Omen II

Star Wars fans, hipsters with skinny jeans, stupid beards and LP players.

Won't stop me from taking a trip to England one of these years during Proms season. Really want to attend one of these.

Eric Whitacre conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in his own composition, The River Cam. The cellist is Leonard Elschenbroich.

Paul for his salad dressing.

The River
Music Composed and Conducted by John Williams
 
A review by Mikko Ojala
 
This is a little gem from 1984 that shares the year with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom but musically is in a wholly different world. Rural Americana performed by small ensemble, given at times a subtle jaunty pop sensibility by a drumkit and peppy rhythms and graced with numerous gorgeous flute and guitar solos the River is a fascinating opus in the middle of the run of the composer's grand symphonic works. Williams's music perhaps with even too generously compliments director Mark Rydell's very everyday drama of a family (Mel Gibson and Sissy Spacek in leading roles) struggling to make ends meet on their farm with the constant threat of the nearby river flooding and with a greedy banker/developer (played by Scott Glenn) waiting to foreclose on the land. Sounds less than riveting drama and plot-wise doesn't it. Well not so with the music!
 
Despite the short running time of the album (the movie doesn't have much more music) the composer crafts not one, not two but three distinct thematic ideas, the jaunty down-on-the-farm main theme, the smoky bluesy often flute-led love theme for the family and the main couple and the dignified and noble "ancestral home" theme that stands for the sanctity of home and hearth and the worthy fight of standing up to the forces of nature (and pressures of modern society).
 
Whoever says Williams is only the guy for strum-und-drang should listen to this humble work with down-to-earth melodicism, beautiful and emotional small scale soloist work, especially for flute and guitar, and the joie-de-vivre that bubbles throughout the music. It is a short album full of highlights. The track The River presents a 2-part end credits suite opening with the sprightly and excited rendition of the main title theme where drumkit gives it a slightly more contemporary (for 1980s) feel before the love theme takes over full of bluesy almost film noirish styled yearning and ends in an extended solo flute coda. Absolutely wonderful stuff and a great way to open the album.
 
The Ancestral Home (the finale of the film, here presented in the middle of the album) is the grandest piece on the album but there is not much orchestral grand standing as Williams slowly builds and builds the long lined noble and gentle Americana theme in the strings, illustrating musically a gradual and steady struggle, which finally burgeons into a triumphant crescendo coinciding with shots of the family and neighbours coming together to build protective wall against the river, celebrating the small victory of the individuals and the community. Love Theme from The River is an extended performance of the bluesy melody, first introduced by flute and trumpet and then given a grander string accompanied reading, that is somewhere between truly romantic and longing. A truly outstanding piece of writing that feels so inherently American without pulling out the old Copland sound palette.
 
The Pony Ride is another playfully energetic piece featuring the main theme and great deft guitar work. It is of course not all sunshine and fun and for variety we have the slow burning suspense of the Tractor Scene (a classic matter-of-fact JW title!) where slow threatening atmosphere is conjured up with minimal means. In the same style the slightly ominous Rain Clouds Gather (the actual main title) introduces the main theme on electric bass and the love theme on flute, both almost sullen and subdued by the foreboding as the eponymous river is seen swollen up by the rain. This is also the only piece of the score that in my opinion gives even a slight hint that it was written in the same year as Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom as the flute work here has the same mysterious, almost exotic dark quality that pervaded some of the early scenes in the Indian village in that Indy film. Young Friends Farewell presents a tender guitar dueting with the flute which rounds off the album in wistful mood, leaving us almost with a musical question mark and certainly wanting for more.
 
The River is an often overlooked little gem of a score, intimate yet full of colours and variety and shows how Williams thrives in very different musical genres and situations and is always acutely aware of the size of the film and what are its requirements. The score is a stylistic second cousin perhaps to the later grander evocations of rural Americana in Rosewood or even the flute solo moments in War Horse and just as good. Not to be missed!
 
