 
Not sure if you're familiar with the Dutch minimalist Louis Andreissen but I think you'd love his stuff too, here's a real gritty performance of his famous De Staat - a must-hear if you enjoy Reich:
 
 

Double Sextet - Steve Reich
 
This won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize. I've probably posted it before but it's SO GOOD!! Might be one of my favorite non-film works of all time. Just a few favorite moments:
 
 
Reich's jagged, groovy rhythms are absolutely masterful here (although I can't really read music myself, I've heard that virtually every bar in the 1st and 3rd movements is in a different time signature, which makes the piece, and performance, all the more incredible). I love how he carefully builds the instrumental layers on top of one another, towards a wildly joyous climax:
 
 
And that's only the first movement! The 3rd is just as amazing. In the climax, I absolutely adore how in the finale the various instruments enter one by one, finishing with the winds euphorically "bouncing" atop the charging piano & percussion plus strings:
 
 
That modulation...  This finale feels almost like something you could sing along to. 

Well I'M excited about the possible reschedule!! When I found out about this one it was already too close to really make plans, I had just started a new job etc. etc.
 
This is a 3000% bucket list item for me ( 1) hearing Vienna 2) hearing them play JW 3) WITH JW conducting).
 
I wonder how much far ahead notice there might be if/when its rescheduled?
 
Crossing fingers majorly it will work out!

Well I'M excited about the possible reschedule!! When I found out about this one it was already too close to really make plans, I had just started a new job etc. etc.
 
This is a 3000% bucket list item for me ( 1) hearing Vienna 2) hearing them play JW 3) WITH JW conducting).
 
I wonder how much far ahead notice there might be if/when its rescheduled?
 
Crossing fingers majorly it will work out!

Well I'M excited about the possible reschedule!! When I found out about this one it was already too close to really make plans, I had just started a new job etc. etc.
 
This is a 3000% bucket list item for me ( 1) hearing Vienna 2) hearing them play JW 3) WITH JW conducting).
 
I wonder how much far ahead notice there might be if/when its rescheduled?
 
Crossing fingers majorly it will work out!

Uh...what the heck?!? Just saw this on the Entertainment Weekly site!!
 
https://ew.com/movies/2018/11/17/john-williams-new-music-disney-star-wars-theme-parks/
 
 

I saw this with the London Symphony Orchestra this evening and it really was superb.  Of course there were none of the musicians who played on the original soundtrack recording back in 1977, but it was still that LSO sound that we know and love.  Interestingly, the second violins were positioned to the right of conductor Ludwig Wicki rather than next to the first violins to his left - not unusual for some classical concerts, but I cannot remember seeing such a set up for a live to projection film concert before.
 
The audience in the Royal Albert Hall was very respectful and there was very little whooping and hollering during the film (not even for the climactic destruction of the Death Star), perhaps because many in the audience will have come straight from work after a long week.  However, as soon as the end titles started there was a roar of appreciation and instant standing ovation for the orchestra, with an especially loud cheer when the John Williams / London Symphony Orchestra credit appeared on screen.
 
Now when are they doing The Empire Strikes Back?
 

All things considered, it ended up being a very nice weekend with my fiancée touring the city and catching up with several film music friends.
 
Yesterday afternoon, we gathered at the Max Steiner Bar in the Hotel Wien near the Prater. The meeting was set up by Mikael Carlsson (great guy). Me, Ilaria, Miguel and Peio stayed for a couple of hours chatting and having fun together. An Italian friend also joined. Later in the evening I met with Marian and Peio for a beer in a pub near Karlsplatz.
 
The city is great and a wonderful place for music and art lovers. Today I also stopped by to see the Musikverein and signed the “Cancelled” card on the wall—it was a truly lovely thing to see.
 
As it’s been already reported, Williams wants to reschedule the concert next year as he’s really looking forward to conduct the Wiener  Philharmoniker at the Musikverein. Let’s hope this was the most unique “hurry up and wait” of music history 😊
 
All in all, it was a great weekend. Now heading to the airport to fly back home.

