zoltan_902

It really saddens me that there isn't an effort to make the whole Evening at Pops series accessible on demand globally, even for a subscription (which I'd happily pay). Besides the fact that I idolise JW as a musical hero (and adore watching him conduct), the Evening at Pops series is also incredibly well made technically, and is one of the very best examples in the world of a TV presentation of a Symphony concert. The entire technical production of the show, and the majestic Boston Symphony Hall are all perfectly combined, and I'm sure with all the new premium arts channels emerging around the world, that it could be still commercially viable. So, I don't know why BSO and PBS are so selective about the episodes they encore. The only obstacles I can imagine are either 'rights' issues, or perhaps even more worryingly, that some episodes might not exist anymore (in the oil crisis era tapes were routinely wiped and reused).

Try Mike Batt's score to 'The Dreamstone'. It's not a deliberate or obvious imitation of John Williams, rather it's an alternative prime example of memorable, richly thematic, Romantically orchestrated television scoring - which are the same characteristics I so admire about JW's best works.

The Signature Editions are invaluable to me, first and foremost as a direct study guide of JW's prodigious orchestration skills. I have a large collection of them - over 30 titles. As mentioned above, it's very rare for film music to be published like this for a consumer market, and I'm delighted that it serves as a mean for fans to make a collection. Importantly, they're available to purchase by collectors just for the score, or (presumably for commercial performances) in full orchestral sets. I'm a collector and use them for reference and perusal. Therefore it does annoy me that some pieces are substantially re-arranged for concert, sometimes with little semblance of their original form. I'm quite indifferent to how orchestras choose to program the suites - usually I'm just glad to hear any of it performed at all. If one day the rights holders care to commercially publish the entirely of the score for a given film, I would be absolutely delighted. I know Omni Publishing does this for certain movies, which is fantastic. I'd love to see the Harry Potter and Star Wars scores released in this format.

I certainly think this version will be considered the definitive, given the official Olympic channel is hosting it, and it remains uncluttered by inane network commentary. Of course it's not high resolution - HD was a still a long way off, but it looks very clean. This is as good as it'll ever be.

Indeed, I *adored* hearing the separate winds and string in isolation for the Nimbus 2000 theme. Just shows how unfathomably layered and intricate the theme is, even when the trumpets dominate. Most contemporary film composers could only dream of writing as complex as that.

Link starts at the piece's announcement.

I'd gladly do at least part of it, but you'll probably do a better job :).

Thanks, I'm sure many would appreciate that!

Interesting introduction, for those who understand (like I do, somewhat) Hungarian. The conductor compares the stylistic influence on JW's music of 20th and 21st century music, particularly Russian composers like Stravinsky and Rimsky-Korsakov, and Germans like Wagner and Strauss. It's very gratifying to hear the music critiqued in such a dignified and serious manner, befitting its sophistication in its own right, rather than vulgarising it merely in the context of kitsch film music. Further edit: As watch more of this recording (I'm barely half way through as of writing this), I come to realise, this isn't intended as a concert per se, but as a very informative and insightful musicological lecture on JW's HP music - think Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts. I'm just glad I can comprehend most of it.

That stage looks small and cramped, and I'm really not sure how much the staggered elevation adds to the performance. But still, I'd be over the moon to be there to witness this historical occasion.

The category will inevitibly be renamed "The John Williams Memorial Award for Best Film Score".

"With this fader, we can make you softer or louder.... Just like that!"

Warm congratulation to Kathleen Kennedy. Remember also that Steven Spielberg wears an honourary KBE. He should apply for Canadian or British citizenship to make full use of the title *wink wink*.

You might actually be correct with the score, but I've listened on repeat to the Dudamel recording (the recent one with the LAP), and I don't hear the mistake; considering how extremely tonal the section is, a wrong note would stick out painfully, so I assume this has either been corrected by the musicians, or they've got a different copy of the music.

Considering how much of it was produced, I'm surprised that the series isn't still in syndication, especially with the specialty arts channels that have come about in recent years. That fact that we don't see the old episodes broadcast anymore makes me suspect (and I hope I'm wrong) that original masters of the show have been lost or destroyed. Personally I've been looking for 10 years for the episode where JW conducts the suite from the Phantom Menace. Last year we found out that WGBH has an online 'vault' or archive content, where some miscellaneous content is accessible. I did write them an email about certain episodes of EAP, but I was given a spiel about uncertainty of the rights to the episodes. Even at Pops is the best show I've ever seen as far as television coverage for orchestral performances - as someone who works in film and television production, I'm in constant admiration of the shows consistently high technical production, which allows the viewers to appreciate the full orchestra, and (to me particularly) getting to see John Williams as a conductor - I could watch him conduct music all day.