Maglorfin

In this topic, there has already been some speculation about WP seating on JW concerts and we had a good chat of our own with @Marian Schedenig so I decided to ask my friend who plays double bass in the orchestra (and also played in both JW concerts). He told me the following: I don't know, we always play in this [i.e. American] setup when we're touring and sometimes also in the Musikverein, depends on the programme/project. I think Williams didn't care about the setup we play in.
 
After Saturday's concert (which I attended), he also told me that the orchestra loved this project and working with JW who "was very nice to everybody" and that he - the bass player - rewatched E.T. before this project "to remember it all". He pointed out the unprecedented reaction of the public which, so he said, "we've never experienced before, regardless of either conductor or venue". They had three rehearsals with Johnny before Saturday. During the intermission I also spoke to percussionist Thomas Lechner (he played the timpani in JW concerts) whom I also met some 10 years ago and he told me basically the same thing - couldn't sing enough praise to the project. He told me he totally remembers how he cried at the end of E.T. when he was a kid and that being able to play all this music with the Maestro himself at the helm is (was) for him a huge privilege.

In this topic, there has already been some speculation about WP seating on JW concerts and we had a good chat of our own with @Marian Schedenig so I decided to ask my friend who plays double bass in the orchestra (and also played in both JW concerts). He told me the following: I don't know, we always play in this [i.e. American] setup when we're touring and sometimes also in the Musikverein, depends on the programme/project. I think Williams didn't care about the setup we play in.
 
After Saturday's concert (which I attended), he also told me that the orchestra loved this project and working with JW who "was very nice to everybody" and that he - the bass player - rewatched E.T. before this project "to remember it all". He pointed out the unprecedented reaction of the public which, so he said, "we've never experienced before, regardless of either conductor or venue". They had three rehearsals with Johnny before Saturday. During the intermission I also spoke to percussionist Thomas Lechner (he played the timpani in JW concerts) whom I also met some 10 years ago and he told me basically the same thing - couldn't sing enough praise to the project. He told me he totally remembers how he cried at the end of E.T. when he was a kid and that being able to play all this music with the Maestro himself at the helm is (was) for him a huge privilege.

In this topic, there has already been some speculation about WP seating on JW concerts and we had a good chat of our own with @Marian Schedenig so I decided to ask my friend who plays double bass in the orchestra (and also played in both JW concerts). He told me the following: I don't know, we always play in this [i.e. American] setup when we're touring and sometimes also in the Musikverein, depends on the programme/project. I think Williams didn't care about the setup we play in.
 
After Saturday's concert (which I attended), he also told me that the orchestra loved this project and working with JW who "was very nice to everybody" and that he - the bass player - rewatched E.T. before this project "to remember it all". He pointed out the unprecedented reaction of the public which, so he said, "we've never experienced before, regardless of either conductor or venue". They had three rehearsals with Johnny before Saturday. During the intermission I also spoke to percussionist Thomas Lechner (he played the timpani in JW concerts) whom I also met some 10 years ago and he told me basically the same thing - couldn't sing enough praise to the project. He told me he totally remembers how he cried at the end of E.T. when he was a kid and that being able to play all this music with the Maestro himself at the helm is (was) for him a huge privilege.

In this topic, there has already been some speculation about WP seating on JW concerts and we had a good chat of our own with @Marian Schedenig so I decided to ask my friend who plays double bass in the orchestra (and also played in both JW concerts). He told me the following: I don't know, we always play in this [i.e. American] setup when we're touring and sometimes also in the Musikverein, depends on the programme/project. I think Williams didn't care about the setup we play in.
 
After Saturday's concert (which I attended), he also told me that the orchestra loved this project and working with JW who "was very nice to everybody" and that he - the bass player - rewatched E.T. before this project "to remember it all". He pointed out the unprecedented reaction of the public which, so he said, "we've never experienced before, regardless of either conductor or venue". They had three rehearsals with Johnny before Saturday. During the intermission I also spoke to percussionist Thomas Lechner (he played the timpani in JW concerts) whom I also met some 10 years ago and he told me basically the same thing - couldn't sing enough praise to the project. He told me he totally remembers how he cried at the end of E.T. when he was a kid and that being able to play all this music with the Maestro himself at the helm is (was) for him a huge privilege.