I went to COS in Concert yesterday and the Houston Symphony was, as usual, flawless.  Amazing performance all around and I so pleased there was a choir since I heard some venues didn't have one.  The music was considerable louder than the film mix which was perfect because it allowed me to listen more closely to the orchestrations and appreciate it's brilliance.  The original music Williams wrote for COS is absolutely wonderful.  Even though there's a lot of existing music, I feel COS still has it's own identity with it's new material.  However, I've always been put off by all the AOTC bits here and there.  It's a shame Williams didn't have more time to dedicate to this one. I was disappointed they didn't play the entire end credits because I was looking forward to hearing Fawkes and Chamber of Secrets in concert form.  Regardless, it was a fun and exciting night.  Williams credit got quite the applause his name appeared, too.
 
I hope Prisoner of Azkaban comes to Houston.  It's not in the schedule yet.

For those in/near the Houston area, the HSO will be performing the original Star Wars on March 22, 23, & 24 in 2019.

Listening to the Popov Symphony now - wow!  Amazing piece, and amazing story behind it I see, being banned from performance until 1972!
 
That reminds me of another cool piece I like from around that time - Mosolov's Iron Foundry:
 
 
Also - going back in time a bit to late 19th c, here is a favorite piece from my band days, the wind arrangement of the Finale to Kalinnikov's Symphony No. 1, in all a wonderful piece!
 
 

I think you're not understanding how the process works.
 
When recording the score for the first time, Williams is making adjustments in between each take, telling some orchestra members to do such and such differently, etc.  When they sit down to assemble the recordings into the film, he might take bars 1-4 from take 37, bars 5-99 from take 40, and bars 100-end from take 38 or something like that.  Williams is involved with all this - again, when the film is being made, and of course he chooses all the takes for the concurrent album as well (most of the time its the same takes used in the film).
 
These catalog expansions of older scores are done by a producer, usually one who had nothing at all to do with the original film at all, and its that producer who selects takes to put on a new CD once all the takes are transferred from the archives (if all takes are even transferred; For example the first LLL Home Alone was sourced from a later generation tape of additional cues, it wasn't until the second LLL release that the true first gen masters of every take was found).  Anyway, every producer is going to go about assembling a new CD different.  Bouzereau largely chose to just grab a take that sounded mostly good all the way through and slap it on there;  Mike examines the takes in the film second by second and makes sure he replicates the choices made for the film.  So back to our example, Bouzereau might have just used take 40 and been done with it, while Mike will re-create the Take 37 -> Take 40 -> Take 38 edit.

As for John Williams approving things, it's not like he remembers what takes he chose of what passages 35 years and almost 100 scores ago, ya know?  The only things the producers tell us what what John might or might not approve is changing the order of some tracks around or nixing source music, etc.  I get the impression he listens to it and makes sure its a musically sound product and that's about it, there's zero chance he's noticing that bar 5 of cue whatever had a better violin performance recorded, ya know?

I hope that answers your question.

Was just browsing the season for the Dallas Wind Symphony (now called the Dallas Winds) - happened upon this!!
 
The Last Jedi: Music by John Williams
Tuesday, March 27, 2018 – 7:30 pm
Meyerson Symphony Center
Dallas Winds
Jerry Junkin, conductor
 
http://dallaswinds.org/the-last-jedi/
 
December 15, 2017 marks the return of Luke and Rey, as Star Wars fans the world over line up for Star Wars: The Last Jedi. 
On March 27 we bring all-new arrangements of Williams music for The Last Jedi to band fans, along with more Williams gems from Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, and Hook.
 
Summon The Heroes Wide Receiver (for NFL Films and ESPN Sunday night football) The Patriot Flight to Neverland, from Hook Viktor’s Tale, from The Terminal
Deborah Fabian, clarinet Harry’s Wondrous World, from Harry Potter For NY (for Leonard Bernstein’s 70th Birthday) Scherzo for Motorcycle and Band, from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) Far and Away Escapades (from Catch Me if You Can)
Stephen Page, Saxophone If you click on Buy Tickets, it gives a little more detailed program info. Tickets seem to range from roughly $30-65 including fees.
 
