lairdo

Thanks, @Sandor, for kicking off the thread. And congrats on 30 years! Your collection looks amazing.
 
For sure my family had Fiddler on the Roof - cannot remember if that was ours or my grandparents' - but we had it and I played it. Of course, my awareness of John Williams was zilch as a 4-year old. I definitely saw Poseidon Adventure in the theater at a friend's birthday party when I was 5 (although I probably spent 33% of it in the lobby scared out of my mind). So, Star Wars in 1977 would be where I started collecting John Williams with the 8-Track Cassette version.
 
My first JW LP was Superman, given to us as part of a charity screening for my cousin's school, which was held at Warner Bros. What a glorious Saturday morning that was. It was the first movie I ever saw that started without previews (given it was at the studio theater). 2+ hours later, I believed a man could fly. We then had lunch in Hollywood on the way back from Burbank and ran into my school friend Tony Hooper. He had a Superman pin which he gave to me (and I still have) - he had just seen the movie at a screening as well. (I met his dad, Tobe, too, but I did not know he was a film director let alone would be making Poltergeist in a few years.)
 
Probably I had the LA Phil Star Wars-CE3K recording around then and the Gerhardt suites too.
 
My real active collecting came in 1980. For my Bar Mitzvah, family friends gave me a record/cassette/radio all-in-one unit with speakers. These were promptly wired all the way around my room along the ceiling and the speakers mounted high in my room. Those speakers are still there! Along with the hardware, I was also given a $100 gift certificate to Warehouse Records. The Empire Strikes Back was amongst the albums I got that day. I think I bought Jaws as well. 
 
So, how long have been at this? I guess you can round up to 50 years if you go back to Fiddler, but really I would say 45 years given that I actively lobbied my parents to buy that 8-track of Star Wars. And then to play it endlessly in the car.

Well, I did get a notice this week that my order had shipped (as of Thursday). But alas, despite paying for Fedex tracked shipping, Presto only shipped my disc via untracked standard international mail which will take 2 weeks. Fortunately, my back up Amazon order arrived! So, I have the lovely disc now and have already enjoyed much of it via video and audio only. 
 
I emailed their support but did not hear back. Frustratingly, when they first emailed that the delay was happening (Aug 19), I responded with understanding and reminding the agent that I had paid for the faster shipping service. I received a response to that email (so I know they saw it). And still the mistake. I will be asking them for a shipping refund. Sadly, this has happened in the past, and frankly I found their response unapologetic at that time. I love their site and they are one of the best sources of physical music, but I actually buy digital tracks from Qobuz. (Eurodisc is another source of physical discs from Europe I sometimes use.)
 
To the release itself which is what really matters: I find the cardboard a bit more flimsy than past Mutter-Williams releases, but otherwise I am very happy with the presentation and disc. The audio only tracks do not have any introductions but the video does include these for the film pieces recorded in Boston. It's lovely to see ASM react to JW's heaps of praise and her joyful excitement before she plays Han and the Princess. As John Williams fans, we really owe her a huge debt of gratitude for inspiring Williams so much. (And to quote both Williams and Mutter,  "Dear Andre" too.)
 
I do not see any indication that DG will be releasing a video blu-ray for Japan on this one, so no plastic case via that market. I suspect that the sales of the CD were not large enough to merit a second release in Japan, unlike for the more film music oriented Berlin and Vienna concerts.
 
I hope everyone's copies arrive soon!
 
 

I just realized (despite that the back of the Blu-ray shows this info) that the encore from Tanglewood's Violin Concerto No. 2 "Across the stars" is on the Blu-ray video portion of the new release. It's not in the audio only section (which is basically the album tracks). 

Audio Only
Violin Concerto No. 2 - 4 movements
"The Love Themes" (that's what JW calls them in the video track)
The Long Goodbye
Han Solo and the Princess
Marion's Theme
 
Video
Violin Concerto No. 2 - 4 movements
Intro to Encore
Across the Stars
"The Love Themes" (that's what JW calls them in the video track)
Intro by JW
The Long Goodbye
Intro by JW
Han Solo and the Princess
Intro by JW
Marion's Theme
 
So, the DG powers-that-be did at least include that revised version officially in some capacity. They missed a chance in my opinion though with not including this on the 10" vinyl release to round out side B.
 
