NY Phil Open Rehersal

[Joe Brausam 215]

As much as I'd love to be at the rehearsal...not me! Just the Saturday night concert.

[JWfangirl1992 18]

Well I'll see you there .

[oierem 152]

I'll be there also. I'm going to NY (I'm from Spain) just to see John Williams for the first time!!!!

[Joe Brausam 215]

Great! As unbelieveable as this sounds, even though I live only an hour from the city, I've only been there once in my life! My only NY experience was seeing the Radio City Rockettes back in 2001.

[vincehardy 0]

Maybe it was mentioned before but I didn't notice the NY Phil made a promo spot for the concert.

[JWfangirl1992 18]

It wasnt mentioned thanks for that video.

My mom said she was watching channel 7 news and it came on. Thats pretty sweet, I must say.

[pi 0]

I bought tickets for Friday AM. Hopefully I can make it.

See you all there.

[JWfangirl1992 18]

It's tomorrow!! YAY!!!

[vincehardy 0]

Other members that were present at the rehearsal might want to comment, for my part I'm sorry but I'm fried so I need to rest a bit before going to tonights concert but errr yeah it was awesome!

Random thoughts: Williams said by the stage at the end of the rehearsal that he didn't see indy 4 but will start scoring in 2 weeks and Stnaley Donen is hilarious.

Stanley Donen: Where are we?

John Williams: We're in New York Stanley.

Click here for the album.

A few highlights:

Sold Out

[TownerFan 4,983]

Cool photos! Thanks for sharing them!

I can't wait for the Chicago concerts next November...

[scissorhands 16]

Thanks for the pictures!!! I wonder how many people went to the rehearsal today.

[JWfangirl1992 18]

It was amazing!!

But I am incredibly pissed. During intermission a bunch of people were going up to the stage and by the time I got there with the Star Wars suite I am arranging he decided to take a break. I WAS SO DAMN CLOSE!!!

Nice photos btw. I took about 100 when he was talking to Stanley after the concert *about ten feet away from me* but because of my crappy digital camera all you see is a blurry bald head.

[pi 0]

Rehearsal was excellent. The NY Phil low brass and tpts are worth the price of admission alone. Best comment of the day after a question asked by the low basses about a note which they said sounded wrong, "It might not be very good but it's correct." Also JW dictated mistakes in the parts on the Harry Potter Suite, which means the signature edition has mistakes on it (He conducted to that score).

The problem with Avery Fischer is that the shell is all powerful. The Brass and woodwinds and perc (anyone towards the back of the stage) really project into the house and sound as if they are close mic'd. The strings on the other hand do not project much at all. This mix is very similar to the Revenge of the Sith balance, way different from say Empire where the strings sound very close mic'd. However you had to strain to hear the violin/cello solo. I've never heard a violin concerto at the hall but you would have to thin the orchestra down to hear it. The orchestra really played Aunt Marge's Waltz differently, sounding VERY VERY classical with the rubato and phrasing, but Star Wars sounded exactly like the soundtrack. Hedwig's theme the strings kind of rushed there fast passages, you could see it on JW's face, but he made no comment of it.

PS the violin solo in fiddler was horrible, i hope that guy goes and practices

Really fun rehearsal.

[vincehardy 0]

To answer scissorhands, my guess would be about a thousand people which is very, very unusual for an open rehearsal. They had cleared the first 12 rows but from then on it was pretty full all the way to the back and on two balconies.

pi, I *almost* totally agree with your review. Tthe "guy" in need of practice is Concertmaster Glenn Dicterow. Was it his finest hour? Probably not but I find characterizing his performance as horrible, rather harsh.

Getting ready for tonight's concert. I'm psyched.

[JWfangirl1992 18]

Yea I never expected the rehearsal to be that crowded. Why did they have those first rows blocked off?

Did you guys stay after the concert at any of the doors? I waited in the green room with about 9 other people. I also asked if anyone was apart of the board and none of them were but i gave them our website so hopefully we have a few more fans joining.

[pi 0]

I've been to a bunch of these open rehearsals, never so crowded unless its a school field trip day or a big celeb soloist is playing.

The violinist, his pitch was horrible. Especially up on his E string. If he was a guest artist playing that he would not be invited back. It truley seemed he was sight reading "faking it".

[scissorhands 16]

I've heard Dicterow playing before, and he's quite good, I'm sure he just needs more practice.

Thanks for the answer, Vince. I wish I could have been there with all you guys.

[vincehardy 0]

I still think that's harsh, really harsh but without a recording we won't be able to clear this up. I'll tell you what though, the mics on stage seem to indicate we might be blessed with an NPR broadcast of the concert just like last year, we could discuss then.