Shame it's on a Tuesday, that makes it really hard to travel in for, but sounds like an amazing concert!

Just the Force Awakens.  CD and Vinyl.  That's it.
 


 






 
 

I don't know if this has been already posted elsewhere, but I link it here for the sake of tidiness:
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v96PpTf6DzY
(embed is disabled, sorry)
 
"With Malice Toward None" for Trumpet and Piano (arranged by JW), performed by Christopher Martin (the soloist who plays in the film score as well).
 
Lovely.

Indeed!
 
 
 

The revised first movement of the Trumpet Concerto as arranged for trumpet and band:
 

I don't really understand what's going on in this thread. My opinion is:
 
You should buy all the LLL JWs CDs that are currently for sale. No better versions are coming. 
 
You should also track down 1941, which is out of print. No better version will ever come. 
 
You should not track down the OOP Poseidon Adventure or Hook. The markup from being sold by hounds isn't worth it since those releases weren't definitive. 

Man y'all posted all the good stuff while I was away from this thread!  
 
Seems like a lot of us here like exactly the same composers. Guess that shouldn't be a surprise for film music lovers!
 
 
Oh Finlandia! Rousing but yeah I'd put it way down in my favorites of Sibelius works, too many better ones. With the Centenary a great choice for Last Night of Proms though!
 
...And now y'all done made me fall down the hole of early Sibelius works here, which is always super dangerous...some of his most fiery, sexy, groovy, entrancing, unabashedly heart-on-the sleeve writing  
 
If you're not familiar with these two key early Sibelius works below, you REALLY MUST LISTEN TO THESE. Because they are so epic/filmic/programmatic and flipping great, and just hard not to adore if you love film music. To me these are basically his "Symphony 00" and "Symphony 0".
 
The Lemminkainen Suite ("Four Legends from the Kalevala"), written around 1895 and based on the crazy adventures of the Kalevala hero Lemminkainen, has 4 parts - often played all together but just as often played separately, with "The Swan of Tuonela" by far the most well-known and played, followed by "Lemminkainen's Return",  I rarely if ever see the first two played on their own.
 
The first "Lemminkainen and the Maidens of Saari" is my favorite! I definitely hear Wagner influence in this one, the whole thing is one long slow extremely romantic build (reminds me of Tristan's Liebestod), all dripping with turns and gracenotes and delayed gratification (eventually he does romance the maids).
 
There should be links off of this vid if you want to hear the other Legends too. They are all awesome.
 
 
Next - now this work came even before Lemminkainen, this is about the equally crazy and extremely tragic adventures of Kullervo (who's also from The Kalevala, the Finnish national epic) and it was written around 1892, for full orchestra and also male choir. Yeah!
 
This also has 5 parts, sometimes the 3rd movement is performed alone, it's like a mini choral symphony itself and definitely can stand on its own.
 
The 3rd mvmt is all about how Kullervo has a lot of travels, meets some nice girls, then hits it off with one, woos her into the hay, and the next morning they get chatting and discover oh SURPRISE, you're my long-lost sister! (And then she offs herself.)
 
But anyway, it's AMAZING music! It's in 5/4 yeah!! That movement is one of my favorite things in all of Sibelius. There is just not much that beats a whole bunch of red-blooded guys singing Finnish - definition of epic. I can't help always singing along with the choir. Yes, I know the words in Finnish! I'm a total nerd 
 
Here is a great great performance of the whole piece (I have several recordings and this is a big favorite, the interpretation, detail and playing is so spot on) - 
 
Timings for each movement:
 
Introduction        0:00
Kullervo's Youth    13:50
Kullervo and His Sister 28:50
(the choir comes in at 30:25, if you want to jump to that I don't blame you
I also won't blame you if you jump to 39:27 to hear some of the most explicit classical music ever written)
Kullervo Goes To War   53:06
Kullervo's Death     1:02:55        
 
 
There's just SO much good Sibelius, oodles and oodles, all better than Finlandia 
 

Trumpet Concerto video:
 
For The President's Own:
With Malice Toward None:
 

Recent performance by the Marine Band brass section:
 
 

Man y'all posted all the good stuff while I was away from this thread!  
 
