ConcertAttendee

Just when you thought you knew everything about John Williams. I didn't know he got his start scoring adult films. I didn't even know they spent any budget hiring composers. How much of John Williams' "boom-chicky-wow-wow" music is being withheld from being properly expanded on CD? (Yes, I know he meant to type 'funky.' Mostly...)

When this title was first announced, I was like hmmmm, there can't be that much new stuff here. And now after listening to that podcast, so very excited about this. That solo piano version of In The Moonlight has me very excited about disc 2. And with all the additional unreleased tracks on disc 1... wow! A gorgeous score that is about to get the best imaginable expanded edition possible. So very appreciative of the team that puts these releases together! As a John Williams fan, I sometimes feel very spoiled.

Thank you Jay! So these were mentioned in the forum before and I missed the posts? So you're saying I need to visit the forum more often? Thanks again.

I remember because of this forum, somebody shared that the Vienna Philharmonic had released the concert version of Fawkes the Phoenix in Nov of 2022. I returned to iTunes to see if they released a full album, and noticed that they released a concert version of "Sound the Bells" in Dec of 2022 and more recently a concert version of "March of the Resistance" in Feb of 2023. I know that Jay does an outstanding job of listing all the forthcoming albums, but didn't see a good resource for these smaller releases. So was just wondering, am I missing forum posts about these releases? Is there a good way to find these new small song releases. I tried searching for John Williams 2023 and that didn't really work. I was just wondering how people on this board keep track of these small releases as they appear, and if there are others that have slipped past my notice as well.

That is very exciting news! I wonder if one is the Fabelmans soundtrack release or he is only referencing projects that he is personally involved with.

Seven Years in Tibet is masterful from beginning to end. I wish the movie were better. So happy he adapted Elegy from this soundtrack, hands down my favorite piece that he presents in concert. This was a fun poll.

I know. I went to their site because of this thread. And then saw it listed right on the home page. And was like "Wow, they released it a day early" and went to the page but it was only an Add to Wish List button instead of order. So I went back to the homepage to see if they mentioned it was "Coming Soon" and then thought I should go back and get a screengrab, but then it resolved to an error. I would imagine they are preparing to release this info in social media any minute though since it was all prepared.

Yes, it was at this page https://lalalandrecords.com/saving-private-ryan-20th-anniversary-limited-edition/ which is still in my history. But now displays a page not found error. They must have been getting it ready for tomorrow. I wish I could remember what the description said, but thought the mention of the album master having some clean up by Mike M might make some folks happier??? Mentioned that the film versions were sourced from another source like the digital files or something or other... I wish I had a better memory. But I am sure they will be posting it soon enough.

I just went to the lalalandrecords site and saw the page for Saving Private Ryan and then it was immediately taken down. The track listing was: The Original Album tracks. Followed by two additional tracks: The Film Version of "High School Teacher" which was only like 4 and a half minutes (vs. 11:03 on the original album) and The Film Version of "The Last Battle" which was like a few seconds longer than the original track so like 8:03 instead of 7:57. Description mentioned that Mike M did some clean up of the original masters.

I would love to see 1) The Coen Brothers do a full on horror movie ... Music by John Williams 2) Wes Anderson do a classic but quirky western (Bill Murray as the sheriff) ... Music by John Williams 3) Quentin Tarantino do a picture set in medieval times ... Music by John Williams

I recently downloaded the Tanglewood premiere of Markings from a link somebody shared from YouTube. I also downloaded the May 12, 2016 concert performance by John Williams on the Boston Pops website, as well as the My Fair Lady concert and the James Taylor concert they had available for download on their website. Another on the top of my head is the Scherzo for Piano and Orchestra World Premiere that somebody on this forum shared a link to. But made me realize there are probably a LOT of performances online that I am not aware of. Before I go scouring google for some, I thought I would start a post so others could share their favorites. And when I find something of note, I will contribute as well. I am not interested in any that would be breaking copyright laws or the like, but items available on websites by the proprietary owner or that are on YouTube through legitimate circumstances. Anyway thought it might be a fun topic. Maybe Bespin can start a new catalog of online recordings. So I found a couple other fun things on the BSO website... The premiere of Just Down West Street from 2015 in a nice edited mp3 (just the song, not whole performance) http://bso.http.internapcdn.net/bso/podcasts/images/mp3/tmc75/1_Williams_JustDownWestStreet.mp3 And then the full concert recording of the premiere of Markings. Apologies if these have been shared before. http://streams.wgbh.org/online/clas/bso/bso170716.mp3

That wonderful bit of music that plays when R2D2 and C3PO jettison from Princess Leia's ship in an escape pod in the original Star Wars. I remember moving the needle back on my record player and listening to that small bit of music over and over again.

