Stempel

Music on Vinyl will release Yo-Yo Ma Plays the Music of John Williams (June 23) and the original soundtrack album for Lincoln (July 7) -the latter as part of their At The Movies     collection. The same label was responsible for the vinyl edition of Memoirs of a Geisha last year (discussed here), as well as Seven Years in Tibet, released last December.
YO-YO MA PLAYS THE MUSIC OF JOHN WILLIAMS

 
Yo-Yo Ma Plays the Music of John Williams is a 2002 album of John Williams compositions performed by Yo-Yo Ma and the Recording Arts Orchestra of Los Angeles.
The album celebrates its 15th anniversary this year and is now finally available on vinyl for the first time. A 4 page booklet with an extensive story written by John Williams is included.
 
180 gram audiophile vinyl PVC protective sleeve Includes 4 page booklet 15th Anniversary Unique collaboration between John Williams and Yo-Yo Ma Available on vinyl for the first time!  
http://www.musiconvinyl.com/catalog/yo-yo-ma/plays-the-music-of-john-williams
 
ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK - LINCOLN (BY JOHN WILLIAMS)

 
John Williams composed and conducted the score of the 2012 American epic historical drama film Lincoln, directed by Steven Spielberg. The score was recorded by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Chorus.
 
180 gram audiophile vinyl PVC protective sleeve Gatefold sleeve Includes 8 page booklet OST of the multiple award winning 2012 movie by Steven Spielberg Music Composed by multiple award winner John Williams First time on vinyl! First pressing of 750 numbered copies on Union Blue vinyl  
http://www.musiconvinyl.com/catalog/original-soundtrack/lincoln-by-john-williams
 
ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK - SEVEN YEARS IN TIBET (JOHN WILLIAMS & YO-YO MA)

 
The music of Seven Years in Tibet is composed by American film composer John Williams. He has won 5 Academy Awards, 4 Golden Globe Awards, 7 BAFTA Awards, and 21 Grammy Awards for his musical work. Classical cellist Yo-Yo Ma is featured on the title theme and on most of the instrumental tracks plus there are several tantric excerpts from the Tibetan Gyuto Monks.
 
180 gram audiophile vinyl Includes 4 page booklet with track listing, credits and photos from the movie PVC protective sleeve Music by John Williams, Cello solos by Yo-Yo Ma First time on vinyl First pressing of 1000 individually numbered copies on snow white vinyl  
http://www.musiconvinyl.com/catalog/original-soundtrack/seven-years-in-tibet-john-williams
 
 

I hope the success of this album ensures another round via BSO and Lockhart in the future.

Yeah but if you are doing the TFA suite at the end of a full concert then it makes sense to finish with the End Credits!

The performances are really great and vibrant. While its terrific to hear Stargazers for the first time but I still prefer the OST version of ET & Me. The Towering Inferno and The Patriot are quite wonderful and for me the show stealers. Dracula and Midway material are also very enjoyable. This is a great compilation cd and kudos to Lockhart for doing a great album.

Also, "Reunion and Finale" from Sleepers, where have you been all my life???  I thought this score was all modernist dissonance...

I hate to say that, but Lockhart's version is superior to Williams's one!

Wow! It is a fantastic album!
 

I had no expectations for this album, so I discovered it with no particular idea in mind...  I'm not a fan of Lockhart's albums, but let's give a chance to the runner....        
 
Surprise....Oh wow! Three times wow! 
 
What a great produced album! Congratulations to Keith Lockhart, this album is truly great! This will surely be the best selling album of all his career. The album is ALL good, but the gem is really Stargazers: just wow!      
 
This album is truly a great companion to the 3 Spielberg/Williams albums. Add the 1990 Star Wars Trilogy CD, recorded digitally by Williams, to this set and we have a perfect starting kit for any future fan, almost a best-of!
 
I really can't wait for a volume 2! 

See, I don't generally care about having the C&C albums on vinyl.  On vinyl is where OST programs shine for me.  I have the original '81 Raiders album on vinyl and it's wonderful.  I love to make a cup of tea (or a drink if it's the evening), and the ritual of pulling the record out of the sleeve, placing the needle, and lounging looking at the wonderful big artwork.  It's a very satisfying listening experience!  I've also always loved the concept of splitting up albums into these digestible chunks (sides), especially for older soundtracks that were programmed with sides in mind.

Doug Adams recently shared on Twitter this JVC ad with Williams which I had previously been unaware of:

Oh boy.