[pi 0]

I still think that's harsh, really harsh but without a recording we won't be able to clear this up. I'll tell you what though, the mics on stage seem to indicate we might be blessed with an NPR broadcast of the concert just like last year, we could discuss then.

Well I just recently heard that same arrangement played by the Boston Pops with their first chair, and she played it just amazingly.

[JWfangirl1992 18]

They mentioned something in the program that the concert will be broadcasted on the radio January 3rd.

[vincehardy 0]

You're the best! When did you get the time to read the program?

"This concert is to be broadcast locally on 96.3 FM WQXR on Thursday, January 3, 2008 at 9:00 p.m."

Awesome!

[scissorhands 16]

Well, I read it the other day. NYPhil concerts are usually broadcast weeks or months after the concert, both on radio and in their website (available for a couple of weeks!). Like last year's concert. I don't miss any of the NYPhil concerts, "The New York Philharmonic this week" program is something all orchestras should aim at.

[JWfangirl1992 18]

I can't wait.

For anyone who had really good seats what time did you get there?

I wanted to get first row so my mom woke me up extra early so we could but she took forever to get ready and we left the house and only had an hour to get to New York. I got to 57th street at about 9:30 (where the Waterways ferry dropped us off), I grabed my ticket from my mom, and ran like 8 blocks in flip flops and a skirt so I would make it on time. I get there and I'm all out of breath and the guy who's checking my bag says "What are you late to class?" Me: "No I'm going to the John Williams Open Rehearsal". Guy's face:

[scissorhands 16]

"What are you late to class?" Me: "No I'm going to the John Williams Open Rehearsal". Guy's face:

Really funny, Meg!

[King Osric 0]

Did you guys stay after the concert at any of the doors? I waited in the green room with about 9 other people. I also asked if anyone was apart of the board and none of them were but i gave them our website so hopefully we have a few more fans joining.

Hello. I was one of the nine who were looking for John William's car in the parking lot (just kidding). It was great to see so many JW fans. I'm not sure if I'll post here, since there are so many other film score boards (Moviemusicuk, the Rozsa forum, FSM, filmtracks, goldenscores) with basically the same members posting the same stuff:

http://mmuk64.proboards42.com/index.cgi?ac...7723&page=1

Anyway, I'm looking forward to Saturday's concert, the Indy IV score, and the YouTube videos of the rehearsal.

[scissorhands 16]

I'm not sure if I'll post here, since there are so many other film score boards (Moviemusicuk, the Rozsa forum, FSM, filmtracks, goldenscores) with basically the same members posting the same stuff:

Well, I don't agree with that. There are a lot of us who don't post anywhere else. This is the right place for the true JW Fans.

[JWfangirl1992 18]

Yes I highly doubt there are any other fifteen year old girls out there as desperate as I am to get Williams to sign something.

[vincehardy 0]

Since there was no formal thread started for the NY concerts, I suppose we can keep on going with this one if there are no objections?

I've uploaded the pictures of tonight's concert. You still of course can go to the album but here are some highlights:

(Sorry no juice left for a review, I have to get some sleep)

[TownerFan 4,983]

Great pictures again! Johnny looks amazingly cool and having so much fun with the orchestra.

So, by looking at the pictures, the encores were "The Olympic Spirit" (w/ film montage) and "The Mission Theme". Did he perform anything else?

[scissorhands 16]

The Olympic Spirit and The Mission Theme as encore, that's cool!

Thanks again for the pictures, it looks you had a good concert and a memorable night.

[pete 907]

Thanks Vince,

Those photos are great!

It's wonderful to see John looking so vibrant.

I saw him in concert in 1998, and he doesn't seem to have aged much at all.

[vincehardy 0]

The first encore was Sugarland Express. I think I'll have a review for you guys today and yes it was memorable.

[pete 907]

The first encore was Sugarland Express. I think I'll have a review for you guys today and yes it was memorable.

Was Sugarland performed with a flute or harmonica?

Looking forward to your review.

The concerts I saw also opened with Sound The Bells, a great opener.

[JWfangirl1992 18]

The first encore was Sugarland Express.

Thank you for telling me. I spent half of the piece trying to figure out what the hell it was.

The concerts I saw also opened with Sound The Bells, a great opener.

Yes I have to agree, Sound the Bells was a great opener. Really got your full attention.

Also, for whoever went last night did he sign autographs after? or does anyone know where he came out. I am on the verge of desperate for him to sign my Star Wars suite. I was sooooo close yesterday

[vincehardy 0]

Notes on the program can be found HERE.