 

Thanks, @Sandor, for kicking off the thread. And congrats on 30 years! Your collection looks amazing.
 
For sure my family had Fiddler on the Roof - cannot remember if that was ours or my grandparents' - but we had it and I played it. Of course, my awareness of John Williams was zilch as a 4-year old. I definitely saw Poseidon Adventure in the theater at a friend's birthday party when I was 5 (although I probably spent 33% of it in the lobby scared out of my mind). So, Star Wars in 1977 would be where I started collecting John Williams with the 8-Track Cassette version.
 
My first JW LP was Superman, given to us as part of a charity screening for my cousin's school, which was held at Warner Bros. What a glorious Saturday morning that was. It was the first movie I ever saw that started without previews (given it was at the studio theater). 2+ hours later, I believed a man could fly. We then had lunch in Hollywood on the way back from Burbank and ran into my school friend Tony Hooper. He had a Superman pin which he gave to me (and I still have) - he had just seen the movie at a screening as well. (I met his dad, Tobe, too, but I did not know he was a film director let alone would be making Poltergeist in a few years.)
 
Probably I had the LA Phil Star Wars-CE3K recording around then and the Gerhardt suites too.
 
My real active collecting came in 1980. For my Bar Mitzvah, family friends gave me a record/cassette/radio all-in-one unit with speakers. These were promptly wired all the way around my room along the ceiling and the speakers mounted high in my room. Those speakers are still there! Along with the hardware, I was also given a $100 gift certificate to Warehouse Records. The Empire Strikes Back was amongst the albums I got that day. I think I bought Jaws as well. 
 
So, how long have been at this? I guess you can round up to 50 years if you go back to Fiddler, but really I would say 45 years given that I actively lobbied my parents to buy that 8-track of Star Wars. And then to play it endlessly in the car.

Thanks for sharing! 

Thanks, @Sandor, for kicking off the thread. And congrats on 30 years! Your collection looks amazing.
 
For sure my family had Fiddler on the Roof - cannot remember if that was ours or my grandparents' - but we had it and I played it. Of course, my awareness of John Williams was zilch as a 4-year old. I definitely saw Poseidon Adventure in the theater at a friend's birthday party when I was 5 (although I probably spent 33% of it in the lobby scared out of my mind). So, Star Wars in 1977 would be where I started collecting John Williams with the 8-Track Cassette version.
 
My first JW LP was Superman, given to us as part of a charity screening for my cousin's school, which was held at Warner Bros. What a glorious Saturday morning that was. It was the first movie I ever saw that started without previews (given it was at the studio theater). 2+ hours later, I believed a man could fly. We then had lunch in Hollywood on the way back from Burbank and ran into my school friend Tony Hooper. He had a Superman pin which he gave to me (and I still have) - he had just seen the movie at a screening as well. (I met his dad, Tobe, too, but I did not know he was a film director let alone would be making Poltergeist in a few years.)
 
Probably I had the LA Phil Star Wars-CE3K recording around then and the Gerhardt suites too.
 
My real active collecting came in 1980. For my Bar Mitzvah, family friends gave me a record/cassette/radio all-in-one unit with speakers. These were promptly wired all the way around my room along the ceiling and the speakers mounted high in my room. Those speakers are still there! Along with the hardware, I was also given a $100 gift certificate to Warehouse Records. The Empire Strikes Back was amongst the albums I got that day. I think I bought Jaws as well. 
 
So, how long have been at this? I guess you can round up to 50 years if you go back to Fiddler, but really I would say 45 years given that I actively lobbied my parents to buy that 8-track of Star Wars. And then to play it endlessly in the car.

