Matthias

Reflections on the concerts performed by John Williams with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra on March 12 and 13, 2022. The article also features an essay by @Miguel Andrade
 
https://thelegacyofjohnwilliams.com/2022/03/15/john-williams-in-vienna-2022/

I agree. The same red light was also showing during the Emil Berliner Studio / Accentus production of Smetana's Ma Vlast in Bamberg. This tech really looks like something bought off a sand crawler. ;-)
 
Smetana: Má vlast – Direct-to-disc recording, Limited edition – Bamberger Symphoniker, Jakub Hrůša | ACCENTUS Music
 
It's just fun speculating!
 

 

Just been looking in to that direct-to-disc process. It's fascinating really, stripping it all back to how it used to be. I know we're jumping to conclusions based on stickers on a door  but... it's cool to think something interesting might be coming. 

Excellent, thanks!
 
I see a red light! 
 

Yes, you’re right. I think what upsets me is the general attitude of people who think they know ‘how something should be’, and then don‘t accept that other people might feel differently. That’s the kind of impression that review left on me a little bit.

I'm always looking around.
Here, I spotted the glockenspiel and the rest of the percussion after the concert...😊
 

 

 
 
 

The biggest ones with whooing and all were after Hedwig, Throne Room, Flying and of course the Imp March. Funny that the latter with its repetitive ostinato opening almost seems designed to accomodate the audience's surprise clapping when they realise what it is, without really losing anything of worth under it!

The solos were great for the most part and principal flutist Karl-Heinz Schütz was gleefully attacking every phrase, not just the solo parts. I guess I was trying to say that the second half had a lot of heroic, full tilt brass and maybe playing with the dynamics and the balance would've brought out more orchestral details in some pieces. E.T. was probably my personal highlight - just beautiful playing all around! 
Anyway, it was a fantastic concert! 
 
The concert critics are just taken aback by the frequency of the standing ovations. Don't make too much of it, they just live in a different bubble than us. 
Consider on the flip side that some JWFanners have accused the Saturday audience of lacking enthusiasm, because there wasn't a standing ovation every time. I'm pretty sure that the program was structured in such a way that there wasn't supposed to be long applause inside of the Harry Potter, Indiana Jones and Star Wars blocks, which is why JW after some pieces didn't really turn around to acknowledge the audience on Saturday. 
 
Steude as concertmaster was a definite upgrade, otherwise it was also pretty much as good as it gets (though the lineup for the first concert was also good). Schütz, Schorn, Dervaux, Lenaerts, they are all great. I didn't see the horn section well from where I was sitting... was it Janezic messing up the horn solo? If so, we can't complain there either, because he's the best. 

The solos were great for the most part and principal flutist Karl-Heinz Schütz was gleefully attacking every phrase, not just the solo parts. I guess I was trying to say that the second half had a lot of heroic, full tilt brass and maybe playing with the dynamics and the balance would've brought out more orchestral details in some pieces. E.T. was probably my personal highlight - just beautiful playing all around! 
Anyway, it was a fantastic concert! 
 
The concert critics are just taken aback by the frequency of the standing ovations. Don't make too much of it, they just live in a different bubble than us. 
Consider on the flip side that some JWFanners have accused the Saturday audience of lacking enthusiasm, because there wasn't a standing ovation every time. I'm pretty sure that the program was structured in such a way that there wasn't supposed to be long applause inside of the Harry Potter, Indiana Jones and Star Wars blocks, which is why JW after some pieces didn't really turn around to acknowledge the audience on Saturday. 
 
Steude as concertmaster was a definite upgrade, otherwise it was also pretty much as good as it gets (though the lineup for the first concert was also good). Schütz, Schorn, Dervaux, Lenaerts, they are all great. I didn't see the horn section well from where I was sitting... was it Janezic messing up the horn solo? If so, we can't complain there either, because he's the best. 

Here's a 7ish minutes long bit from Austrian TV with excerpts of what seems to originally have been a longer interview (overdubbed in German) - though it's probably region blocked outside Austria:
https://tvthek.orf.at/profile/kulturMontag/13886866/kulturMontag/14127980/John-Williams-Von-E-T-bis-A-I/15127069
 
The most relevant info is when he mentions that after going back to LA and before starting on Indy 5, he's going to finish Spielberg's latest film "which doesn't have a title yet". I guess nobody bothered to tell him…

Got nothing else to do, so I did some research: First possibility is, this "direct to disc" note is already on that door for months like the "TELDEX" sticker and has nothing to do with this concert in particular.
Second possibility is DG realized people throwing so much money at them with Williams releases, they'll have to take it to the next level and milk the cow even more:
Deutsche Grammophon sold these "Mastercut editions" here for example: https://www.deutschegrammophon.com/en/catalogue/products/carlos-kleiber-archival-tape-edition-no-2-12611
I can't remember at what price these were sold for but I think well over 200€?
 
