Soundings Premiere Performance Video Online

[Saxbabe 28]

Most of the PBS video of the inaugural concert of Walt Disney Concert Hall is now online at Google Video.

Interviews and Introductions

JW conducting "Soundings" with Spielberg introducing

A cracking Rite of Spring with conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen

Scene d'Amour (Vertigo), Death Hunt (On Dangerous Ground) - Herrmann, How the West Was Won - Newman (Salonen conducting)

Gosh, the Walt Disney Concert Hall is gorgeous. This is the first time I've ever heard "Soundings" and it's quite a cool piece. It has a lot of trademark JW-isms (like odd meters a la CMIYC) but updated. Especially the latter half is a lot of fun and the L.A. Philharmonic do a great job with it. And it's always a treat to see him conduct! Rest of the concert is fabulous too.

[AI 0]

Gosh, the Walt Disney Concert Hall is gorgeous. This is the first time I've ever heard "Soundings" and it's quite a cool piece. It has a lot of trademark JW-isms (like odd meters a la CMIYC) but updated

Oh wow, thanks for filling me in, I would never have figured that out by myself.

[Joni Wiljami 1,206]

Thanks for the link.

Go John and go Esa-Pekka !!

[King Mark 3,625]

Is this a better bitrate than the original internet radio broadcast?

Wait...it's just PBS TV special of the last 6 minutes.But still,what's the bitrate of audion in google videos?

K.M.

[QMM 4]

First time I've heard Soundings and I must say, that second half is awesome.

[King Mark 3,625]

I think the last few minutes is one of the best of Williams "concert works".We really need this on c.d.

K.M.

[Incanus 5,713]

Great videos. Thanks for the info!

I listened to Soundings just yesterday and I think it is a wonderful piece. Celebratory but more akin to Williams' more contemplative concert works.

[Luke Skywalker 1,792]

cool!

Does john wear a chronometer in his left hand?

[Miguel Andrade 1,260]

I have this on DVD and is such a great show...

The show unfortunatelly only includes about half of the piece. Williams uses the chornometrer on the part where he get the Hall responding (with the tracked flute, if you remember how the piece evolves.)

By the way, a couple of days ago saw a DGG release of the Rite of Spring performance, so if they released it, maybe there is hope the will release other stuff from those ianugural concerts.

[Melisande 0]

Woo hoo! I've been waiting for this video to show up online for some time now- I saw this performance when it first aired but stupidly neglected to record it. Great find!

[Morlock 11]

The Williams piece does nothing for me...but it is a grand performance of Stravinsky. Plus, that John Adams piece sounds VERY interesting. I really must get some Adams. I don't even have Hermionillere, or the capacity to spell it correctly.

Good performances of the Herrmann pieces...but that Newman piece is just glorious. Inspired way to end the show.

[Joni Wiljami 1,206]

I liked even more the first half(that more "atonal" stuff) of the Soundings.

The second half of it was also good but sometimes it sounded like Williams

was trying too much.

In his best scores he writes kind of " chamber-music way " ,the important stuff goes from

section to section and I won't get that "noisy".

(or maybe it's just me , I've lost my both brain cells and I can't take anymore

music that's too complex...)

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Atonal?

Blech!

[ChrisAfonso 186]

Brass?

[Joni Wiljami 1,206]

Perc.?

[King Mark 3,625]

I think the last few minutes of Soundings sound like a souped up version of Towering Inferno Main titles

[nightscape94 965]

I like Soundings a lot, and I never saw the video before. Thanks for posting the link. I have, however, played the audio many, many times.

Tim, who is also waiting for a professional recording of this wonderful piece.

[Composer_Fan 2]

Wow, thanks for posting those video links!

I only have an audio recording of Soundings, so I never knew that some sections of the piece used pre-recorded material. I thought that was very fascinating, and so fitting for the program of the piece. I was also very impressed with the orchestra.

And the only thing more bizarre than the Adams piece was John Adams's hair.

[Seth 67]

The Adams piece is actually on a CD now. It's a great piece-a lot of nice colors and interesting melodies. He even tuned the harps and piano with just intonation instead of the normal equal temperament system. The timbre of the electric violin is really quite different (in a good way) from the normal four-stringed violin, and Tracy Silverman's performance is exquisite.

[Saxbabe 28]

Williams uses the chornometrer on the part where he get the Hall responding (with the tracked flute, if you remember how the piece evolves.)

At around 3:45 in the video, you can clearly see him holding it in his left hand and looking down at it during the tracked sections. (Somehow didn't notice it first time around )

This is a chronometer, essentially a very accurate pocket watch...was he using this to see the reverberation time as the hall "sings" or just to keep time to know when to cue the orchestra back in?

The Adams piece is actually on a CD now. It's a great piece-a lot of nice colors and interesting melodies. He even tuned the harps and piano with just intonation instead of the normal equal temperament system. The timbre of the electric violin is really quite different (in a good way) from the normal four-stringed violin, and Tracy Silverman's performance is exquisite.

I heard this recording (Dharma at Big Sur) on a BBC Radio feature yesterday on Adams and it is indeed a very good one. It also has Tracy Silverman as soloist.

[Seth 67]

I heard this recording (Dharma at Big Sur) on a BBC Radio feature yesterday on Adams and it is indeed a very good one. It also has Tracy Silverman as soloist.

That's the one. I haven't given much time to the other piece although Dharma is quite beautiful.