On the Legacy of JW Podcast linked earlier in this thread, Mike explained that when building the order for Close Encounters, he thought a lot about how to make sure the first CD was a complete listening experience. I suspect, as @crumbs referenced, that this was the same for E.T. A nice nostalgic sense that you put on a disc and you feel like you have a complete journey when it ends 80 mins later. 

Well, I did get a notice this week that my order had shipped (as of Thursday). But alas, despite paying for Fedex tracked shipping, Presto only shipped my disc via untracked standard international mail which will take 2 weeks. Fortunately, my back up Amazon order arrived! So, I have the lovely disc now and have already enjoyed much of it via video and audio only. 
 
I emailed their support but did not hear back. Frustratingly, when they first emailed that the delay was happening (Aug 19), I responded with understanding and reminding the agent that I had paid for the faster shipping service. I received a response to that email (so I know they saw it). And still the mistake. I will be asking them for a shipping refund. Sadly, this has happened in the past, and frankly I found their response unapologetic at that time. I love their site and they are one of the best sources of physical music, but I actually buy digital tracks from Qobuz. (Eurodisc is another source of physical discs from Europe I sometimes use.)
 
To the release itself which is what really matters: I find the cardboard a bit more flimsy than past Mutter-Williams releases, but otherwise I am very happy with the presentation and disc. The audio only tracks do not have any introductions but the video does include these for the film pieces recorded in Boston. It's lovely to see ASM react to JW's heaps of praise and her joyful excitement before she plays Han and the Princess. As John Williams fans, we really owe her a huge debt of gratitude for inspiring Williams so much. (And to quote both Williams and Mutter,  "Dear Andre" too.)
 
I do not see any indication that DG will be releasing a video blu-ray for Japan on this one, so no plastic case via that market. I suspect that the sales of the CD were not large enough to merit a second release in Japan, unlike for the more film music oriented Berlin and Vienna concerts.
 
I hope everyone's copies arrive soon!
 
 

Yeah, but odd that Presto did not get their initial order given that they are a big partner to DG in this space. (But likely not to Universal Music.)
 
This just came in from Presto:
"We have been notified by our supplier that your item is unexpectedly out of stock. We expect this situation to be resolved within the next two weeks and will despatch it as soon as possible."

Yeah, but odd that Presto did not get their initial order given that they are a big partner to DG in this space. (But likely not to Universal Music.)
 
This just came in from Presto:
"We have been notified by our supplier that your item is unexpectedly out of stock. We expect this situation to be resolved within the next two weeks and will despatch it as soon as possible."

and Johnny calls Yo-Yo "Angel!" Wonderful! 

Yeah, but odd that Presto did not get their initial order given that they are a big partner to DG in this space. (But likely not to Universal Music.)
 
This just came in from Presto:
"We have been notified by our supplier that your item is unexpectedly out of stock. We expect this situation to be resolved within the next two weeks and will despatch it as soon as possible."

Williams probably had a say on the repertoire performed and I do enjoy the fact that so much focus on his concert output. For each concert like this one, you have a gazillion of others with just film music.
 
I actually enjoyed the little tributes, and both Mutter's and Nelsons' I found quite touching.
 
Ken-David Masur is the son of the late, great Kurt Masur, who premiered the Williams' Bassoon Concerto with the New York philharmonic. Ken is also a former BSO assistant conductor and has often conducted Williams music whit his own orchestra (that right now I can't remember which is).
 
 

I also got delay notification yesterday from Presto, they expect to despatch my order within the next few days.🤔

Two additional follow ups to CE3K that I can highly recommend:
Bob Balaban's diary about his experience on the film: "Spielberg Truffaut and Me"
https://www.amazon.com/dp/184023430X/
 
Who Are You People? Directed by Jonathan Robinson
Documentary on the extras who were part of the Alabama film shoot.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078GSHGPX

Two additional follow ups to CE3K that I can highly recommend:
Bob Balaban's diary about his experience on the film: "Spielberg Truffaut and Me"
https://www.amazon.com/dp/184023430X/
 
Who Are You People? Directed by Jonathan Robinson
Documentary on the extras who were part of the Alabama film shoot.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078GSHGPX

Superman March from the orchestra
Happy Birthday from the guest stars and orchestra
Raiders March conducted by the birthday boy himself
 

Andris Nelsons, Music Director of the BSO was the first. Gustavo Dudamel, Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, was the 2nd. 