Found this review on these editions on YT if you're interested:
 
Who knows, maybe we'll see something like this released, maybe not.

Holy sh*t
 
Emil Berliner Studios...
Direct to Disc.
 
https://emil-berliner-studios.com
 
 

Young(ish)er players overall. Which some here will again complain about as a supposed snub towards Williams; others even before the concert saw it as a reason to expect a better rehearsed performance.
 
 
That reminds me of something that I thought myself (and that I think I've been subconsciously thinking for a long time, but the concert made me more aware of it): Why will I never be a huge fan of the Superman march? It's nice and all, and I'm happy enough to hear it live, but it'll never be one of my favourites in pretty much any programme. And I think the reason is that it's just so overloaded, orchestration wise. There's lots of little flourishes and counterpointish bits that you can barely make out on CD, but in a live performance, you just hear a big mass of brass and percussion, sometimes woods, but almost no chance to make out anything from the strings aside from the ostinato - not even in Berlin with its extra transparent acoustics. It's a conscious decision, surely - the march was written just a year after Star Wars, the previous big main title march, where you can make out every relevant detail. But it certainly has an impact on its enjoyability, especially live, for me. The brief horn chorale of the love theme in the middle, performed by the Wiener horns, but glorious though (and the bit I was actively looking forward to).

I see your (or her) point on volume vs. refinement, but I do think there were lots of moments of wonderfully musical, ‘refined’ playing: The horn solo (Saturday’s flub notwithstanding) in Leia’s theme, the gorgeous soaring strings in E.T. or the passionate way the celli and horns sang Fawkes’ theme together… Definitely not just the flute. 

Sure, Superman sounded more like “Solti” than “Szell”, if you will, but I really don‘t think that piece benefits from being played too lyrically anyway. But different people have different preferences of course, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong or right with either way of interpreting.
 
That part of the review confused me as well. I have no idea what this kind of journalism does for anyone. Is she trying to make fun of the plebs who don‘t have good taste in music? Or is she just sincerely surprised at how joyfully the audience applauded? 

Review in Wiener Zeitung:
https://www.wienerzeitung.at/nachrichten/kultur/klassik/2140736-Alle-lieben-John-Williams.html
Another classical music critic somewhat alienated by the standing ovations. 😅 I do slightly agree with the point that a little bit more refinement and a little less volume would've been beneficial. But that's complaining on a very high level. 
 
It can mean both, depending on the context. It's a little odd that both used the same term, though. Makes me second-guess a little bit.
After all, DG has to find a way of releasing this without bastardizing its other products. So maybe an initial vinyl-only release with a later general release isn't impossible. 

Did the rumor of vinyl-only arise from the fact that the percussionist said 'Schallplatte'? Because that word - strictly speaking - means vinyl record, but colloquially it also includes CDs and other media. As PetePan said, this just means a recording is being made!
 

Review in Wiener Zeitung:
https://www.wienerzeitung.at/nachrichten/kultur/klassik/2140736-Alle-lieben-John-Williams.html
Another classical music critic somewhat alienated by the standing ovations. 😅 I do slightly agree with the point that a little bit more refinement and a little less volume would've been beneficial. But that's complaining on a very high level. 
 
It can mean both, depending on the context. It's a little odd that both used the same term, though. Makes me second-guess a little bit.
After all, DG has to find a way of releasing this without bastardizing its other products. So maybe an initial vinyl-only release with a later general release isn't impossible. 

I compared them with the video on YouTube and noticed quite some different players. 
At least the first violin player (concert master), the second flute, which was a woman in 2022 and I guess also the timpani player (or he got bold really quick...😅). In fact the timpani player in 2020 now was the percussionist stating there will be a schalplatte....

In the Netherlands we also say that a band makes 'een nieuwe plaat'.
But that as well is a general reference to vinyl, CD, or even streaming. 
 

 
Ps. Interesting note on the door: 
Please put phones into fly-mode. Direct to disc...
 
Something to do with interference?

The recording engineer I spoke to also only said ‘Schallplatte’. I’m from Germany, where that word really only refers to a vinyl record. @Matthias, if you say in Austrian German it’s a general way of referring to CDs etc., all the better! 

Did the rumor of vinyl-only arise from the fact that the percussionist said 'Schallplatte'? Because that word - strictly speaking - means vinyl record, but colloquially it also includes CDs and other media. As PetePan said, this just means a recording is being made!
 

Did the rumor of vinyl-only arise from the fact that the percussionist said 'Schallplatte'? Because that word - strictly speaking - means vinyl record, but colloquially it also includes CDs and other media. As PetePan said, this just means a recording is being made!
 

Multiple forces are still trying to make it happen!

The descriptions of the Star Wars Episodes follow the same logic as the Parterre row numbers in the Musikvereinssaal.

Hotel Imperial March 2022