4/5
 
-Mikko Ojala-

Here's my review of the 22 August Tanglewood concert.
I had arrived in the small town of Lenox, MA after having spent a delightful 6 days in Maine, staying with my dearest friend and MB member Ren and her family.
Jason and his fiancée Marcy were gracious enough actually get me to the concert venue.
Lenox and the whole area around Tanglewood really is beautiful. The morning of the concert I spent some time just exploring the place and found myself moved by it's serene beauty. It's a completely different environment for a concert compared to the busy bustle of Boston.
the venue itself is a mixture of stately and casual. The "barn" itself is very elegant in it's simplicity. And since tickets had also been sold for the lawn, the venue basically filled up with people dressed for a pick nick. with fold up chairs, blankets, food and snacks etc. I was surprised to not see a full blown BBQ.
MB Member Francis (Foxfan) had also arrived and picked me up on West Street. We shared an (overpriced) beer before the concert, and hooked up with Jason and Marcy shortly before the show.
The orchestra was The Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, which is sort of the "tag team" of the Boston Pops, who were performing at the Proms in London that night. The conductor for the first part of the evening was composer David Newman
The concert opened with Suite from Forest Gump. Not a piece I was really familiar with, since I had not seen the film, and haven't heard the score in over 15 years. The music was accompanied by a montage of great Paramount film. It was a very nice way to open this film music concert.
The second piece was the impressive Suite from Sunset Boulevard by Waxman, again with a montage of clips from that film. Some stunning shots there. This is a film I should watch soon.

Next up was a lovely rendition of the theme from Sabrina. That nights first Williams piece. Piano solo by Bob Winter. I've never heard anything from this score performed live, so it was really nice.

The famous theme from North By Northwest followed. I had heard this once before in Ubeda, Spain. Conducted by Joel McNeely. But the orchestra really lost it's shit there. This was a more polished performance of a really fabulous piece.

This was followed by the always welcome Theme From The Godfather. Also a piece I had heard done before. But it's just so beautiful in it's melancholy and simplicity that I would gladly hear it another dozen times in concert before i'd tire of it.

The second to last piece before the intermission was the opening scene from Star Trek Into Darkness, performed live to screen.
Fun! I've always loved the films opening, probably the closest to traditional TOS that JJ Abrams has gone, and Gia's music works very well in support of it.

David Newman's encore was a sprightly rendition of Schifrin's Mission Impossible theme. The first time I heard it in concert. Nice!

The intermission came and went and Keith Lockhart came on stage to conduct the second part, which would have been done by John Williams originally.
Lockhart opened with Theme From Jurassic Park.
Conducting it fast ala Williams, which IMO always takes a bit of the awe from it. That plus the fact that it's a piece that I've heard quite a few times now makes this one of the lesser ones of the night. Though there wasnt actually really anything wrong with it.

He then grabbed a Mike and started telling something about John Williams.

His second piece was probably my favourite of the evening. I had heard the theme from Jaws a few times, But to hear Man Against Beast from Jaws (named The Barrel Chase in the concert booklet) was a real delight. This piece was performed to picture. And even though I've seen the film countless times, the last one being just a few days ago in Maine I really loved it. Fun to see the audience reacting to the appearance of the shark and Brody's immortal line.

Next up was the "Presenting Gil Shaham" part of the concert.
World renowned violinist Gil Shaham played 4 pieces in total.
First up was Por Una Cabeza, the famous tango featured in Scene Of A Woman and Schindlers List. Well performed but nothing spectacular. I heard a better rendition by the Dutch Metropole Orchestra