In this topic, there has already been some speculation about WP seating on JW concerts and we had a good chat of our own with @Marian Schedenig so I decided to ask my friend who plays double bass in the orchestra (and also played in both JW concerts). He told me the following: I don't know, we always play in this [i.e. American] setup when we're touring and sometimes also in the Musikverein, depends on the programme/project. I think Williams didn't care about the setup we play in.
 
After Saturday's concert (which I attended), he also told me that the orchestra loved this project and working with JW who "was very nice to everybody" and that he - the bass player - rewatched E.T. before this project "to remember it all". He pointed out the unprecedented reaction of the public which, so he said, "we've never experienced before, regardless of either conductor or venue". They had three rehearsals with Johnny before Saturday. During the intermission I also spoke to percussionist Thomas Lechner (he played the timpani in JW concerts) whom I also met some 10 years ago and he told me basically the same thing - couldn't sing enough praise to the project. He told me he totally remembers how he cried at the end of E.T. when he was a kid and that being able to play all this music with the Maestro himself at the helm is (was) for him a huge privilege.

In this topic, there has already been some speculation about WP seating on JW concerts and we had a good chat of our own with @Marian Schedenig so I decided to ask my friend who plays double bass in the orchestra (and also played in both JW concerts). He told me the following: I don't know, we always play in this [i.e. American] setup when we're touring and sometimes also in the Musikverein, depends on the programme/project. I think Williams didn't care about the setup we play in.
 
After Saturday's concert (which I attended), he also told me that the orchestra loved this project and working with JW who "was very nice to everybody" and that he - the bass player - rewatched E.T. before this project "to remember it all". He pointed out the unprecedented reaction of the public which, so he said, "we've never experienced before, regardless of either conductor or venue". They had three rehearsals with Johnny before Saturday. During the intermission I also spoke to percussionist Thomas Lechner (he played the timpani in JW concerts) whom I also met some 10 years ago and he told me basically the same thing - couldn't sing enough praise to the project. He told me he totally remembers how he cried at the end of E.T. when he was a kid and that being able to play all this music with the Maestro himself at the helm is (was) for him a huge privilege.

That was no accident. The person in charge of the Vienna Phil social media is very aware that we're not an official account. However, due to its popularity, number of followers and account name, JWFan's has quickly become the "de facto" John Williams account for most Instagram users (something to be proud of!).

It's a great piece, but I wish he'd have done "The Rise of Skywalker" instead. What better place to give the world premiere of that one, than the Musikverein with the VPO?

It's good, but beware...what comes after is quite different...good, but different. As you've got LIVE IN COLOMBIA  you've already gotten a taste of the APP's variety.

I haven't been here for more than a year so here goes:
 
- The World Is Not Enough (LLL)
- Harry Potter JW Soundtrack Collection (LLL)
- Schindler's List (LLL 25th Annivcersary)
- Dracula (VS)
- Apollo 13 (Intrada)
- Ben-Hur (Tadlow)
- Lang Lang - The Chopin Album
- Lang Lang - The Mozart Album
- Within Temptation - Mother Earth
- Superman: The Movie (LLL 40th Anniversary)
- Leonard Bernstein - Symphony No. 2 'The Age of Anxiety'
- Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1, Ballades (Seong-Jin Cho & LSO)
- Mission: Impossible (LLL)
- Chernobyl
- Stranger Things 3
- Celebrating John Williams (DG; Dudamel & LAPO)
- The Tenant (Quartet)
- Air Force One (VS)
- Minority Report (LLL)
- The Alan Parsons Project - Tales of Mystery and Imagination
- The Alan Parsons Symphonic Project - Live in Columbia
 
Whew!  

I‘m almost certain that the Philharmoniker always accommodate the conductor‘s wishes. The split violins and basses at the back may be the default setup, but I‘ve seen them lined up in every way imaginable. For instance, when Bernstein was conducting them back in the day, they lined up fully American with even the celli on the far right. Carlos Kleiber‘s recording of Beethoven‘s 5th from the 70s features 1st violins - 2nd violins - celli - violas. A few years later, he used split violins for his recording of the 7th. 
Nowadays, the American lineup has gone out of fashion a little bit, but you can still see violas on the far right quite often. I think it‘s likely that Williams asked for it, though maybe they had to move the basses to the right due to space constraints.
 