Last night was the first of a series of three concerts by John Williams with the New York Philharmonic returning to Avery Fisher Hall after last year’s great success.

Fun was the keyword and it was fairly obvious early on that everybody was just having a good time. By everybody I mean John Williams, the musicians of the New York Philharmonic, special guest Stanley Donen but also us the audience and what a great audience it was, a bit on the noisy side but very reactive yet considerate.

The first half of the concert was all Williams and immediately after walking on stage and briefly greeting the crowd the Maestro starts with Sound the Bells!

A classic concert opener and a crowd pleaser it’s a piece well suited for the acoustic of Avery Fisher Hall which, as pointed by pi, tends to favor brass and percussions. It sounded to me very similar to the album version heard on “Call of the Champions”. Williams then briefly turned around to acknowledge the applause and then went right into Flight to Neverland.

It was my first time hearing this piece in concert (well second if I count the rehearsal this morning) and it was absolutely wonderful. I don’t particularly care for the movie but I do love the score (I have the Concorde 2 CDs version… Can I say that?) and it was beautifully executed by the New York Philharmonic. After much applause and cheers from the audience John Williams picked up the microphone and started talking about the Brontë sisters, their influence on literature and how pleased he was to have been involved with the made for TV movie 1970 version of Jane Eyre. He indicated it would be three separate compositions from the score.

This was really a revelation. I admit I’m not excessively familiar with this particular work (I promise to work on that next week) and this was easily the high point of the concert for me. That’s also where the audience showed consideration because you could hear a pin drop during the brief moments of silence between the three pieces. Out of 2,700 people not even one attempted a clap of hand. Magical.

Speaking of Magic, I always get the giggles when John Williams speaks geek and he gladly does for two franchises, Star Wars and Harry Potter. To see him on stage very seriously talk about Moguls, wizards, Hogwarts and the likes, always seem to me odd and funny at the same time. I was really having cold sweats on that one because during the rehearsal this was by far where Williams went back to work the most with the Philharmonic and for good reasons. Besides “Aunt Marge’s Waltz” feeling a little rush towards the end I thought it went a lot better than in the morning.

After waiting for the roar of the audience to calm down he started to talk about his involvement in Fiddler on the Roof and his work with Jerry Bock’s composition, started to reminisce about his life as a piano player in the 1950s and how his best friend at the Los Angeles Philharmonic was Harold Dicterow, Glenn Dicterow’s father.

On a side note: Williams last year never mentioned he knew Glenn Dicterow since the 50s, just that he played violin on the studio recording of Jaws.

I thought it went great but then again I didn’t have any significant problems during the rehearsal in the morning either, so I’ll let others be the judge of that. It’s a rollercoaster of a piece and Avery Fisher Hall might not be the best venue for it, because of its quick switches between full orchestra and quiet strings but it’s quick joyful and entertaining and a great way to conclude the first part.

Intermission

I'll come back with more later.

[JWfangirl1992 18]

Excellent. I'm seriously excited about tonight (even though i already saw it yesterday).

What do you guys normally do in the time to kill before the concert? My mom and I are going early to eat and then we're gonna roam aimlessly so I wanna see if there's anything interesting to do.

[odnurega1 0]

Excellent. I'm seriously excited about tonight (even though i already saw it yesterday).

What do you guys normally do in the time to kill before the concert? My mom and I are going early to eat and then we're gonna roam aimlessly so I wanna see if there's anything interesting to do.

When I was in Boston, my mom and I went out during the day and did the whole sightseeing thing (Prudential Tower, Public Gardens, Boston Duck Tour), and then went back to out hotel at around 6PM and got ready. By the time 7:15 came around, we were rushing to take a cab to Symphony Hall. The plan originally was for us to walk, but my mom was in high heels and she made it about 2 blocks before flagging down a cab.

But, you're in NY, where I've never seen JW perform. I am sure you can find something to do. Dinner would be nice....

[JWfangirl1992 18]

Alright I'm off. Hopefully I'll meet the maestro (or maybe a couple of boardies).

Note: I will be the teenage girl in full black with a green bag *yes I match perfectly* with a blue folder filled with Star Wars music sticking out of it. So if you see me, make sure you say Hi!!

[odnurega1 0]

Alright I'm off. Hopefully I'll meet the maestro (or maybe a couple of boardies).

Note: I will be the teenage girl in full black with a green bag *yes I match perfectly* with a blue folder filled with Star Wars music sticking out of it. So if you see me, make sure you say Hi!!

Have fun! I am jealous! I had so much fun seeing him perform in Boston! Take pictures if you can....