Spectacular photos!  Thanks for sharing! What an amazing night! When he got up to do Indiana Jones I may have said "holy sh!t" half a dozen times...luckily the children near us were asleep! 

Superman March from the orchestra
Happy Birthday from the guest stars and orchestra
Raiders March conducted by the birthday boy himself
 

https://www.classicalwcrb.org/show/the-boston-symphony-orchestra/2022-06-13/a-tanglewood-celebration-of-john-williams
 

Actually, that is an image of Atlantis Challenger (good spotting @crumbs) as seen from the Space Station. The image is not from the movie. The marks are used to measure things in the image and are present in the original. That image shows something in the back of the payload bay of the orbiter, and in the film, the bay is empty. But, bizarrely, besides cropping the image, the artist actually flipped the direction of the craft (presumably to represent the sense of going back to earth as is the main drama of the 2nd half of the movie). You can see in the original image the clouds and coastline are the same, but the orbiter correctly points upwards in the process of docking.
 

Tanglewood: I just noticed that in the Prelude concert on August 19 (the day before the JW Birthday Concert), the Duo Concertante will be performed at 6 pm in Ozawa Hall. This performance is included in the Sondheim memorial concert that is at 8 pm that same evening. I did a quick search, and I did not see that reported in the forums. (Sorry if I missed it!)
 
Info on all the Prelude concerts on this page: https://www.bso.org/tanglewood/prelude-concerts#august-19. It appears Schindler's List was in last Friday's Prelude. 
 
I wonder how often the Duo Concertante has actually been performed. 
 
 
Friday, August 19
6pm, Ozawa Hall
John WILLIAMS Duo Concertante for violin and viola
BRUCH Eight Pieces for clarinet, viola, and piano, Op. 83
Victor Romanul, violin
Michael Zaretsky, viola
Thomas Martin, clarinet
Xak Bjerken, piano
 
 

Tanglewood: I just noticed that in the Prelude concert on August 19 (the day before the JW Birthday Concert), the Duo Concertante will be performed at 6 pm in Ozawa Hall. This performance is included in the Sondheim memorial concert that is at 8 pm that same evening. I did a quick search, and I did not see that reported in the forums. (Sorry if I missed it!)
 
Info on all the Prelude concerts on this page: https://www.bso.org/tanglewood/prelude-concerts#august-19. It appears Schindler's List was in last Friday's Prelude. 
 
I wonder how often the Duo Concertante has actually been performed. 
 
 
Friday, August 19
6pm, Ozawa Hall
John WILLIAMS Duo Concertante for violin and viola
BRUCH Eight Pieces for clarinet, viola, and piano, Op. 83
Victor Romanul, violin
Michael Zaretsky, viola
Thomas Martin, clarinet
Xak Bjerken, piano
 
 

Tanglewood: I just noticed that in the Prelude concert on August 19 (the day before the JW Birthday Concert), the Duo Concertante will be performed at 6 pm in Ozawa Hall. This performance is included in the Sondheim memorial concert that is at 8 pm that same evening. I did a quick search, and I did not see that reported in the forums. (Sorry if I missed it!)
 
Info on all the Prelude concerts on this page: https://www.bso.org/tanglewood/prelude-concerts#august-19. It appears Schindler's List was in last Friday's Prelude. 
 
I wonder how often the Duo Concertante has actually been performed. 
 
 
Friday, August 19
6pm, Ozawa Hall
John WILLIAMS Duo Concertante for violin and viola
BRUCH Eight Pieces for clarinet, viola, and piano, Op. 83
Victor Romanul, violin
Michael Zaretsky, viola
Thomas Martin, clarinet
Xak Bjerken, piano