Following this was Theme From Laura, by Raskin. Performed to a montage of famous screen femme fatales. Another decent but far from stand out part of the evening.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bU3HNUDg5oE
Next up came one of the highlights though. Bock: Excerpts from Fiddler On The Room, a lengthy piece performed with gusto by the orchestra and especially Gil Shaham, who did some insane virtuoso work here. Really a stunning piece which was loved by the crowd.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMAaxzVZdFg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVz4o2WqkcQ
Shaham's final piece wasnt in the program. Theme from Schindlers List. A staple of John Williams themed concerts, and film music concerts in general so one of the pieces I've heard the most. But again the delicate solo work by Shaham made it worthwhile.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiAX2kklagw
This highlight was followed by another one. Like Jason I had heard Throne Room and Finale more then a few times, but this performance really was excellent. Brilliantly capturing the celebratory feel of the piece.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsPGav89wxs
After that Lockhart gifted us with one encore. A very solid reading of The Imperial March (I knew this was coming, since i heard a brass player practising a few bars during the intermission)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKQN8fXaVI0
And then the concert was done. Francis., Marcy, Jason and I hooked up and did a little bit of post concert chatting. No drinks sadly since apparently everything was closed for the evening.
Jason and Marcy kindly drove me back to my hostel. (Lenox' serene West Street really becomes a problem when you have a thousand or so cars wanting to go home all at once)
All in all it had been a worthwhile evening with a strong concert. It didnt have the magic (for me) that my 2 Boston concerts had 2 years earlier. But that was impossible anyway without Williams conducting at least part of it. I'm glad I went, and I hope I will be able to go again with John Williams actually there.
Who knows....

Did anyone else go this in the end? It was very enjoyable.
Unlike the recent Back to Future live concert, there was no attempt to add music to scenes that Goldsmith did not score originally, save for a reprise of the first half of The Hunt cue over the end titles. All the unusual instruments that Goldsmith used were deployed by the BBC Concert Orchestra, including the mixing bowls, ram's horn (played in turn by a couple of players in the trumpet section), slide whistle and cuica drums. Admittedly some of these sounded differently pitched to those on the original soundtrack, but if I had wanted to listen to that I would have just stayed at home. Otherwise the performance was remarkably faithful to the original, with the echoplex effects replicated perfectly in the early cues, for example.
I don't think there was any amplification of the orchestra, meaning that some of the quieter cues were lost a little in the mix when the on-screen action was noisy, but it was still amazing to see and hear this all-time classic score performed live to picture. The concert was far from a sell-out (a Friday in August during the BBC Proms season was never likely to be), but those that were there seemed to really enjoy it. It was surprising how many bits of the movie got laughs; I wondered if some of the audience knew the film only through the musical version in The Simpsons, for why else would the introduction of Dr. Zaius be greeted with such howls of laughter? Spontaneous applause also broke out at the end of the No Escape cue when Chuck Heston delivers his famous "Take your stinking paws..." line, which was nice, and the standing ovation at the end was well deserved.

https://twitter.com/BBCCO/status/636586757681713152

Typically lovely English tune. Someone recently posted something from a score that quotes this (can't remember which score) and it's been in my head since then.

The whole concert is really spectacular. And after almost two weeks of being in pretty low spirits there are few better ways to feel life rush back into you.

Eric Whitacre conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in his own composition, The River Cam. The cellist is Leonard Elschenbroich.