Seems like a lot of us here like exactly the same composers. Guess that shouldn't be a surprise for film music lovers!
 
 
Oh Finlandia! Rousing but yeah I'd put it way down in my favorites of Sibelius works, too many better ones. With the Centenary a great choice for Last Night of Proms though!
 
...And now y'all done made me fall down the hole of early Sibelius works here, which is always super dangerous...some of his most fiery, sexy, groovy, entrancing, unabashedly heart-on-the sleeve writing  
 
If you're not familiar with these two key early Sibelius works below, you REALLY MUST LISTEN TO THESE. Because they are so epic/filmic/programmatic and flipping great, and just hard not to adore if you love film music. To me these are basically his "Symphony 00" and "Symphony 0".
 
The Lemminkainen Suite ("Four Legends from the Kalevala"), written around 1895 and based on the crazy adventures of the Kalevala hero Lemminkainen, has 4 parts - often played all together but just as often played separately, with "The Swan of Tuonela" by far the most well-known and played, followed by "Lemminkainen's Return",  I rarely if ever see the first two played on their own.
 
The first "Lemminkainen and the Maidens of Saari" is my favorite! I definitely hear Wagner influence in this one, the whole thing is one long slow extremely romantic build (reminds me of Tristan's Liebestod), all dripping with turns and gracenotes and delayed gratification (eventually he does romance the maids).
 
There should be links off of this vid if you want to hear the other Legends too. They are all awesome.
 
 
Next - now this work came even before Lemminkainen, this is about the equally crazy and extremely tragic adventures of Kullervo (who's also from The Kalevala, the Finnish national epic) and it was written around 1892, for full orchestra and also male choir. Yeah!
 
This also has 5 parts, sometimes the 3rd movement is performed alone, it's like a mini choral symphony itself and definitely can stand on its own.
 
The 3rd mvmt is all about how Kullervo has a lot of travels, meets some nice girls, then hits it off with one, woos her into the hay, and the next morning they get chatting and discover oh SURPRISE, you're my long-lost sister! (And then she offs herself.)
 
But anyway, it's AMAZING music! It's in 5/4 yeah!! That movement is one of my favorite things in all of Sibelius. There is just not much that beats a whole bunch of red-blooded guys singing Finnish - definition of epic. I can't help always singing along with the choir. Yes, I know the words in Finnish! I'm a total nerd 
 
Here is a great great performance of the whole piece (I have several recordings and this is a big favorite, the interpretation, detail and playing is so spot on) - 
 
Timings for each movement:
 
Introduction        0:00
Kullervo's Youth    13:50
Kullervo and His Sister 28:50
(the choir comes in at 30:25, if you want to jump to that I don't blame you
I also won't blame you if you jump to 39:27 to hear some of the most explicit classical music ever written)
Kullervo Goes To War   53:06
Kullervo's Death     1:02:55        
 
 
There's just SO much good Sibelius, oodles and oodles, all better than Finlandia 
 

One of my favorites, the deeply moving and unsettling Babi Yar Symphony of Shostakovich.  This music is not for everyone.  You must really stop what your doing and experience it to get it, its context, subtext, humanity, and depth.
 
 
I saw the poet, Yevgeny Yevtushenko, when Sir George Solti first performed this symphony a year before his death and it was a shattering experience to hear it live with the poet in attendance.  Solti had to preface the performance as saying he stayed away from the work until the mid 1990's where he performed it for the first time because of his Jewish heritage and the personal meaning of the work.  The work is not Jewish but about oppression in any form though the first movement is about the Nazi massacre at Babi Yar.  Other movements are about the soviet oppression of artists and freedom and the suffering the Russian people have experienced.  As usual, I can't find my favorite interpretation on youtube but this one hits all the high notes of being well performed, recorded, and interpreted though not the absolute best in any of these.  The performance I attended resulted in this recording which rather jarringly features the poems between movements as read by Anthony Hopkins: https://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-Symphony-No-13-Solti/dp/B00000427B
Another gem:
 

Sounds a lot like Williams' terrific trumpet concerto, particularly at the beginning!