lairdo

Great finds. They cut out the last 5 mins of the talk on stage, probably because of Yo-Yo's story. (They even cut off Meagan in the middle of starting a new sentence.) Anyway, here's the audio about the Cello concerto. Still needs some clean up but I think it is audible enough. Cello Concerto 2.mp3

I was wondering that too. I did not attend Sunday’s. (3 in a row was as much as my wife would put up with - although she said she was very happy we had journeyed to LA for them.) Yeah, there doesn’t seem to be a thread for Sat/Sun, so I just included my photos here.

Yes. She was there Thu & Fri. Last night (and maybe today - I am not sure as I am not there), JW's daughter, Jenny Williams was with him. One of his grandchildren might have been there too - there was a younger woman sitting next to him he seemed to know. A family event!

Here are few pictures from tonight's (Saturday's) concert. (I'm just going to keep posting in this thread vs. starting a new one for the Sat/Sun concerts. @SyncMan, perhaps you could add the other dates to the thread name if you don't mind?) Another great event tonight, and while many of the selections were played the past two nights, the change today was the addition of a large projection screen. I thought this might be the case since "Dear, Basketball" was on the program and I had trouble believing they would play just the music alone. The other pieces with picture were: Olympic Theme - playing the usual NBC video seen at Tanglewood and the Bowl on numerous occasions. Always gives me chills. Harry's Wondrous World - with the various clips from across the HP 8-films The Superman March with the John Williams images and videos. I had not seen this before but it is not new. It was great and got a huge ovation. Theme from Jurassic Park which also had the dialogue from the first film when Dr. Grant et al see the dinosaurs for the first time, then transitioning to music only for a montage. Also not new, but good. Raiders March - featuring clips from all 5 Indy films. There was more of Dial of Destiny in this than I expected, and I am wondering if this is an old piece that was redone in the past few years to include that film. Star Wars Throne Room and Finale - Starting with synchronized throne room footage, then moving to a montage of all 9 numbered films. For the Finale/End Credits section, the Star Wars logo against a moving star field was the only video portion. I had not seen this before either, but again, I suspect it is relatively old. Tonight, JW was escorted backstage during the final piece. He then came out for the applause, retreated briefly and stayed on stage for the Imperial March, the one encore presented tonight. He seemed more energetic tonight than Thursday night but only by a small margin. More to follow when I have time for a full review.

While not exactly the right thread to post for tonight’s concert since Yo-Yo is not here, but I am happy to report that the Maestro is here again! 3 for 3!

I am ok either way on the title. I debated how to report this news because of a few factors and used "possibly" to not over state what is in effect scant information. Yes, Yo-Yo Ma said that Williams said he had already started. (I recorded the talk, so I was able to transcribe it word for word.) But what does "started" really mean? And who knows if Yo-Yo was supposed to even relate that conversation? So, I was thinking until we heard something definitive - such as a scheduled premiere - it's only a possibility.

Yes, indeed good news. It may be years before we hear anything else though. My review of Thursday's concert was linked above. I'll post my reactions and thoughts about Friday's concert later today. But in short, it was also great, and in fact I felt the Cello Concerto seemed more connected and cohesive the second night. Amazing what practice does! More to follow.

Tonight, following the John Williams Cello Concerto concert at the LA Philharmonic, Yo-Yo Ma and Gustavo Dudamel sat down on stage for a post-concert "Talk Back" session with LA Phil Vice President of Artistic Planning, Meghan Martineau. This 30-min session bounced between questions about their experiences with John Williams the person and his music as well as general questions on their inspirations. About 500-1000 people (capacity 5000) stayed after to hear the two artists speak. Near the end of the talk, Yo-Yo Ma shared news of a possible 2nd concerto. He was speaking to the Maestro's need to write music - not because he has to do it but because he needs to do it. He has all these ideas in his head already. Then came the possible news of a new Cello Concerto. Yo-Yo Ma: "Just yesterday, or two days ago, he [John Williams] said 'I think we need a second cello concerto.'" After some applause, Ma joked. "I think I need a second nap!" He then continued. "You know what? I think he is going to write it. Because... yesterday, he said, 'I've already started.'" Ma concluded that Williams indicated it would be "different" from this one (Cello Concerto No. 1). Ms. Martineau ended the proceedings by half-jokingly stating we heard it there first and she was doing a handshake deal to sign up Yo-Yo Ma and Gustavo Dudamel to premier the new work, date "TBD."