Hey, guys – I have a treat for you!
Alcoa Premiere Theatre aka Fred Astaire's Premiere (1961-1963) was the first and only show where John Williams wrote ALL of the music for the entire run – both the first and second season. However, like so many anthology shows of the time, it was never released in any format. Same goes for the music (except the theme). So with the help of a TV collector, I got hold of 27 episodes (which is only half of what he did, but it's still a start). With some sparetime this week, I ripped some opening titles from the series to at least give you an idea of what this was about, and why it REALLY needs a proper release. Williams really got to flex his early musical muscles with all the different stories the show provided.
The audio and video quality of the episodes was mostly abysmal – which is reflected in the cues below. But it's what we have at the present time. While the opening titles only last some 30 seconds, they present the basic thematic ideas of the music in a given episode. As I hate clips with dialogue and sound effects, I only included these dialogue and sound-free opening titles – as well as a few prologues that only had vague sound, and where the music is allowed to shine on its own. There could be more 'music-only' cues later on in the episodes, but it was too time-consuming to go through everything. I'll do that later, as well as continue my quest for the missing episodes.
Enjoy!
First off, here is the theme for the series – this is the extended re-arrangement that was done for the Stanley Wilson album THEMES TO REMEMBER:
http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/alcoatheme.mp3
SEASON 1
Episode 1: "People Need People" (October 10, 1961)
Dr. Harry Wilmer has just 10 days to prove his radical method of treating violent war veterans will work.
Opening titles: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/peopleneedpeople.mp3
Full episode on Youtube
Episode 2: "The Fugitive Eye" (October 17, 1961)
Not been able to find episode.
Episode 3: "The Fortress" (October 24, 1961)
Shot down during the Korean War, Lt. Brown is held captive in a basement where the light is never turned off. They won't treat his mangled leg unless he gives his captors a confession.
Opening titles: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/thefortress.mp3
Episode 4: "Moment of Decision" (November 7, 1961)
A landowner in the 20s has odd ways of showing his dislike for his new neighbor, an escape artist.
Prologue: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/momentofdecision-prologue.mp3
In this montage sequence, we're shown the escape artist's (Fred Astaire) many performances around the world. A superb, busy piece by Williams. There are a few sporadic applauses, but otherwise the music shines alone.
Opening titles: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/momentofdecision.mp3
Episode 5: "Family Outing" (November 14, 1961)
Not been able to find episode.
Episode 6: "The Witch Next Door" (November 28, 1961)
Not been able to find episode.
Episode 7: "The Breaking Point" (December 5, 1961)
Not been able to find episode.
Episode 8: "Delbert, Texas" (December 12, 1961)
Not been able to find episode.
Episode 9: "The End of a World" (December 19, 1961)
Not been able to find episode.
Episode 10: "The Cake Baker" (January 2, 1962)
Not been able to find episode.
Episode 11: "Pattern of Guilt" (January 9, 1962)
A reporter covers a series of murders all against perpetrated spinsters.
Prologue: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/patternofguilt-prologue.mp3
The prologue describes a man sneaking into the apartment of a sleeping woman.
Opening titles: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/patternofguilt.mp3
Episode 12: "The Hour of the Bath" (January 16, 1962)
American agricultural expert Henry Detweiler is a prisoner of Vietnam under sentence of death.
Opening titles: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/thehourofthebath.mp3
Episode 13: "The Jail" (February 6, 1962)
Not been able to find episode.
Episode 14: "Mr. Easy" (February 13, 1962)
Andrew Whitbeck is bored of his successful business and decides to chuck it all and "enjoy himself".
Opening titles: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/mreasy.mp3
Episode 15: "The Man with the Shine on His Shoes" (February 20, 1962)
Not been able to find episode.
Episode 16: "The Doctor" (February 27, 1962)
Not been able to find episode.
Episode 17: "Of This Time, Of This Place" (March 6, 1962)
A college teacher's new job is made difficult by a brilliant, but uncompromising, student.
Opening titles: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/ofthistimeofthisplace.mp3
Episode 18: "Second Chance" (March 13, 1962)
One-time bronc-rider Hoby Dunlap has served his sentence for defecting during the Korean War. But when he tries to return to the rodeo circuit, he finds that his reputation has preceded him.
Opening titles: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/secondchance.mp3
If the theme sounds familiar, it's because this episode was used as a pilot for the spin-off series Wide Country (1962-1963), where Williams' theme was arranged as the series' theme. Whether Williams did this new arrangement himself, I don’t know, but it was released on an LP compilation of TV themes. You can hear the Wide Country version here.
Episode 19: "The Tiger" (March 20, 1962)
Not been able to find episode.
Episode 20: "Seven Against the Sea" (April 3, 1962)
Not been able to find episode.
Episode 21: "The Very Custom Special" (April 10, 1962)
Not been able to find episode.
Episode 22: "All My Clients Are Innocent" (April 17, 1962)
Not been able to find episode.
Episode 23: "The Rules of the Game" (May 1, 1962)
Not been able to find episode.
Episode 24: "Once a Bachelor" (May 8, 1962)
Not been able to find episode.
Episode 25: "Cry Out In Silence" (May 15, 1962)
Not been able to find episode.
Episode 26: "A Place to Hide" (May 22, 1962)
Not been able to find episode.
Episode 27: "The Boy Who Wasn't Wanted" (June 5, 1962)
Not been able to find episode.
Episode 28: "It Takes a Thief" (June 19, 1962)
Not been able to find episode.
Episode 29: "The Time of the Tonsils" (June 25, 1962)
Not been able to find episode.
SEASON 2
Episode 1: "Flashing Spikes" (October 4, 1962)
Ex-baseball player Slim Conway is accused of bribing Bill Riley, whose error cost his team a World Series game.
Opening titles: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/flashingspikes.m4a
Full episode on Youtube (in multiple parts)
For many years, this was confused as an obscure feature film in Williams' filmography. A few years ago, someone released complete audio rips of this score on a bootleg.
Episode 2: "Guest in the House" (October 11, 1962)
Fascinating and original story of a war hero turned grifter who returns to an air force buddy's life and helps his family through a crisis.
Opening titles: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/guestinthehouse.mp3
Episode 3: "The Long Walk Home" (October 18, 1962)
If high school football coach Paul Watson doesn't lose a championship game, a blackmailer threatens to circulate a certain photograph.
Opening titles: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/thelongwalkhome.mp3