Just wanted to share for North America based John Williams fans... Both the River Blu-Ray and Angela's Ashes Blu-Ray are listed as Region B, but they play just fine on Blu Ray Players in the US. I just bought both films from Amazon.com, because the listing said they were region free. When I received them the back said Region B, but I put them in my player and they played just fine. Not sure if the Region code means anything anymore? Or if some manufacturer of discs just list Region B on the packaging but they aren't really? I don't know. But if you are interested in owning these two movies on Blu Ray, they will work.

If I had known my post would be featured as a story on the main site as a review of the concert, I would have at least proofread it once before submitting it. (sorry for all the typos. insert embarrassed smiley here) As far as the Cowboys arrangement, it sounded new. The one I am most familiar with is from the Boston Pops albums and clocks around 9 minutes. This was over 12, with an extension using all the major themes from the film, with long portions devoted to the music from "the Ranch" and "A Sad Day" that weren't in the original arrangement. The Close Encounters arrangement is the same from the Boston Pops that he has played several times before. The noticeable difference is he trimmed it down by removing some of the discordant section (most noticeably the portion where the instruments sort of slowly wind down like they are deflating). It entered into the prettier Close Encounters themes a lot faster than in the more familiar arrangement I've heard a hundred times before. So my recollection of these arrangements are from his previous concert album releases from the late 80s and 90s, so he could very well have been playing these arrangements in other concert performances more recently, that I have just not heard before. I have not attended all that many John Williams concert. (Though I would be thrilled to attend every single one if I could afford to do so.)

