Tom
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Posts posted by Tom
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Was the program for the second round of concerts the same as the first?
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Given the press announcement for the brass piece, I would say a recording and release of this piece is close to certain. As for the other piece, we will have to wait and see even the performance details. However, a concert piano/orchestra piece by Williams is a sort of holy grail for me. I hope that press release is accurate.
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Pieces like this and that for the brass ensemble make me glad that Williams has semi-retired from movie-scoring and has the time to do them.
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I look forward to your report. I have high hopes that this is a longer, concert-hall type piece, but I welcome any new Williams piece.
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Excellent! Hopefully a member can attend the concert and give to us a report.
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Shouldn't an announcement of this be on the main page?
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It is implied. It seems exceedingly doubtful he would travel to DC to conduct only one piece and not have arranged it.
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Well, that sounds pretty cool. My first thought was that this will not be a new version, but the one we have had for years now. But, if it involves an chorus, it will have to at least be a revision of the existing wind band arrangement.
I think this is the third year in a row Williams has conducted a piece at this concert.
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My memory could be mistaken, but I could swear that I did see it. On top of that, I seem to remember watching it on broadcast television, for whatever that is worth. It was around the time the original Star Wars score was placed in the vault at the library of congress. I remember thinking that if Williams changed it now, they would have to reopen the vault.
Either way, it seems certain that it will not happen now. Lucas seems to be done messing with the OT.
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I do not have a link, only a memory, so this post is more or less useless. However, I distinctly remember a video interview where Williams did discuss the possibility of inserting the Imperial March in A New Hope. I think he even specifically mentions Vader's entrance into the Blockade Runner. He mentions that Lucas had discussed the idea with him and he was open to it, but there were no definite plans. I want to say that the interview was in conjunction with Episode II or III. In the same interview, Williams mentions that Lucas was talking about adding scenes between Vader and the Emperor in A New Hope.
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I don't know how the myth holding that Williams convinced Lucas to have an original score even got started. If Williams was talking to Lucas in the first place, then it would already have been decided to have an original score. You do not hire a double Oscar winning composer to "pick" classical pieces, particularly when you are already over budget.
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The vast majority of his fanfares, if not all of them, are written for a celebratory occasion. The details on this one are sketchy but it does not seem as event-driven. Given this, plus the fact that every member of the ensemble is a top person in the field, I could see Williams going for something a little different than a straight fanfare.
Then it again, all of this is pure speculation, so who knows?
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I hope they have given him leeway to create a longer, concert-style piece, instead of just a short fanfare. But anything is better than nothing.
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Thanks. I think Williams' revisions show that he has an invested interest in this piece, which is a good thing.
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Being my favorite Williams work, I can say that this is the third revision of the Cello Concerto.
Do you like the changes? I am guessing the second revision is found in the DSO recording; I think I caught that one on one of their Encore broadcasts, but I cannot remember the details. How significant are the changes from the second to third versions?
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When did he rewrite the beginning of the Cello Concerto? I don't like it. It's a work I'm ambivalent towards on the best days, but the new beginning sounds so indifferent as opposed to the brass that used to open the work. It's a little too unassuming, especially compared to the theme that the cello opens with.
This was the first time I heard this version as well. I miss the original opening but liked the changes as a whole. The concerto seems to have a better overall arc this way. Plus, the first and fourth movements have some really nice passages that were not there before.
btw, the description of the concert given was just downright insulting to Williams "Description:
For some, this is a guilty pleasure like few others: John Williams conducting his own works. Time to make some popcorn!"
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Perhaps this is just my lower middle class naivete speaking, but cannot the composers, who are all millionaires, just front the damn cash themselves? It is pocket change for them.
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While not a direct quote, Yoda's departure from Kashyki (whatever the spelling) seems to be an homage to the ET departure.
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I hope Williams has the time to write the piece this spring/summer, so that he does not have to rush it after Star Wars and any other movies that might come up. If I remember correctly, he had to quickly write Tributes after the Phantom Menace score. Then again, that is one of my favorite concert hall pieces, so maybe quick writing is a good thing for Williams.
and in honor of Seiji (it takes a minute to get entertaining):
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Hmmm...sounds like JW doesn't know that they're making episodes 8 and 9 for Star Wars? Or were they talking about Book Thief?
It was a really nice interview. I think Jim jumped contexts by going from Star Wars VII back to the Book Thief in terms of his sequel joke. I think Williams himself was not quite sure what he was talking about at that point.
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I thought I heard 2014, but you are right, he clearly says 2015. So whatever event he has in mind, it is not this year. Weird.
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It is, of course, pure speculation at this point, but if he wants Ozawa to conduct, my guess is that it would be more of longer concert-type work like Tributes versus a short fanfare or such. I would love a concerto for orchestra. Given William's love of Tanglewood, I would expect a heartfelt piece, whatever it is.
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I mentioned this is the KUSC thread, but perhaps it deserves its own thread: in that interview, Williams mentions that has been asked to write a piece for the 75th Anniversary of Tanglewood in 2015, which he hope to do and have Seiji Ozawa conduct. I could see him going any number of directions with this. At least we should be able to catch it on the broadcast of whichever concert it is performed.
As mentioned below, this is confusing, as this anniversary has already come and gone. I guess we will have to wait and see what he is talking about. -
Toward the end of the interview, Williams mentions that he has been asked to write a piece to commemorate Tanglewood for the upcoming season and he intends to do it. A lot of possibilities for such a piece.
Suggest me some JW!
in JOHN WILLIAMS
Posted
I agree with the above. I would add the horn and tuba concertos (quite frankly, you should listen to all the concertos). My highest recommendation goes to the Memoirs of a Geisha Suite for Cello and Orchestra, which can be found in Sony's "Music of America" series. It draws from the themes of the soundtrack but develops them into a very satisfying standalone piece.