Episode 4: "The Voice of Charlie Pont" (October 25, 1962)
Not been able to find episode.
Episode 5: "Mr. Lucifer" (November 1, 1962)
The Devil Himself is a hard-bitten businessman with a group of somewhat bumbling yes-men on staff and a curvy assistant in the person of Iris Haines. Together they use their best temptations in an attempt to thwart the honesty and decency of a young suburban couple.
Opening titles: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/mrlucifer.mp3
Full episode on Youtube (in multiple parts)
Episode 6: "The Masked Marine" (November 8, 1962)
A marine sergeant is irritated by a private and decides to teach him a lesson.
Opening titles: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/maskedmarine.mp3
Episode 7: "Ordeal in Darkness" (November 15, 1962)
Always independent, John Miller forges ahead despite temporary blindness. His wife, however, believes he should depend more on their teenaged son
.
Opening titles: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/ordealindarkness.mp3
Episode 8: "Whatever Happened to Miss Illinois?" (November 22, 1962)
A reporter asks that question about Miss Illinois and other losers of national contests.
Opening titles: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/whateverhappenedtomissillinois.mp3
Episode 9: "The Hands of Danofrio" (November 29, 1962)
Not been able to find episode.
Episode 10: "The Contenders" (December 6, 1962)
Three unprincipled actresses vie for the best-performance award at a film festival.
Opening titles: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/thecontenders.mp3
Episode 11: "The Way from Darkness" (December 13, 1962)
Not been able to find episode.
Episode 12: "The Potentate" (December 20, 1962)
Disquieting is the word for Stefan Tamarov's first visit to New York City. As Minister of Economics and Foreign Trade for a Communist satellite country, Tamarov has no trouble with his official duties; it's the 'little' things that bother him. His daughter Svezda is seeing an American reporter much too often, and his best friend Andreas Vrim, his country's UN delegate, has confided a few thoughts to Stefan that could be interpreted as treason.
Opening titles: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/thepotentate.mp3
Episode 13: "Blues for a Hanging" (December 27, 1962)
Ted Miller, a down-on-his-luck musician, was in a drunken fight last night, and begins to think he could have murdered a man. His loving girlfriend Connie refuses to believe this and together they piece together what really transpired.
Prologue: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/bluesforahanging-prologue.mp3
In this prologue, Ted Miller (Fred Astaire) has turbulent dreams involving jazz.
Opening titles: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/bluesforahanging.mp3
Episode 14: "Impact of an Execution" (January 3, 1963)
A doctor could persuade the governor to stay a killer's execution but he's in no hurry to do so.
Opening titles: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/impactofanexecution.mp3
Episode 15: "Lollipop Louie" (January 10, 1963)
Happy-go-lucky Lollipop Louie leaves his California fishing boat to head for the big city.
Opening titles: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/lollipoplouie.mp3
Episode 16: "The Glass Palace" (January 17, 1963)
There's trouble afoot when ice skater Vince Gallard begins to slip: a coming ice show depends on him.
Opening titles: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/theglasspalace.mp3
Episode 17: "Five, Six, Pick Up Sticks" (January 24, 1963)
After several years in Europe, a temperamental jazz drummer returns to the U.S.
Opening titles: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/fivesixpickupstick.mp3
Episode 18: "George Gobel Presents" (January 31, 1963)
Not been able to find episode.
Although it aired as part of Alcoa Premiere, this was a variety show that was otherwise independent of the series. As such, it had no Williams involvement.
Episode 19: "The Hat of Sergeant Martin" (February 7, 1963)
Marines Michael Lujack and Clinton Martin fight over women, but fight well together when it comes to Latin American revolutionaries. They're stationed in a turbulent country South of the Border during the Thirties and assigned to hunt down insurgents in the mountains.
Opening titles: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/thehatofsergeantmartin.mp3
Episode 20: "Blow High, Blow Clear" (February 14, 1963)
Doyle, a young seaman just arrived from New Orleans, is in a quandary: His friend Harlan is deeply disturbed over parental problems, and Doyle has stumbled onto something in the French Quarter which could throw Harlan - and his family - into a real spin.
Opening titles: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/blowhighblowclear.mp3
Episode 21: "Chain Reaction" (February 21, 1963)
Not been able to find episode.
Episode 22: "Hornblower" (February 28, 1963)
Not been able to find episode.
Episode 23: "The Best Years" (March 7, 1963)
Not been able to find episode.
Episode 24: "Jeeney Ray" (March 14, 1963)
When her grandmother dies, timid Jeeney Ray must move in with her hostile brother and sister-in-law.
Prologue: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/jeeneyray-prologue.mp3
This prologue shows Jeeney outside in the woods, making bird noises. Hence the brief 'chirping' in the clip.
Opening titles: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/jeeneyray.mp3
This is probably my favourite of all the Alcoa scores – so lovely and bittersweet, almost George Delerue-ian in style.
Episode 25: "The Dark Labyrinth" (March 21, 1963)
Not been able to find episode.
Episode 26: "Of Struggle and Flight" (March 28, 1963)
Karen Evans seems normal enough to her husband but now, for the second time, the Missing Persons Bureau has been sent searching for her, and this time her clothes have washed up on the beach.
Opening titles: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/ofstruggleandflight.mp3
Episode 27: "The Broken Year" (April 4, 1963)
Eric and Hilary's romance becomes filled with hatred and bitterness when she blames herself for his crippling accident.
Opening titles: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/thebrokenyear.mp3
Full episode on Youtube.
Episode 28: "This Will Kill You" (April 11, 1963)
Not been able to find episode.
Episode 29: "Million Dollar Hospital" (April 18, 1963)
Young Dr. Grant answers a medical-journal ad offering a "rewarding practice" for $1,000,000 but the run-down emergency hospital he finds hardly seems a lucrative enterprise.
Opening titles: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/milliondollarhospital.mp3
Episode 30: "The Town That Died" (April 25, 1963)
Adam Stark comes home to a decrepit town, where hostilities still flare over a prolonged strike that closed an important cannery.
Prologue: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/thetownthatdied-prologue.mp3
In this prologue, Adam Stark (Dana Andrews) arrives at and rummages through the seemingly deserted town. The prologue runs almost without sound and dialogue for an unprecedented 4 minutes.
Opening titles: http://celluloidtunes.no/non-website/alcoa/thetownthatdied.mp3