I was lucky enough to attend this concert. The Oregon Symphony was wonderful, first time I've heard them, but just an oustanding symphony. Portland should be very proud. John Williams also commented that it was the first time he had ever performed in Portland. Most notable comment he made, when introducing the music to E.T., he mentioned that he was asked a couple months ago to revisit the film and music for his approval. Add that bit of insight to any speculation on what John Williams-related release may be in the works. He mentioned watching the film and in particular the acting from the kids in the movie. So made me think it might be a new Blu Ray release rather than a new soundtrack release. Here is the program and I will make comments on the evening for those interested. WILLIAMS The Cowboys OvertureThis was a very long piece, much longer than any version I've heard before. A very wonderful opening played without introduction. WILLIAMS Excerpts from Close Encounters of the Third KindOne of my favorite Williams scores. This was a slightly abbreviated version from the longer piece that has appeared on some of the Boston Pops recordings. I have heard this music thousands of times, and this piece in particular, and it did not disappoint. Such a gorgeous piece of music, and the Oregon Symphony did a great job with it. WILLIAMS Three Pieces from Harry PotterHedwig’s ThemeNimbus 2000Harry’s Wondrous WorldThis is where Williams first addressed the audience. He introduced this music to thunderous applause. If there was one section of the night I would say the performance wasn't the best, it would be here. I love the music from Harry Potter, but the music here lost some of its power. I thought including Nimbus 2000 after Hedwig's Theme was an odd choice, since it is just a variation on Hedwig's theme done on the wind instruments. It was sort of repetitive to hear back to back. Also, maybe he played Nimbus 2000 in other concert performances, but made me wonder if he was recently listening to the Harry Potter score again and really liked this theme from the soundtrack, and wanted to play it again in his concert repertoire. What I also found amusing was that you could tell he wanted to play the three pieces back to back, after Hedwig's theme he was positioned to go right into Nimbus 2000, but the audience anticipated the end of the first piece and began applauding. His body language showed a bit of... annoyance might be the wrong word, but it definitely showed he was not planning on stopping, but he motioned to the orchestra to wait and turned to accept the applause. There was a tendency for the audience to begin applause before John Williams signalled that the piece was over. If it sounded like the music was coming to an end, the applause would start, even if John Wiliams was still gesturing to the orchestra, so a little annoying but I think it bothered me more than it did him. He anticipated this for the rest of the evening and adapted. WILLIAMS Adventures on Earth from E.T. The Extra-terrestrialWilliams addressed the audience again, and spoke as mentioned above about reviewing this film recently. He then made the comment about how if it weren't for the score to the movie there wouldn't be a movie. The audience laughed and John Williams said that it didn't come out quite how he intended, but played it up with another comment like "Now let's listen to the music without the distraction of the film." Which got another big laugh. This is another piece that I have heard so many times, but again, just like Close Encounters, just thrilled me to hear it again. Though he said he was playing the full version from the film, there was one edit shortening the time of the bike chase to the "saying goodbye" portion. But the performance was stellar nontheless. Intermission Uh oh... somebody is practicing the Indiana Jones theme... spoiler alert for an upcoming encore. SCHWARTZ/DIETZ, ARR. WILLIAMS That’s Entertainment!I thought this was an odd choice. Played with no introduction. But John Williams had the biggest grin on his face during this piece. Made me wonder if he just loved this kind of music and arrangement. If this is what he listened to at home. This was a much longer arrangement than what was played on the old Boston Pops album with a lot more instrument variation and playfulness. It ended up being a joyous piece. WILLIAMS The Book ThiefI loved this score even if it sounds a little disjointed at times. And I loved hearing it performed love. Just beautiful. GARDEL, ARR. WILLIAMS Tango from Scent of a WomanBing Wang, violin There was a little break as the stage was rearranged for Bing Wang to take the stage. There was no introduction. The performance wasn't quite up to par with Itzhak Perlman's from the Cinema Serenade album, but very fun to listen to. Audience laughed during a couple portions, most notably at the violin "plunk". BOCK, ADPT. WILLIAMS Excerpts from Fiddler on the RoofBing Wang, violinA very long and wonderful arrangement of the Fiddler on the Roof score. Bing Wang didn't have much to do during the first part, but the latter half was arranged to highlight the violin in several sections. It was the longest arrangement of the score I have heard, and it was probably the best performance of the evening. Bing Wang really shined during this. There was a tremendous standing ovation after this piece. A massive standing ovation, which led to the night's first encore. Encore: WILLIAMS Schindler's ListBing Wang, violin We were treated to Bing Wang staying on stage for the Schindler's List theme, which she made her own. Very moving. In fact afterwards, the audience took a while to build up their applause. The beauty of this piece really affected the energy in the audience, and you could feel them trying to regain themselves from the somber mood. This was also one of the rare points where Williams addressed the audience talking about his long work history with Spielberg, and told an anecdote about watching the first cut of Schindler's List with Spielberg and mentioning to him that he needed a better composer than him for this outstanding movie, and Spielberg responded "Yeah I do, but they're all dead." This got a big laugh. WILLIAMS Three pieces from Star WarsImperial MarchYoda's ThemeMain TitleWilliams introduction to the Star Wars pieces also drew great applause much like Harry Potter. John Williams mentioned now working with JJ Abrams who he said was very young and he would try his best to keep up with him but said he would most likely NOT be doing another six Star Wars films. I have heard these pieces played live several times before, and the Oregon Symphony really hit the ball out of the park. They did an incredible performance of all three of these pieces. And even noticed some audience members who were rather stoic throughout the evening, smiling and nodding their heads during these pieces, most notably during the Main Title. Another highlight. The standing ovation after these pieces was amazing! This led to first of THREE encore pieces. The first time I have seen three encores at a Williams concert. Encore #1: Williams Lincoln Williams introduced this piece highlighting the outstanding performance by Daniel Day Lewis. He also mentioned that most people in the audience probably have not seen the film but urged people to do so. He introduced the piece as the music he wrote to accompany Daniel Day Lewis' reading of the 13th ammendment. It was an odd choice for the encore, but I knew there must be a second more rousing one, especially since somebody was practicing the Indiana Jones theme earlier. And sure enough after more thunderous applause we received... Encore #2: Williams Raiders of the Lost Ark End Titles This was played with no introduction, and the audience applauded like they were at a rock concert when they recognized the very familiar theme. I have never heard this at a concert before, but John Williams seemed rather amused by it. It was the full on end credits piece with Marion's theme, and was a wonderful encore. The audience bursted into a HUGE standing ovation. We thought it was over. but... Encore #3: Wiliams The Mission Theme from NBC Nightly News When he signaled he would do one more, some audience members actually burst out into shrieks of delight. This last encore got an introduction from Wiliams. He talked about NBC commissioning him for the piece, and when he turned it in, he asked if they would ever play the whole thing. They told him it was a little long, but maybe on a slow news day they would. He made a joke about with Tom Brokaw and Brian Williams reading the news, there never was a slow news day, so we were to be treated to the full piece. (I actually know they did play the entire version on the news when it was introduced, with film of John Williams conducting but...) The audience laughed when they recognized the tune. And laughed more during the first portion of the piece. It was the first time during the evening that the nerd fan that I am wanted to turn to the audience and say "Shoosh!" The audience simmered down during the stirring string portion of this piece and it was an even better encore, very satisfying conclusion. A very long standing ovation. John Williams came back out on stage two more times and finally made his now signature "I'm sleepy" gesture and left the stage. All in all, a tremendous concert!

Superman's Theme - Main Title or End Title... This is just an amazing piece of music. I could see the potential of somebody coming up with a "better" theme to Star Wars or Raiders of the Lost Ark... a longshot, granted, but I could see that potentially happening in a hundred years, a thousand years... but listening to the Superman Theme again... I would go so far as to say it is the best marriage of theme to character ever in the history of music, and would say that nobody in a million years could find a better theme for that character. (And Superman is not my favorite John Williams score, top 10, but not my favorite.)