He came on stage again tonight after the sole encore - Star Wars Main Theme and Finale.

Good evening from Disney Concert Hall. Tonight my wife and I are in the same row JW was in last night - Orchestra DD. (Technically row 4 but the first - AA - is very narrow.) If he is coming tonight, he must be hanging out in the back. Nothing open for him in this or any of the close rows. CORRECTION! He’s here. They rolled him into a wheelchair break in row EE!

What about the music, you ask? Understandably, I am guilty of skipping the concert itself in previous posts with news of JW's live appearance. So, I thought I would finally post thoughts on that aspect. The Thu/Weekend of April 3 - 6 features 4 concerts of John Williams' music. April 3 and April 4 bring in Yo-Yo Ma performing the Cello Concerto written for him and revised in recent years. John Williams was initially listed as co-conducting Thursday alongside Gustavo Dudamel. He was moved to curator in recent month following his illnesses which was already his title for the other 3 concerts. Presumably, JW would have led the Cello Concerto and first half encore, and Dudamel would have led the 2nd half of mostly film music (the 1984 Olympic Music was the sole concert work in that part). I guess JW would have come back for encores. But it was not to be. Friday night's concert is similar to Thursday but in a one part concert with a shorter program and no intermission. I am attending that tonight. Thursday/Friday Sound the Bells Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (Thu Encore: Theme from Schindler's List for Cello. Fri: TBA) Olympic Fanfare and Theme (Thu only) Excerpts from Close Encounters 3 Piece from Indiana Jones Scherzo for Motorcycle Marion' Theme (Thu only) The Raiders March (Thu only) Princess Leia's Theme Adventures on Earth from ET (Thu Encores: Main Theme and Finale The Imperial March Fri Encores: TBA) Saturday and Sunday add Three Selections from Harry Potter, a 4 min Dear Basketball piece (which I think is WITHOUT picture - the program does not mention anything about it being live to picture), the Superman March, Theme from Jurassic Park, Out to Sea/Shark Cage from Jaws, and officially concludes with the Star Wars Theme and Finale that was Thursday's first encore. Sound the Bells and the Cello Concerto are not part of the Sat/Sun concerts, and the order is different which can be seen here. Saturday night and Sunday afternoon have no listed soloists. Location: The Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles CA. Background and setting aside, let's dive into how the whole concert on Thursday and how it sounded. In short, it was an amazing experience. My wife and I had never seen Yo-Yo Ma in person. Following the rousing but short Sound the Bells, the stage was reset to add a small riser for Mr. Ma to sit upon. We were sitting about 10 rows back, slight off center, and the seats in front of us were empty. So, we had a great view of his performance. Ma came out with Dudamel (who had retreated after the opening piece) with arms over each others' shoulders. They paused around the first violin trying to urge the other to go first to center stage. Ultimately, unable to negotiate this awkward but charming moment, they walked the remaining 15 feet together. The audience was enthusiastic in its reception of these great artists. Both were full of smiles. As the orchestra, soloists and maestro settled in for 30 mins of continuous music, Yo-Yo Ma turned serious. He closed his eyes and seemed to inwardly focus. He then gave a small visual indication to Dudamel that he was ready. The Cello Concerto features a wide range of styles from across Williams' works across his many decades. The first movement features a hummable theme that bounces around the orchestra and is played with and manipulated by the cello. There are lyrical moments, but the piece quickly moves to much more modern territory, particularly in the solos. It is angular at times and not always in an ear pleasing manner. The cello can sing but can also sting, and Ma attacked certain moments with urgent energy. Sharp bowing and aggressive fingering. Even in the sonorous Disney Hall, some of the most quiet moments were almost inaudible. I assume this is how the score notates the work. I felt like the music was being broken down from the jubilant opening to the quietist and sparsest of notes before emerging from this darkness back into the light. The joy of watching and hearing this live is focusing on each instrument as it plays. While I've heard this work many times, I've never had the same experience with it. The hall was so still during the dark moments as if the audience was holding its collective breathes. Yo-Yo Ma's intensity added to this experience. No smiles or relaxation were in evidence during the piece. Other great moments featured the cello and the timpani - no one like Williams combines instrumental colors in such unusual but interesting ways. At least not since someone like Bartók. It was all a kind of magic to my ear and eyes. The piece finishes with the opening theme returning but not exactly the same. The music has been changed by its journey to nothingness. Ma seemed impacted too. Even after releasing the very last note, he was still, eyes closed, bow frozen above his instrument for what seemed like 30 seconds. The audience politely held its appreciative standing ovation until he opened his eyes and told us all he was out of the work. His smile reemerged. At that point we were collectively made aware of John Williams being in the audience. The place went wild again, only exceeded when the Maestro joined Dudamel on the stage at the very end of the concert. However, between the Cello Concerto and that moment, we were treated to a lovely rendition of the Schindler's List theme arranged for Cello (and previously recorded by Ma on "A Gathering of Friends"), intermission, and 45 mins of more music. While the music in the 2nd half was comprised of well worn areas of the Williams' canon, the performances were first rate. The stand out two tracks for me were the Olympic Fanfare and the Raiders March. In particular, the Raiders March sounded amazing. I remarked to my wife that it felt like Disney Hall was constructed for that piece. At the end of the piece, every instrument is playing. Thats' a big tutti! Yet you could hear the instruments within this wall of sound, the brass remaining distinct (I have heard the Raiders March end up sounding muddled) and the strings, percussion, and woodwinds all lovely and distinct. Rousing beyond belief. That's not to say any of the pieces were really of lower quality than others. The principal flautist, oboist and harpist all had workouts in various pieces. Good horn playing was evident for Princess Leia. Trumpets led by Tom Hooten drove the brass. Every now and then, I felt a person came in a bit soft or perhaps not facing exactly the right way to the front to get enough sound forward. Just a few of those, and it will be interesting to see if there are similar moments on the subsequent concerts. So, it was not perfect but it was energetically performed and seemed enjoyable to conductor and orchestra to present to the crowd. Following the last listed piece (ET), the Star Wars Theme and Finale was presented after a long applause for Duadmel and Williams (still in his seat). Williams at this point made is his way out of the hall. As documented earlier in this post, he then reappeared on the stage to enjoy the best seat in the house for the robust Imperial March. For about half of this piece, Dudamel basically stood aside, I think hoping Williams would conduct from his wheelchair. And Williams did indeed make a few hand gestures from time to time. I felt Gustavo and John were sharing the moment tougher, us fortunate to be witness to it. Overall, a night of John Williams, led by Gustavo Dudamel and played by the Los Angeles Philharmonic is not going to disappoint. Quite more so, it is exhilarates and expresses joy in the energy and music.