Well, actually, it's already available here.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/events/evxwhn#b064ncm2

Damn, Jonathan Newman's piece is the bee's knees!
The River Cam here may be an even more impassioned and beautiful performance than the Julian Lloyd Webber/LSO studio recording. Cloudburst is still best represented by the Polyphony/Layton recording I think. Here it's a bit rough around the edges.
The Gershwin is great, but it's that arrangement I'm less familiar with. I grew up with the Bernstein/LA Philharmonic recording which it seems is not standard.
Copland's music is wonderfully suited to Whitacre's conducting style. I appreciated Quiet City more than I have before, charmed by Copland's ability to write "unassuming" music that doesn't intrude on the mind of force itself on the listener, but makes its points subtly and eloquently.
Equus is a cool piece, particularly since it's a rare venture for Whitacre into high-energy territory, but that lyrical theme has always been a little iffy for me - too much of an amalgam of various film theme tropes? But he explores it in a satisfying way beyond the main statements, and it's a compelling piece.
Deep Field is the highlight for me, not surprisingly. It's great to hear it again and to be able to relisten. Here he's going beyond his melodic comfort zone and getting more textural in a very interesting and personal way. Truly awesome music. More proof of the immense potential this guy has. Maybe he'll continue to tackle these larger scale pieces now that he's established himself with small choral and instrumental gems.
Throughout, the RPO, soloists, and choirs are predictably very fine. And I think Whitacre's abilities as a conductor have really come into focus. I'm eager to see what he does in the future both on the podium and off. time to move into films, Eric!