Barry's Kidnapping. Definitely. Still after all these years. Followed by Auschwitz-Birkenau

Super happy you did this. AND that you are updating it. Thanks much. Good to see I am not the only one who is keeping a John Williams on Blu Ray collection. Bummer about some of them being Japanese and European releases only. Presumed Innocent I heard has a good transfer on Blu Ray, but I have heard that Witches of Eastwick was a horrible transfer. At least on the double disc with Practical Magic. That's one of my favorites too. I hope it gets a better release someday.

A.I. is the score I find myself getting depressed listening too. Love the score, but does not make me happy listening to it. It should be Schindler's List... but there is a hope and joy in that music to balance it out. A.I. I just find dark and depressing throughout, even with the pop vocals at the end.

That is awesome news. Hopefully Munich is next.

Just found this on Amazon... and thought I would share in case there were others who collected Blu-Rays solely because John Williams composed the music. http://www.amazon.com/Far-Away-Blu-ray-Digital-UltraViolet/dp/B00HEEAM8A/

The reason I ask , is I have the release above. But wondering if I am missing out on any new music not available on the version I have that is being released on the new Intrada release. Thanks, and sorry for my confusion.

You know what completely goofed... My question should have been... is there any difference between this new release and the Space Camp / Yes Giorgio release back in 2004. Here is the back cover of that release. 15 tracks instead of 14. Different track titles, different lengths. But overall, approx. the same total time of music.

I was wondering if anybody knew if the new Intrada release of SpaceCamp that was just announced, is different from the Japanese Limited Edition release? I know the titles of the tracks are different, and the lengths of the tracks, but does one release contain music not on the other release? Or is it all the same music just re-organized? Limited Japanese printing, only 1000 copies distributed. Track listing 1. Main Title (03:14) 2. Training Montage (02:04) 3. The Shuttle (05:08) 4. The Computer Room (01:59) 5. Friends Forever (02:25) 6. In Orbit (03:17) 7. White Sands (06:58) 8. SpaceCamp (04:12) 9. Viewing Daedalus (02:49) 10. Max Breaks Loose (02:26) 11. Andie Is Stranded (04:13) 12. Max Finds Courage (02:24) 13. Re-Entry (04:00) 14. Home Again (03:32) Total Duration: 00:48:41 Intrada Release Time = 48:32 01. Main Title 3:07 02. Training Montage 2:00 03. The Shuttle 5:02 04. The Computer Room 1:54 05. Friends Forever 2:20 06. In Orbit 3:12 07. White Sands 6:52 08. SpaceCamp 4:06 09. Viewing Daedalus 2:45 10. Max Breaks Loose 2:21 11. Andie Is Stranded 4:08 12. Max Finds Courage 3:53 13. Re-Entry 3:55 14. Home Again 3:30

I saw the concert on Saturday night. After the performance of the Memoirs of a Geisha suite, the cellist and John Williams received a very long and loud standing ovation from the audience. He came back out and did an encore performance of John Williams' "Elegy". Which ended up being one of the highlights of the concert, a very beautiful rendition. At the end of the concert, after the "E.T. Suite", the audience exploded into a loud and long standing ovation again, and were treated to the "Imperial March" as an encore. This was followed by another standing ovation, and John Williams came out two separate times for a bow. And the audience seemed to get louder and louder, with hopes that there would be one more encore (we were a very greedy audience) and John Williams made a gesture of being sleepy by resting his head on his folded hands and left the stage. Overall the concert was outstanding. The love theme from "Vertigo" in the first portion of the evening was another standout performance, just a beautiful, beautiful, haunting piece. The selections chosen were a complete potpourri of different styles and it was very interesting. I agree with one review where the orchestra did seem to perk up for the second half for the John Williams' composed music, which all sounded terrific. The percussion sounded a bit too overbearing at times, and I would like to have had them softened. There were a couple moments where I was snapped out of the music by thinking that they were just too loud, stampeding over the other instruments. John Williams did seem to be quite tired by the end of the concert. During the first half of the concert he spoke on all the pieces, but was so soft spoken that if somebody moved in their seat three rows down, you couldn't hear what he was saying. A pity, since it was a complementary examination of each of the composers featured in the first half, who he referenced as his personal favorites, and playing selections from what he considered their best scores. It was a nice insight into what John Williams considers great film music. Absolutely loved the show, as did my entire family who attended with me. It made me want to travel more to see his other performances. Does anyone know if he ever performs up in the Northwest? Has he ever performed in Seattle, WA, Portland, OR or Vancouver B.C.?