Regarding the discussion about "War of the Worlds" several posts ago, I should point out that Erich Kunzel did record "Escape from the City". This was a companion track on the digital release of "Great Film Fantasies" from 2006, which also included music from the "Star Wars", "Harry Potter" and "Lord of the Rings" series. Those were all on the CD release, and both the "War of the Worlds" and "Batman Begins" tracks were iTunes exclusives.

I'm a bit disappointed that Williams didn't record the full three-movement "Lincoln" suite as was performed with the Boston Pops in 2013. Lots of material missing from the two "Malice Towards None" tracks, making it difficult to replace the OST "Peterson house and Finale" with a more definitive version on my playlist.
 
Here's hoping Keith Lockhart records the full thing in two weeks, in addition to the full JFK suite, the Patriot concert arrangement, something from AI, maybe some Prisoner of Azkaban concert arrangements, Spacecamp, Monsignor, and of course, new recordings of 60s and 70s scores for which we only have "hissy" recordings.

There's also a peppy arrangement of "Fascinatin' Rhythm" penned by JW in the 1960s album Rhythm in Motion:
 
 

'S Wonderful, yes! Another great Gershwin's song recorded by the Maestro!

George Gershwin (September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was and remains one of the most successful and utterly American composer of all time. 
 
It is not surprising that John Williams recorded and arranged some of his best works!
 
I will take this opportunity to again go back in time and dig into John Williams's discography, as we celebrate this year the 80th anniversary of Gershwin's death.
 
 
Manne–That's Gershwin!
In 1965, John Williams handled the musical direction, arrangements, and orchestrations of Shelly Manne's LP Manne—That's Gershwin! In 2002, Steve Houghton re-recorded those arrangements. For this "remake," Houghton formed a quintet (with trumpeter Clay Jenkins, altoist Dan Higgins, pianist Stefan Karlsson, and bassist Lou Fischer) and utilized the University of North Texas Two O'Clock Lab Band. The musicians interpret the ten selections from the original album (which includes a few combo pieces) plus four additional quintet performances, with all of the music being by George Gershwin. Highly recommended.
 
 
Manne–That's Gershwin! (1965, Capitol Records, T-2313)
Arrangements and Musical Direction by Johnny Williams.
 
 
(Released in 1965, Capitol Records, ST-2313, Stereo)
 
 
(Reissued in 1984, Discovery Records, DS-909, Stereo)
 
 
Steve Houghton Quintet - The Manne We Love: Gershwin Revisited (2002, TNC Recordings, CD-1713)*
Concerto Intro; By Strauss; My Man's Gone Now; Mine; Love Is Here To Stay; Summertime; Real American Folk Song; The Man I Love; Prelude No. 2; How Long Has This Been Going On?; Concerto In F; Soon; Love Walked In; Plenty O' Nuttin'; Lady Be Good.
* You can buy this album here: https://www.tncmusic.net
 
 
Love is here to stay
“Love Is Here to Stay” is a song written by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin for the movie "The Goldwyn Follies" (1938). It reached popularity in 1951 when it was sung by Gene Kelly to Leslie Caron in the film "An American in Paris". In 1984, John Williams recorded it with the Boston Pops Orchestra and the american opera singer and recitalist Jessye Norman.
 
 
With a Song in My Heart (1984, Philips, 412 625-1; Norman, Boston Pops O/Williams)
Falling In Love With Love; In The Still Of The Night; Spring Is Here; I'm Old-Fashioned; A Sleepin' Bee; I Love Paris; The Song Is You; I Love You; Love Is Here To Stay [Featuring John Williams (p)]; All The Things You Are; Love Walked In; With A Song In My Heart.
  (Released in 1984, Philips, 412 625-2)
  (Reissued for digital download in 2014, Decca)
 

An American in Paris
An American in Paris is a jazz-influenced symphonic poem written in 1928. Inspired by the time Gershwin had spent in Paris, it evokes the sights and energy of the French capital in the 1920s and is one of his best-known compositions. John Williams recorded it with the Boston Pops Orchestra in a 1990 tribute album called "Pops by Gershwin", as well as some others Gershwin's most memorable works, like the famous "Rhapsody in Blue".
 
 
Pops By George: The Music of George Gershwin (1990, Philips, 426 404-2; Dichter, Boston Pops O/Williams)
An American In Paris; Suite From Porgy & Bess; Selections From Girl Crazy; Rhapsody In Blue.
 