That's great! Dudamel actually has one more season. Or at least next season has a number of farewell events (I doubt he is overlapping but who knows). Gustavo is not conducting it, but Tom Hooten is performing the John Williams Trumpet Concerto in March with the LA Phil. Tom is the principal trumpeter as you may know. He oddly did not play in the cello concerto yesterday but he was in for everything else anchoring the brass.

That was by the great film writer, John Burlingame. I did not realize that was going on until we were sitting at dinner relaxing before heading over to Disney Hall. He is doing it again today. Hope you overall enjoyed your trip out to LA.

As a runner who wears Asics, I was thrilled to see that the Maestro was wearing that brand too. I noted that to my wife, who doesn't run, but wears Asics, and she just said "of course he wears Asics." We felt just a tad bit closer to him. Regarding walking - I did not catch that he had entered the hall. He might have come in during Sound the Bells. After the Cello Concerto (but before the Schindler's List encore with Yo-Yo) is when Yo-Yo and Gustavo indicated he was in the hall as @Keith's photos nicely show. He left the hall at intermission during the applause that followed the Schindler's List encore. It appeared to me he was taken out in his wheelchair. However, after the 2nd half of the concert following E.T., it appeared to me that he walked out of the hall (with help from his bodyguard). He was actually moving pretty well from what I could tell. The person sitting next to me said she thought he was going to come on stage. I said I thought it unlikely - and was happy to admit I was wrong. He came out following the first encore (Star Wars Main Theme) in the chair that may be for a combination of speed of movement, safety and that he gets tired.