What I‘ve always wondered is why in the opera they sometimes (always?) line up 2nd violins – 1st violins – rest . Do you know? Is it so the concertmaster can be seen by everyone?

Reportedly they he recorded a few backup snippets with the Philharmoniker after the concert. No way he could have left so quickly.
 
 

One funny detail from the Sunday concert. After all these encores, Johnny made his usual go-to-sleep-gesture!!  This concert started 11 a.m.😜😜😜

I'm glad I didn't waste money on attending the concert then!

I was baking during the concert.
Of course i was wearing a suit, and thermo underwear.
 
It was snowing!

The one thing that was the biggest revelation to me personally, and after 25+ years of listening to his music elevated my esteem of Williams as a composer and conductor even further:
 
Having lived in Vienna my whole life, I've heard the Philharmoniker and other orchestras play at the Musikverein numerous times. Occasionally on parterre seats (mostly when I got cheap tickets for dress rehearsals), more often from the balcony. I've always had the impression that 1) the Golden Hall can indeed sound great if played right, but can also be overly reverb-y and intransparent when played too loud, or without the right balance and 2) that the balcony seats seemed to suffer from that problem much more than the parterre seats. I've heard big name conductors with big name orchestras play massive symphonies by master composers like Mahler, Strauss, and Bruckner and regret only having a balcony seat because I could barely hear many of the details in these works I knew so well from various recordings - including the Philharmoniker, who've been at home in that hall for 150 years.
 
The Williams concerts marked the first time that I heard the same concert on two successive days, once from a parterre seat and once from the balcony. And the balcony sound was fantastic - slightly more reverb than below, but never at the expense of clarity. I didn't feel I missed a single detail, and in fact heard a few new ones I'd never been aware of. I could swear I could actually hear the piano in the Imperial March. In short, I've rarely heard such a powerful and yet transparent performance at the Musikverein - a testament to Williams as a conductor and an orchestrator, and with music that was originally written for a single studio recording.

Some fact snippets I gathered from people who talked to people (in the orchestra etc.):
 
- The Philharmoniker were big fans of Williams as a conductor and specifically pointed out his sensible and no-nonsense style as opposed to exaggerated theatrics by many of their regular famous big name conductors. They also supposedly said that such an enormous audience reaction and general atmosphere is unprecedented, even considering the New Year's Concerts.
 
- Originally, three encores (i.e. a "usual" number) were planned: The Duel, Remembrances, and Raiders' March. It was the Philharmoniker who had their go between ask Williams if they couldn't do the Imperial March as well. When he heard the request, Williams was worried that it would be too hard on the horns after such a long and difficult concert - until they told him that it was in fact the special wish of the horn section. My own guess is that ASM requested to also add Nice to Be Around, based on her often citing it as one of her favourites in interviews.
 
- I spotted Austrian ex-president Heinz Fischer and his wife, as well as ex-chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel, at the Saturday concert. Fischer left before the final encore (Imperial March).
 
- The Imperial March was a fitting encore, give that Williams was staying at the Hotel Imperial (right next to the Musikverein).

Good heavens, must be 15 years since they made us know all these body parts by heart!

Tomorrow Never Dies is the PERFECT blend of orchestra and electronics.  I hope that comes out next year!

Happy birthday to the legend!  Celebrating by listening to his scores, The Untouchables at the moment. 

Celebrating Ennio's 90th birthday with:
 
- The Thing
- The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
- The Untouchables
- Il cuore nel pozzo
- Giu' la testa
- The Mission
- The Hateful 8

I said "mainstream", so it means a compilation with 34 versions of Gabriel's Oboe.
 
😁

No THE THING?!
Rubbish, boy! Do it, again!!!

Celebrating Ennio's 90th birthday with:
 
- The Thing
- The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
- The Untouchables
- Il cuore nel pozzo
- Giu' la testa
- The Mission
- The Hateful 8

Celebrating Ennio's 90th birthday with:
 
- The Thing
- The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
- The Untouchables
- Il cuore nel pozzo
- Giu' la testa
- The Mission
- The Hateful 8