Bad for his back.

The London Philharmonic Orchestra will be releasing a recording of this concert on their own label as a 2-CD set. It was a really classy film music concert, so I will definitely be ordering this (even if they have misspelled Bernard Herrmann's surname on the CD cover!).
http://www.lpo.org.uk/recordings-and-gifts/4521-cd-genius-of-film-music-1960s80s.html?utm_source=mail2&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MKT%3A%20enews%20August%2015&source_no=9740
The long, world premier suite from Alex North's Cleopatra is reason enough for a purchase, but I also loved the stuff from Mutiny on the Bounty.

Fifty Miles of Desert from The Eiger Sanction.

PBS has uploaded John Williams rehearsing/recording the theme to youtube:

Formidable!

This year's French National Day celebration in Paris ended with John Williams' Finale from E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, as the culmination of an amazing fireworks show from the Eiffel Tower. More than half a million people attended the nearly 3 hour concert and fireworks show, which included a repertoire of classical, opera, pop, and film music.
Watch the E.T. Finale here:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2y0uoj_feu-d-artifice-du-14-juillet-2015-le-final_tv
Full show:
http://www.france2.fr/emission/le-concert-de-paris/diffusion-du-14-07-2015-20h56
The 'Skyfall' song can be found at 2:15:40.

He was probably losing his voice after spending the day screaming at the LA studio musicians in exasperation at their sheer lack of versatility.
When he says, "May the force be with you" and points at the camera, you can almost see the blind fury in those octogenarian eyes!

He was probably losing his voice after spending the day screaming at the LA studio musicians in exasperation at their sheer lack of versatility.
When he says, "May the force be with you" and points at the camera, you can almost see the blind fury in those octogenarian eyes!

He was probably losing his voice after spending the day screaming at the LA studio musicians in exasperation at their sheer lack of versatility.
When he says, "May the force be with you" and points at the camera, you can almost see the blind fury in those octogenarian eyes!

He was probably losing his voice after spending the day screaming at the LA studio musicians in exasperation at their sheer lack of versatility.
When he says, "May the force be with you" and points at the camera, you can almost see the blind fury in those octogenarian eyes!

Thanks for the report, Damien!

FYI, this was performed this week at the Hollywood Bowl (with David Newman conducting the LA Phil) - the fact that it hasn't been mentioned on this board is no longer a surprise - Here's some related interviews, reviews, photos and videos:

PRE-CONCERT INTERVIEWS
Why Back to the Future Composer is writing new music for the film Back to the Future gets new music in a live Hollywood Bowl performance for its 30th anniversary CONCERT REVIEWS
Silvestri's score performed by L.A. Phil to cheering crowd, by Jon Burlingame What it's like to watch 'Back to the Future' with new music, with 16,000 people The Biggest Back to the Future Screening Ever VIDEOS

Bob Gale's introduction feat. Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson etc, and Newman conducting the BTTF Theme (starts at 2:30)

'85 Twins Pine Mall

Skateboard Chase

The Clock Tower Scene

Some excerpts including the final minutes (with Silvestri's music replacing the "Back in Time" song)

The same arrangement with the full end credits, at the Royal Albert Hall:



PHOTOSAlan Silvestri and David Newman






Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Donald Fullilove and Claudia Wells:

Finally, proof that there is a god and that his name is His Most Serene Highness Sir John T. Williams III:
http://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/raiders-of-the-lost-ark-live/default.aspx
12th March 2016 at the Royal Albert Hall, two performances from which to choose. Now please excuse me while I