Martinland

It's our lot in life.

Thank you so much for posting this, Maurizio! <3 I'm suffering from severe wanderlust sickness right now (the opposite of home sickness, I'm afraid) since we spent so much time in Milano that we already felt at home, riding Numero Uno back and forth, et cetera - I even woke up the first morning here in Austria thinking I'm still there. Anyway, yesterday we finally experienced this nice recording in a proper way: I have to agree with @SteTorino - as he told us in his Torino studio 24 hours after all those amazing events - that this performance is *very* different and in a *distinct* Italian style. (vibrato and phrasing especially) I still quite clearly remember the rendition Williams conducted with the London Symphony in 1996. That one was kind of an "official" version, so to speak, very close to the original recording with Perlman but a bit less on the yiddish side as far as vibrato is concerned. In Vienna in 2020, Williams chose to conduct Remembrances instead, which I found quite refreshing. Now, this version from La Scala is something entirely different: A complete new interpretation that lets you experience the piece in a totally different way and by doing so grips you anew emotionally. Wonderful, exciting, and memorable! P.S.: I would really like to know how Anne-Sophie Mutter felt about De Angelis' interpretation during the concert, as it is removed quite a bit from her own style of playing...

LOL - Only now do I see @SteTorino, @Burtie, and his father Alan engaged in lively conversation at the bottom. Great! \O/

Welcome to the John Williams forum, Stefano, finalmente! \O/ We are reluctantly leaving Milano right now... ...after having spent two hours (!) in Caffeteria alla Scala yesterday, in the only "palco" at the bar, hehe (writing letters and relaxing and breathing memories of those eventful 8 days in Grado, Milano, and Torino): For some magical 5-10 minutes we were even the only guests in there... *sigh* P.S.: ...or sitting at the glass corner of London cocktail bar Kilburn (how very appropriate, see below, hahaha) afterwards and watching soccer madness unfold right next (!) to us:

Thank you, thank you so much again! <3 Yours was a very special surprise and this very poster will find an equally special place at home - in Martinland... I will never forget that - thanks and greetings to your brother as well! *hug*

Nice, Sir Brother! By the way: After 20 (!) years we finally paid a visit to Stefano in Torino (we did meet yearly in Grado on summer vacations, thankfully) at his music studio where you can see him in front of his retirement plan in the form of some ~40 year-old vinyl records he bought around 11 years old ... and I am so very happy to finally having been able to gift him with a close encounter he was waiting for almost his whole life. He in turn showed us around beautiful Torino. Thanks Stefano! O/ P.S. Hopefully you will join us here on the forum after your initiation, Stevie!

He doesn't work, he breathes; it's his oxygen, he said so himself, right?

Me and her just say: Meraviglioso!

We were there too at the SAME TIME!!! Now we are on the rooftop bar next to the Duomo!! Let's meet up! *wink* *wink* *nudge* *nudge*

Still can't sleep ... beautiful sunrise here in Milano.

Nice pic ... and me, I woke up just now after 3+ hours and can't sleep. Good luck w/ your train... O/

Nice! There are so many around here, it's crazy ... I could tell you though where we end up soon-ish.

Oh, nice! We're close by at the IBIS Milano Centro.. P.S.: (I think)

...and I, on the other hand, just met (!) a friendly, white-haired member of the Filarmonica string section [EDIT: just watched the RAI news clip: he plays third stand of the first violins] by pure luck (!!) while we were waiting for the (belated!) old tram line Numero Uno near La Scala, as he was entering an eatery after today's rehearsal (I "recognised" him by his violin case) ... had a nice little chat with him (!!!) and hope to see him again tomorrow. Then, after riding that old tram, all hell break loose on the streets because of ... Morocco winning a game or something. /o\ Plus the Christmas vibes on top of all that; it all feels pretty ... unreal.

Just spotted two IMMENSELY large RAI broadcasting trucks near La Scala -(that were *not* there yesterday) just so that you know...

That is a really good question, thank you! If he can't make it here for whatever reason, I will ask him for sure; he has more than enough equipment to do so and for him it's no big deal.

Maurizio: Nice, thank you so much - count us in! At least the two of us, me and Romy, hopefully Stefano can make it from Torino via train as well! P.S.: Is there a chance that Emilio might turn up? I even brought my first edition copy of his Williams biography with me, to get signed by him...

Yes, it was nice indeed and great to meet you too out of the blue - believe it or not, I have shown your avatar to the woman in my life long ago, as it is radiating so much joy, but this late afternoon I was frantically trying to find it in the forum archives but I failed miserably and was hoping you would reply soon. \o/ See you later, my friend. o/ P.S.: By the way, we are nearly on your picture from the Vienna debut as we were seated down there next to the woman in the dark dress left of your right shoulder, if I am not mistaken...

...and Stefano, my long-time musician friend from Torino, who operates a professional sound/music production studio there, was full of praise about your quite musical edit.

Incredibile!

Yes, I know, I've been there too today; no comparison to Vienna... But I did meet one fellow forum member in front of La Scala box office by recognising him thanks to his former forum avatar from Vienna! \o/ /me waves Details at "Maurizio's" bar on Monday...

Mille grazie, Maurizio! We just enjoyed this in our hotel room in Grado on the way to Milano (on the way to Torino)...

Whoever did it should be ashamed of him- or herself, so who cares?

Indeed. I will go there, a nice morning stroll through Milano..

Alrighty, we are roughly 16+ by now - one or two long tables like in Vienna would do nicely... *hint* *hint*