 
 
(Released in 1990 "Pops by Gershwin", Philips, 426 404-2)
Strike up the band
Strike Up the Band is a 1927 musical with a book by Morrie Ryskind, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and music by George Gershwin. It ran in Philadelphia that year, unsuccessfully, and on Broadway in 1930 after the original book by George S. Kaufman was revised. The story satirizes America's taste for war: America declares war on Switzerland over a trivial trade issue. The overture is often performed as a stand-alone concert work. John Williams recorded two versions of this overture, both with the Boston Pops Orchestra. The first one for the 1980 album "Pops on the march" and the second one, for the 1991 album "I Love A Parade".
 
 
I Love A Parade (1991, Sony Classical, SK 46747; Boston Pops O/Williams)
I Love A Parade; Midway March; Washington Post March; Seventy-Six Trombones; El Capitan; South Rampart Street Parade; Semper Fidelis; Liberty Bell March; Colonel Bogey March; Strike Up The Band; The Thunderer; Hands Across The Sea; King Cotton; Pops On The March; Under The Double Eagle (Unter Dem Doppleladler); The Stars And Stripes Forever.
 
Fantasy for violin & orchestra on Porgy and Bess
Jascha Heifetz asked George Gershwin to compose a violin work, but the composer's early death prevented what would no doubt have been a fruitful collaboration. Whether Alexander Courage's 'Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra on "Porgy and Bess"' is "as close as we can get to the violin concerto Gershwin never wrote," as Joshua Bell says, is certainly a point for debate. Courage, composer of the original 'Star Trek' theme, was asked by conductor John Williams to assemble the fantasy and the result is a showpiece for violin which uses eight songs from 'Porgy and Bess.' The work is a successful vehicle for the soloist: Bell's Stradivarius sings as he glides through the passagework with ease.
 
 
Gershwin Fantasy (1998, Sony Classical, SK 60659; Bell, London SO/Williams)
Fantasy For Violin And Orchestra On Porgy And Bess; Three Preludes [Featuring John Williams (p)]; Songs For Violin And Orchestra; I Got Rhythm; Embraceable You; Nice Work If You Can Get It; Liza; But Not For Me; Sweet and Low-Down; Love Is Here To Stay.
 

First time poster here, long time lurker.....
 
I just had to create an account to admonish you all!  Nobody here remembered "America, the Dream Goes On!"  Shame on everyone!! 
 
Seriously though, my favorites songs are probably "The Long Goodbye" and "If We Were in Love."
 
 
 

Added "My Inamorata" and "Big Beautiful Ball" from NOT WITH MY WIFE YOU DON'T, which I for some inexplicable reason forgot (it being one of my favourite JW soundtracks and everything).

Nice To Be Around
The Long Goodbye

There's no such piece as "Yub Nub a.k.a. Ewok Celebration". The title of the piece is "Ewok Celebration", and it was composed by John Williams.
 
My favorite Williams song is probably "Star of Bethlehem", followed by "Nice to be Around".

I love the new Album!

I watched the documentary several days ago. I really loved it. Sure it told all the same old stories, but they do always add a couple little details that I hadn't heard before. Plus I just love seeing JW and Spielberg rave about one another. Perhaps because it's a departure from all the cynicism of politics and such. Just so optimistic, joyful, and wonderful to see two vibrant personalities like that together, having a good time.
 
I love the sense of place Bouzareau establishes right from the start with the opening shots of Royce Hall. It's really the next best thing to actually being there for those two days. It's so rare to get this much high quality video of JW conducting.
 
Perhaps my only complaint would be that I wish we'd gotten to see him conduct longer bits of the works. However, I'm still very glad we got this and I thought it was very well produced. Didn't want it to end!
 
In terms of the CDs, I've heard assorted bits of the first two in the past but never owned them, so I'm listening to them straight through right now. I'd never ever heard Always, for example, so it was good I was introduced to that, and there were several other scores that I had barely heard that I'm getting re-introduced to. It's great. A mix between discovery and a lovely walk down memory lane of some of my early JW favorites.
 
A moment I really fell in love with while listening was this (among others in the piece!), from a piece I don't believe I'd ever heard before:
 
 
Talk about kickass! 
 
(actually, this is Williams, right? - I did notice that some excerpts used aren't him, such as the Rakes of Mallow and Hooray for Hollywood)
 
I love "The Adventures of Mutt" by the way. So fun and energetic, even at this album's tempo.