Cerebral Cortex

I was inspired by Thor's recent post about the discovery of an archived JW interview at WGBH's Open Vault website.
 
I explored the website further, an was *very* intrigued to find that pretty much the entire "Evening at Pops" series is listed on the website, albeit, not yet transferred for digital preservation.
http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog?f[access][]=All+Records&f[series_title][]=Evening+at+Pops
 
As we know, many BPO concerts throughout John Williams' tenure as conductor were video taped by WGBH and broadcast on PBS. There are a few episodes of the series that despite my enduring longing for, haven't surfaced from old VHS transfers on YouTube or any other video sharing website.
 
There is an option on each episode's individual page to request a digitisation, and so having selected an episode I'm particularly interested in, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_A34026CAA5AD4A419C44812A0583BDA5 (this is where the orchestra and the TFC perform 'Duel of the Fates'), I wrote a polite email as to how to get the process started, and perhaps with some luck, even realised.
 
I got the following response:

 
I know the response is a bit vague; but I think the bottom line is that there will be costs involved in any case.
 
My question to all the good people on this forum is whether it might be worth (if indeed some or all of you are willing) to start a crowd funding campaign to raise the funds to have some of these episodes digitized? The respondent claims the obstacle isn't so much funding, but the rights clearance, so first they have to determine (with the $60 fee) if they have the rights to make it available.
 
How many of you would be interested in putting forward some cash to see what's possible?
 
Cheers!
 

It would seem the best way these days is to play the Star Wars theme outside his house. 

Don't have time to watch now but hopefully will tonight. I'm sure it's beautiful. Wonderful that JW was there; can't wait to see it. 
 
EDIT: Looks like from the live stream that Williams is now conducting "Main Title" (the concert arrangement) as well. 

John Williams and the Orlando Philharmonic gave a surprise performance at the Star Wars Celebrarion opening panel celebrating the 40th anniversary of Star Wars!  They started with "Princess Leia's Theme" as a beautiful tribute to Carrie Fisher, then the "Main Title" (and the concert suite that usually follows it), and ended with "The Imperial March", concluding the panel at the same time.  Lucas called Williams the "secret sauce of Star Wars", haha.
 
Performance starts at 9:30:
 
 
Here it is from the audience's perspective.  The crowd's reaction to Williams is chillingly epic.  He literally needs no introduction!
 
 
Wonderful surprise!

While you're at it, could you ask him why he doesn't write choral music anymore? Thanks.

It would seem the best way these days is to play the Star Wars theme outside his house. 

11. Daisy's of our Lives
12. Three's Company (Poe's Theme)
13. 'Only I Will Score You!'
14. Daised and Confused
15. The Baton Scene & Finale

For the sake of his health, Williams must never see this picture.
 

Forget the choir, Williams is making his debut as a vocalist in VIII!  I got my hands on the leaked tracklist:
 
1. For Daisy
2. Rey's Theme (Vocal Version)
3. Luv U Daisy
4. Will U Be Mine?
5. He's Finn-ished, Rey
6. How Do You Feel About Turtlenecks, Daisy?
7. You Stay Away From Her!!! (Kylo Ren's Theme)
8. I Can't Quit You
9. She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not, She Loves Me
10. Fresh as a Daisy

I might just be saying this because I'm a fanboy, but honestly I think DD's characterization lost something when Williams left. A lot of the calm gentleness of Harris's more memorable moments arguably owes a lot to the music (Erised, Love Harry, Fawkes), and I think Williams brings out a lot of the "twinkly" charm and light wisdom that comes across for me with Gambon in 3....the "Happiness can be found" line with the comforting but mysterious Double Trouble on recorders, or "Secrets of the Castle" under the short musing on dreams. The fluidity of Cuaron's camera helps too of course. I dunno, Dumbledore lost a certain expressiveness in the films after that.

Fly, you fool!

Here's some fun Zelda 19 BOTW stuff
 
https://twitter.com/i/moments/846743400686800897

Doubtful.  The only SW themes these trailer composers seem to know are the Force theme and the Imperial March.  

It's always so surreal to me to look at a cue list for a classic score like that. All that great music just broken down into a daily to-do list.
 
I wonder when it hit each of them that they were recording something special. I know by the end of the first day I would have been excited to go back again and hear what else was coming, but I wonder when the scope of the thing would have begun to register. "Princess Leia's Theme" on the second day? "Burning Homestead" on the third day? I imagine "Throne Room" and "End Title" to begin the sixth day would have sealed the deal.

As we all know, the 1997 Special Edition OST 2CD set presented us with the complete recording sessions of the iconic Main Title on the last track of CD1. As we all know also, the sound quality of these separate takes is better (MUCH better, I think) than the final version presented on track 2 of the same CD1. I believe that some of you have already toyed with the idea of creating a version using the selected takes (18, 19 & 20, which the 1997 OST booklet  dutifully informed us). So, to celebrate the 40th anniversary, here's my modest contribution (and the correspondent track from the 1997 OST for comparison). It was no easy task putting this together. In the end, it made me respect the work of music/sound editors, and EVEN MORE the work of music/sound editors of the analog era. Hope you like it!
 
 
 

I think it looks great - a mix of the first two movies' Thor "grandeur," with the camp level turned way up.
 
Only way I see Guardians in it is the use of the Led Zeppelin track.

Thanks for the report, @DominicCobb! 

I'm sure it was a refreshing question after what he's usually asked. "Is Luke gonna have a lightsaber fight with his green lightsaber!?!"

Yes, very cool and very real (and I know, very hard to believe, for myself included!). I initially wasn't going to ask him anything at all (obviously there's so much he can't say and so much I wouldn't even want to know until I saw the film anyway), but I had to just ask something about the experience of it all, and I knew that for me getting to work with JW would be the most absolutely insane aspect of it all and probably the most rewarding thing as a Star Wars fan (in my opinion). So yeah, it was awesome just to get a sense from him what it was like, he just seemed really honestly enthused about it (he wasn't just blandly saying that JW is great or whatever, his eyes really lit up when I mentioned the name) and about working on the film in general. 

https://zeldauniverse.net/2017/04/07/symphony-of-the-goddesses-returning-to-uk-planning-cd-release/