Tom
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Posts posted by Tom
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In the KUSC interview, Williams mentions with a bit of enthusiasm that he had been asked to write a piece and he hoped to do it. Without knowing what he has left to do for SW7, the timeline involved, and his overall health, it is all conjecture, but I think he will write a piece for Tanglewood. His history with and admiration for the program is significant.
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Another possible consideration is that of Williams's concert works. We know he intends to write a concert piece for some Tanglewood event for the late summer. Perhaps he wants to compose a larger piece than just a 4 minute fanfare and wants a couple months to pour into it.
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I remember seeing an interview with him around the time of the SEs. I cannot remember who it was with, but Williams mentions that he was most concerned with capturing the rhythm and beat of the piece (victory celebration) more than anything else. I do not think he addressed the melodic line.
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Stylistically it's very different from other sw music, but thematically it fits right in; the main motif of the piece is derived from Luke and Leias theme
Wow, I didn't realize that...
I did not realize that either, but now that it has been pointed out, it is obvious. That is crazy.
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I know that JJ said he had not seen an edit of the film. I do not think this was truthful, or he was playing with semantics. It is safe to think that there has existed a rough cut since November and Williams has seen it. Perhaps he has subsequently received updated reels throughout the process has well.
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The difference between the orchestras would be minimal. I think it unlikely that a Los Angeles studio orchestra for the prequels would have made much of a difference one way or the other. If it is easier on Williams not to travel, then he has earned the right not to travel. He will assemble his longtime collaborators in LA and it will sound great.
that being said, my favorite SW main title recording is with the more contemporary LSO on the Hollywood Sound album.
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Mark Griskey (composer of Star Wars Force Unleashed 1 & 2 and The Old Republic) said that John Williams had already written the themes for the movie before Christmas. I'm guessing he's well on the way to finishing it now surely.
Considering that the Empire is going to play a large role in the new movie, think Williams will use The Imperial March? or is it too suggestive of Darth Vader?
I think it's safe to say we can expect Main TItle, Force Theme, Rebel Fanfare, Han Solo and Princess Leia, Leia's Theme, Luke and Leia's Theme.
That timeline makes sense assuming that Williams saw a rough cut in November when he recorded the trailer. That would also mean he is likely nearly done composing the score. He probably is going to begin working on the Spielberg pic and take a break from that to record SW7 when the LSO schedule permits.
I say finish scoring the Spielberg film and record them both with the LSO.
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I think his minor health issues boiled down to needing a bit more time to score episode 7.
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Probably due to what David Hume calls the "Association of Ideas," which for him is a way of saying the association of various sense perceptions. Thus, we might associate a given smell with a childhood memory or such. We associate space with emptiness and a solo flute with solitude--Williams cements this connection in SW. Big brick buildings we might associate with royal music or cathedrals with sacred music, etc.
More than just the big picture connections, we might associate certain sonic groupings and approaches with smoothness, roughness, jaggedness, etc. The connection, then, with various architectural designs could naturally flow from these associations.
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My guess is that Abrams has asked Williams to score the film more in the style of ROTJ than the prequels, given both Abrams's love of the OT and the fact that the film follows ROTJ. In terms of the score/concert pieces, I would expect 3-5 concert pieces like what we got with the OT and TPM.
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I have no musical training and enjoy Williams's film music over his more atonal concert pieces. However, I find the latter engaging in their own right, particularly the concertos. I like, but do not love, Conversations. The movement that I like the most is the last piece which captures the birth of stride. It is nice but leaves me wanting a fully-developed stride piece.
Interestingly, I like much more the scherzo for piano and orchestra, even though the piano idiom is similar to these pieces. Perhaps it is the more tonal orchestral aspect that enhances my appreciation. I remain hopeful that the scherzo turns out to be a movement to a larger concerto. Either way, I find it touching that Williams is returning to his "home" instrument in his later years.
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I suppose that is a leap, though he did go for it in the 70s. I would be happy for a documentary of the recording sessions themselves. I guess we are fortunate to have the BBC documentary that we do, though it would be nice if it were professionally released.
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I suppose I am making an inference. In the interview (maybe the one with Brian Williams, but not sure) I was referring to, Williams says that he cannot compose all day like he used to do but only 6 hours a day. If he equated two minutes of writing with a full day, then surely he writes less than two minutes with a half-three quarters day. Either way, it doesn't really matter. The important thing is that he is still composing.
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Thaxton is as good of an unconfirmed source as we are going to get. It seems reasonable that Williams was shown at least a very rough edit in mid-November. Williams has publicly stated that he no longer is able to write the two minutes of music a day he once did. I think Abrams et al are going out of there way to provide him with as much time as possible.
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In order to refresh memories, remember that Williams composed an excellent concert version of the main themes.
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Great to see the whole Geisha suite being performed
I second that. I had the privilege of hearing the premier at Tanglewood several years back. I have hoped it would be programed into classical concerts somewhat regularly as a concerto-like piece. It has yet to do so, but concerts like these help that cause.
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As for the new work, we had a discussion about this last year on some thread I cannot recall. Williams mentioned in some interview that he had been asked to write a piece for a Tanglewood anniversary in 2015 and that he hoped to do it--it looks like it will happen.
Edit: here is the thread: http://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=24250&hl=tanglewood
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For each of the prequels, the initial spotting sessions occurred in mid-late October and the scores recorded in February. If indeed a spotting session occurred around the time of the teaser recording, which would make sense if a rough edit was done, a March recording would fit the timeframe of the prequels.
I would not be surprised if the score were to be recorded in March (particularly with the Spielberg movie in place for the late summer) and maybe some pickups done via Skype or such in the fall, but who knows.
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For anyone going to any of these performances, I have a question. I was watching the movie a couple days back and noticed both a few scenes without any score and those with source/pop songs. I wondered if Williams might have created some cues just for the live performances that might fill in the some of longer silent stretches or add orchestral versions of the pop songs. If you notice anything, please pass it along.
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I think you are reading too much into that blurb. The average listener does not know the difference between the main theme and force theme. I am guessing the theme used will the latter, though the orchestral buildup could very well involve the main theme.
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A new full orchestral piece? That sounds good!
I think it means the music goes from the flutes solo to full orchestra. Not a new composition....
Well, I would say almost by definition it is a new composition. That being said, it will be a very short piece most likely using only existing themes.
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Who would have foreseen that Williams' most beloved score in his twilight years would be a kids' flick about a damn horse?
anybody who has seen ET.
John Williams salutes Nancy Knutsen at this year's ASCAP Founders Awards
in JOHN WILLIAMS
Posted
In all seriousness, that is as about as healthy and vigorous as an 83 year old man is going to look--not to mention mentally witty and sharp.