Hlao-roo

I usually listen to albums in their entirety, regardless -- but I'm weird like that.

I usually listen to albums in their entirety, regardless -- but I'm weird like that.

I usually listen to albums in their entirety, regardless -- but I'm weird like that.

As if things couldn't get any worse for Detroit, the Empire has installed a garrison there. Sad times for a once proud city.

I was at this concert It was wonderful. JW was in great form that evening, so energetic! I've never been to a classical concert with such an atmosphere of excitement and anticipation, it was very special.
I felt the performances in general were quite passionate, they had great chemistry, it was awesome to hear how the players really poured everything they had into it. By the end I think they were getting taxed though!
I didn't have a problem with the Cello Concerto revision, perhaps a bit jarring being different but, I did like it a lot when hearing live.
And a fun note about that Close Encounters -
There was a BIRD flying around in the hall during it! Right over the players heads.
I know JW had to have noticed it (the audience sure did, I heard a couple of gasps.)
Poor bird was really startled on some of those loud passages! He finally found his way off to the side I guess, and was gone by second half thankfully.
Anyway - so glad this was put on SymphonyCast! Finally going to listen tonight!

John Luther Adams has won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize in music for Become Ocean, "a haunting orchestral work that suggests a relentless tidal surge, evoking thoughts of melting polar ice and rising sea levels." No word on whether the piece also happens to be sweeping.
President John Adams, a previous winner, was also selected as a finalist in the category for The Gospel According to the Other Mary.
Sadly, this is the first mention of either composer in this thread. (Also, Philip Glass deserves a mention.)

John Luther Adams has won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize in music for Become Ocean, "a haunting orchestral work that suggests a relentless tidal surge, evoking thoughts of melting polar ice and rising sea levels." No word on whether the piece also happens to be sweeping.
President John Adams, a previous winner, was also selected as a finalist in the category for The Gospel According to the Other Mary.
Sadly, this is the first mention of either composer in this thread. (Also, Philip Glass deserves a mention.)

Does this man belong in a museum?

Hope you got your ticket(s)!
Tickets for the John Williams and Steven Spielberg benefit concert at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra sold out in just 15 minutes Monday morning.
Fun quote from the comments:
Speilberg and Williams have combined to produce some of the most overrated and shallow movies/music, and are both responsible for lowering our standards and expectations by several steps. People throw money at these buffoons like they're gods.....I would actually rather go see Miley Cyrus...I would....and I cannot stand her, lol.

Does this man belong in a museum?

Does this man belong in a museum?

Does this man belong in a museum?

Does this man belong in a museum?

Thanks for the heads-up, Kathy. The link is not yet live, but I expect the program should be available for streaming not long after it airs on the 7th:
http://symphonycast.publicradio.org/display/programs/2014/04/07/

I like Nyman and Kilar as film composers but haven't heard much of their concert stuff (aside from Exodus).
Has anyone mentioned Williams, Ligeti, or Hovhaness yet?

Pierre Jalbert:

Other than Old and Lost Rivers, I like Tobias Picker's
.Alan Hovhaness died in 2000.

A pretty interesting blog I stumbled upon this afternoon. Gives some insight into Williams humble abode and claims that a new recording of the flute concerto was done with Slatkin.

http://blogs.chapman.edu/copa/2014/03/25/were-off-to-see-the-wizard-a-meeting-with-composer-john-williams/

"Indy's Very First Adventure" from The Last Crusade is a cue that is a downright tour de force of inventiveness. It includes a great many of Williams' typical techniques: atonal chords with a tonally suggestive bass, leitmotivic references, parallelism, scherzo-esque textures, rollicking good tunes, big brassiness, and colorful orchestration. It's not just that these techniques are there, but that they're fused into a coherent, engaging, and exciting whole in a way that only Williams could do.
If that ain't inventive, I don't know what is.

Perhaps like this from 3:23 onward:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9INHPNnEEWo

"Anderton's Great Escape" aside, it's an album that has really grown on me. I think the scoring from the opening scenes up through Howard's arrest is absolutely first-rate.

I don't know exactly how much William's Flight to Neverland borrows from Stravinsky's Firebird Suite or how much of it sounds like a temp track,
but here's what I learned from reading the score (with pictures):
1) He uses percussion for accents and flairs instead of grooves.
With the exception of the pitched percussion instruments which occasionally play melody lines (or the timpani occasionally supporting the bass), the percussion section is used for accents, fills and flair. There are no driving ostinato patterns or drum-set like beats. You know, just simple accents, like a little bit of seasoning on the important rhythmic moments.

2) He maintains a constant "pulse" in the notes.
The division of the beat (especially in the 8th notes) is in at least one instrument at pretty much all times.
These parts are significantly more interesting than had the harmony just been assigned to whole notes. They are not only more interesting to play but they also keep the rhythmic pulse alive and active. The piece feels much more exciting because there is always a driving energy bubbling beneath it.
There are only a few moments of a few measures in length that do not have this 8th note pulse, and their absence is felt.
When the pulse is missing, there is a feeling of suspension and it is usually used for a rallentando or just before a big section.

3) He is generous with the accents and fills.
The score is littered with percussion accents, suspended cymbals, harp glissandos, woodwind runs and other accents and splashes of motion and color.
Scarcely a phrase goes by that doesn’t have an accent or fill at the end of it.
The accents and fills serve two very important functions:
They gives the listener something to listen to at all times. Even if the melody is taking a breath, there is something else to hold the listener's attention for a few beats before it starts up again. They pull the listener constantly forward into the next phrase or section. This keeps the piece perpetually marching forward which maintains interest but also keeps up the excitement.
4) He keeps the accompaniment complex but in the background.
One of the more characteristic aspects of this score is that it’s very busy; there are always a multitude of ideas flying around at all times.
The genius behind this is that no matter how busy the overall texture is, I can still hear the theme clearly and distinctly without any confusion. I believe that one of the reasons for this is as simple as dynamic markings.
Another is that the melody is put in the stronger registers of the instruments playing it, while the accompaniment instruments are playing in weaker registers.
But one thing that does definitely NOT contribute to the separation of melody and accompaniment is having the accompaniment play simple and inconspicuous parts.

But this is just what I've observed from my experience in music theory, composition, and consensus with those who have researched the score as much as I have.
I'd like to hear additional thoughts (though not necessarily based on solely what I've written).
So to you, me making a candid observation equates to moaning?
Don't go there. Just... don't.
I'm just posting information relevant to the forum topic.

It's worth it, though, because the music is "coming straight from the composers' innermost souls." Williams has been coasting on his outer soul for the last several years, so this will be a return to form.

I like these Kickstarter campaigns because you can get extra goodies.
$4000 pledge gets you a rehearsal-worn turtle neck, PLUS a photoshoot next to a sequoia tree.