Steve

Almost 5 hours of Boston Pops footage (I think 5 episodes of Evening at Pops) Evening at Pops with guest Andre Previn, playing the 1st movement of Gershwin's piano concerto

I'm sure we will get a great documentary but I also expect most people here to be disappointed with it. I doubt that we will get so much new material we haven't seen before. But lets see.

Didn't find a better topic for this and since it is the same newspaper: I came across this very old article while doing some research on Williams' concert at the White House in July 1985. The writer doesn't seem to be impressed by Williams. "(..)Williams did use the occasion to promote his own music, but he did not make the mistake that had been made July 4 in an all-Bernstein concert conducted by Leonard Bernstein. At no point did the audience have to wonder what was going on or why. Williams' music is not really better than Bernstein's, but it is more appropriate for an audience that is picnicking on the grass. Williams is a technically competent but not very imaginative composer, at his best when his invention is stimulated by the images he must accompany in a movie sound track. His music is not out of place on Pops programs, but yesterday he played rather a lot for a concert that lasted only an hour. Among the Williams pieces performed, the "Olympic Fanfare and Theme" and the "Cowboys" Overture sounded a bit like watered-down Copland, but they are pleasant, undemanding music and were well applauded (...)" https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1985/07/15/the-patriotic-pops/169290e9-d94b-4245-8cd9-6b53a1529faa/ Here is a photo from that event: https://www.upi.com/News_Photos/view/upi/b1f7539155315a7c0402ca6877b63088/Nancy-Reagan-Thanks-Boston-Pops-for-Performance/

This would be great. Hopefully not only a 20 minutes documentary but 2 hours or more. We. Need. This.

I think he hasn't written a song in quite some time.

Maybe Williams told the VPO that they need a better composer than him for the fanfare?

Nice podcasts, Thor. Thank you for your work! I found an interesting quote about his TV work in an old newspaper article from the time when Williams started with the Pops: "I composed for at least 200 hour-and-a-half segments of TV anthologies like Playhouse 90 and Crysler Theater from 1958-1964. " https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1928&dat=19800429&id=cgYgAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kGQFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1255,5148843

Yes, he also did the one from the OST.

We need the full video of John performing the fabelmans theme, without voice-over!

Well, maybe that is an old myth, e.g. Chicago Symphony having the best brass sound. In the end it is often a matter of taste. I've yet to hear a more powerful and precise brass section than the Berlin Phiharmonic though.

What is the real definition of "Americana" by the way? I think the term is often used in a wrong way. Wiki says "Americana, as defined by the Americana Music Association (AMA), is "contemporary music that incorporates elements of various American roots music styles, including country, roots-rock, folk, bluegrass, R&B and blues, resulting in a distinctive roots-oriented sound that lives in a world apart from the pure forms of the genres upon which it may draw. While acoustic instruments are often present and vital, Americana also often uses a full electric band." I don't hear that in Private Ryan tbh.

Never heard the score before except for "Dry your tears" and "The long road..." which I like a lot, but saw the film. Can't wait to add another part to my Williams collection

Yes it depends. A Hook re-issue wouldn't be a "new" release, would it? I'd be happy with something like "The man who loved cat dancing" or so. An Oliver Stone box is not possible because of the differnet labels or did I get that wrong?

It's his 90th birthday year. So they better have a great announcement coming!!

My hope is that someone will make one when the maestro is still alive. We need more in-depth interviews with the man himself, not the usual journalistic mainstream we heard thousand times. Especially the early years 1955-1965 need a bit more coverage, since there is very little information about this era. As discussed before, maybe Spielberg could make an interesting documentary with all the videos he shot during recording sessions. I'm sure there are tons of interesting videos in his archives.