Quintus 5,391 Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 Both orchestras have performed some truly stirling music for the maestro, but when it comes to all out perfection, I find the BPO to be the orchestra of choice for cue/theme renditions. Although I absolutely adore the LSO's recordings, I prefer the BPO's versions of The Raiders March and pretty much all the Star Wars stuff. An exception would have to be the Superman theme, which the LSO utterly nailed. Though thats not to say the BPO's take on it isn't up to scratch, indeed its very good. But for me Williams' music seems to be most at home when the BPO is under his baton. Which kinda makes sense actually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
APBez 0 Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 I've been tempted to pose this question in the past.I feel a bit guilty voting for the BPO over the LSO (I'm from the U.K.) but I've always felt a freshness, a cleanliness about the BPO's brass section which I love. There's so little in it though.APBez Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,391 Posted May 31, 2006 Author Share Posted May 31, 2006 Yeah agreed.Oh and I'm from the UK (Liverpool) too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg1138 2 Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 LSO - every time.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kramer 0 Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 Boston Pops is far superior Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
batmanand 0 Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 The LSO is the best orchestra in the world, and that includes when playing Williams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nightscape94 965 Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 The LSO is the best orchestra in the world.Not quite!Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcus 385 Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 Boston Pops! Although I love LSO, there's something about Williams' recordings with the pops that just captures a certain aspect of his music so well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Crichton 4 Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 In the 70s and 80s the LSO had a very distinctive, special sound. While they're still good, it isn't as evident nowadays. For example, I would never be able to guess without knowing that CoS was the only LSO Williams Potter score. On the other hand, the first time I listened to Dracula I instantly idendified it as the LSO without knowing beforehand.The whole point of that rant is that I vote for the LSO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 5,520 Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 They still sound glorious. Particularly when heard live. Star Wars... I don't know if it's the recording or the orchestra (after all, they were among the world's top orchestras back then just as they are now), but those horns in TIE Fighter Attack just sound ugly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingPin 194 Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 Boston Pops. There's a certain crispness to their renditions. And as it was mentioned earlier I think, Williams was their conductor for all those years, one ought to expect that time after time, they perform his selections better than the rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pi 0 Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 I think Boston has better players and the recordings sound less frantic, sometimes this is not the desired effect however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingPin 194 Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 Forgot to mention that the Boston Pops records in their own Symphony Hall, which has some of the top acoustics in the world (I think it's among the top 3), so that might contribute to the high quality of their recordings. Although I must confess that I don't know how the LSO acoustics rank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futuremartymcfly 0 Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 I find the boston pops arrangements to be a tad more interesting and enjoyable then the LSO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Skywalker 1,284 Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 I think we are mixxing arrangements and performances here.Arrangements: made by Williams, and he didnt use the LSO because he was not the conductor of that orchestra for a decade... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fommes 126 Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 I prefer the LSO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futuremartymcfly 0 Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 oh... performances, well in that case if they were performing the same arrangement, then the LSO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BurgaFlippinMan 7 Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 I donno. I find the BPO have a certain twinkling brightness to their performances which are quite delightful for certain tracks. the LSO to me appear to have some kind of weight or majesty to its sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,391 Posted June 1, 2006 Author Share Posted June 1, 2006 I'm talking the same arrangements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251 Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 The LSO by far.The BPO's brass section usually sounds to thin, and their performance is often a bit to rigid for my taste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morlock 9 Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 Out of the two, certainly the LSO. Their performances may sound a bit rigid sometimes, but the BPOs always sound the exact same way. No matter what the piece is, it always seems a bit cheapened when given the BPO treatment. The sameness bothers me. I like it when a composer goes out on a limb with a lesser known orchestra. Sometimes it fails miserably, like with Total Recall, but sometimes it can yield spectacular results, like with Shore's The Aviator, which is one of the better sounding sountrack albums in recent years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BurgaFlippinMan 7 Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 where can i get the Pops version of Superman? I only have the original LSO ones and the McNeely rerecording. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trent B 317 Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 I voted for the LSO. To me they sound a lot better than the BPO. I guess to for voting for the LSO has something to do with the fact they scored all six Star Wars films and that just has a special place in my heart there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251 Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 where can i get the Pops version of Superman? I only have the original LSO ones and the McNeely rerecording.There is no McNeely recording! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morlock 9 Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 Yeah, Debney conducted the Varese one. And you're not missing anything- the main theme has never been and never will be better than it is on track 1, CD 1 of the Rhino set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AC1 3,565 Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 LSO, every time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BurgaFlippinMan 7 Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 where can i get the Pops version of Superman? I only have the original LSO ones and the McNeely rerecording.There is no McNeely recording!Woops, my 2d faux pas in a week! :oops: Yeah, Debney conducted the Varese one. And you're not missing anything- the main theme has never been and never will be better than it is on track 1, CD 1 of the Rhino set.Thank you! Burga - who admittedly has a tendency to mix up the Debney/McNeely/Jaws/Superman combinations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251 Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 Would anyone here even be comparing them if it wasn't for the fact that Williams was once the BPO conductor?It's like comparing a McDonalds to a 4 star restaurant. Alexander Nevsky (Prokoviev) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AC1 3,565 Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 I guess that some here find the LSO too "foreign". Mark my words, JoeinAr will also vote for the BPO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251 Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 I don't think so, remember Joe considers Star Wars, Superman and Raiders to be masterpieces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AC1 3,565 Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 I don't think so, remember Joe considers Star Wars, Superman and Raiders to be masterpieces.But it's frustrates him that they weren't performed by the Texan Symphony Orchestra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251 Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 Texas has a symphony orchestra? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AC1 3,565 Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nightscape94 965 Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 It's a big ass state, I'm sure they have a few.Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattris 314 Posted June 3, 2006 Share Posted June 3, 2006 Yeh, the two best ones being the Houston Symphony and Dallas Symphony. I live near Houston and have seen the HSO perform "Superman March" and "Olympic Fanfare and Theme". It was years ago, but I recall goosebumps hearing those magnificent pieces live.As for the vote, it's hard to choose. If taking into account only the duplicate recordings of JW stuff, then I have to go with the BPO. Both orchestras have such a distinct sound. The late 70s/early 80s LSO, had such an aggressive sound, but I know this largely had to do with the mixing/acoustics. The older BPO recordings are quite the opposite.The BPO sounded best from about '86-'96. More recently, they seem to pull something special out of the bag whenever Williams conducts them in concert, from what I've heard on "Evening At Pops". Ever since Tim Morrison left the BPO, things just haven't been the same. He was responsible for a such great deal of their clean brass sound.So,the BPO for recordings, but the LSO for their more current JW performances.mattmane, who voted for the BPO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251 Posted June 3, 2006 Share Posted June 3, 2006 Yeh, the two best ones being the Houston Symphony and Dallas Symphony. With a banjo section instead of violins, right? Or as you say, fiddles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxfan 24 Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 I also vote for the Pops!As someone hinted at, it might have something to do with Boston's Symphony Hall acoustics. In fact, what I love about the "By Request" BPO recordings is the reverb heard throughout the entire piece (but most importantly after the final chord of a piece). It makes it sound much more natural. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AC1 3,565 Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 Is Ottawa in Texas too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251 Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 Ottowa is in Canada. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trent B 317 Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 Also in New York. I think the town itself sits on the border of New York and Canada. So half of the town is in Canada while the other half is in the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AC1 3,565 Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 That means that at least half the town is keeping their front doors locked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trent B 317 Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 lol probably so.It's just like with Vancuver. Half of it is in Canada and the other half is in Washington (the state of course). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McClane 1 Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 If an American composer had to travel over an Ocean, move to another continent, and go so far from home to record, that means that the LSO have to be superior. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damo 0 Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 Can I ask a question? Which Orchestra did John Williams used for his major films like Stars Wars and Indiana Jones? I have no knowedge whatsover if John Williams use BSO for recording his score for films but BSO i think he use them just for concerts recording or preformance. Beside it really up to composer which Orchestra to use and yeah he picked LSO for Star Wars and some other films because I read somewhere on the net that someone pointed to John Williams to use LSO for Star Wars for a reason. But I don't know what orchestra he use for Indiana Jones. With other films like the Terminal and War of the Worlds he brought different musicians together to form a full orchestra to a studio so that John Williams can record his score. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incanus 5,519 Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 Williams has used BSO for Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan but not any other score that I am aware of. The orchestra Williams has used in his recent scores is the LA Recording Arts orchestra and the Hollywood Studio Symphony if I am not completely mistaken. At least many of the musicians from Hollywood Studio Symphony seem to feature in Williams' recent scores. LSO performed many of Williams' classics from the late 70's to mid 80's like SW scores, Superman, The Fury (album not the actual film score), Raiders and Monsignor. Their recent collaborations with Williams are the SW Prequels and HP COS (well they performed his music even if he was not there to conduct it).The other two Indy scores were performed by a studio orchestra. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251 Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 If an American composer had to travel over an Ocean, move to another continent, and go so far from home to record, that means that the LSO have to be superior.No, i the case of the Star Wars films (OT) it probably has more to do with the fact that the main production of these films took place in England Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Skywalker 1,284 Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 If an American composer had to travel over an Ocean, move to another continent, and go so far from home to record, that means that the LSO have to be superior.No, i the case of the Star Wars films (OT) it probably has more to do with the fact that the main production of these films took place in EnglandDidnt Williams said: 'George, i need a big orchestra for this', 'i need the LSO'.And George had to make marvels with the money to pay for it.Wasnt this on some liner notes or SW doccumentary?Wasnt Previn director of the LSOat this time? i think he arranged some things to make this possible (or some other LSO director friend to Williams) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251 Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 I never heard that.Williams was able to get the LSO because of his friendship with Andre Previn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Skywalker 1,284 Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 We said the previn thing at the same time LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damo 0 Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 Wasnt this on some liner notes or SW doccumentary? Wasn't it mentioned on Star Wars Bonus DVD Disc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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