[vincehardy 0]

The projection screen rolls down during the intermission and just like for the first part, John Williams walks back on stage, salutes the audience and goes right into Hooray for Hollywood. Again a crowd pleaser, great way to start and put everyone in the mood for a tribute to the Films of Stanley Donen. I could swear it sounded exactly and I mean exactly like the “Salute to Hollywood” version.

After another round of applause the Maestro picks up the mic and introduces special guest, Director of many of the greatest musicals of all times, Stanley Donen who turned out to be an incredibly entertaining guest. I went through the whole thing during the rehearsal but he was even funnier this time around.

Donen: “No, you’re the genius John. I’m just here to try to help you the best I can”.

The first piece is You’re All the World to Me from Royal Wedding, where Fred Astaire dances from the floor to the walls and then to the ceiling. Donen goes on to explain with the help of a crude 3D animation (laughter from the crowd) how they built the room in a cylinder and the camera was rotating at the same time as the room.

The number starts with the audio from the movie then as we get into the dance part the orchestra picks up. The challenge here is to remain in sync with the movie but after E.T. last year, I believe Williams can keep the Philharmonic in sync with just about anything.

Donen introduces next Bless Your Beautiful Hide from “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” known for this concert thanks to the horrible pan and scan version that was shown as “Four Brides for Four Brothers”. He goes into a colorful story of how the producer of the movie didn’t want dancers (+ expletives) to play outdoorsmen and how he (Donen) asked Deutsch who was doing the orchestration to make DePaul’s score sound like Copeland.

Next is I Like Myself from “It’s Always Fair Weather”. Donen starts a fairly long story of how Gene Kelly was such a great roller skater and he always wanted to do a dance number with him on skates. All of a sudden in the middle of the story he says “but I’d better move on because I think we’re running a little long”, Williams reassures him “no it’s quite alright Stanley”.

During the introduction of The Worry Song from Anchors Aweigh at the rehearsal I really thought Donen had lost his marbles, because he goes into that whole story about Singin’ in the Rain (the next number) and how it was all about rehearsing preparing and precision and to go back to his original point this dance number with Gene Kelly and Jerry the mouse (an animated character) was all about preparation. He had also a great story on how his original idea was for Kelly to dance with Mickey Mouse and Disney told him in a meeting that Mickey didn’t work for MGM.

Finally Singin’ in the Rain. More funny stories about his brilliant idea to have Gene Kelly singing… in the rain. Priceless.

All and all this tribute from a musical standpoint might not have been totally satisfying (long introductions and short sets) but the interaction between Williams and Donen made it all worth it and how many more opportunities am I going to have to see Stanley Donen in person? Come on give the man a hug.

Now back to Williams work. Sayuri’s Theme from Memoirs of a Geisha. I think the score for Geisha is just OK. I don’t dislike it but I won’t go out of my way to listen to it. As a concert piece I thought it was great I especially liked the intro by Carter Brey going Cello solo.

Finally, A Tribute to George Lucas and Steven Spielberg: A musical montage that includes Jaws, Star Wars, Raiders and E.T. It’s fun very dynamic and gets the audience excited and a fine way to end the second part of this concert.

After coming back on stage a couple of times due to a bad case of standing ovation we get into the encores

First was Sugarland Express very laid back jazzy piece great for calming things down. This was the only encore that was rehearsed in the morning. No harmonica however substituted by a flute but it works just great.

Olympic Spirit came second. I thought it was a little pretentious to have an encore with a video montage. Considering the logistics it’s like saying “yes we knew there would be a second encore” but what the hell, he’s John Williams!

Finally The Mission Theme. The classic ending to most John Williams concerts with the classic joke “just in case you don’t make it on time for the evening news”

It was yet another great evening with the Maestro. I can't believe I'm going back tonight... And tomorrow night!

[vincehardy 0]

Fewer pictures today because it was all about the music for me this time, not so much about taking photographs but still, a couple of good stuffs and as always full gallery here.

[Joe Brausam 215]

It was a great show tonight, and I really loved that concert arrangement of Sayuri's theme! And Jane Eyre was a beauty, of course.

[JWfangirl1992 18]

I'm currently writing a review for it now but it won't be up to later.

I once again attempted to get his autograph. I waited for an hour in the garage. At first there was a black mercesdes *sp* with a driver waiting outside i was like "YES I'M GONNA GET HIM TO SIGN MY THING!!". Then they swing the car into a little area and the door closes down in front of it. I still didn't leave. Finally, the door opens up again and you see John sitting in the backseat, smiling and waving. They don't stop. I chase the car all the way to a red light but they still didn't stop. . I will get him to sign my star wars suite!!!!!

[odnurega1 0]

I'm currently writing a review for it now but it won't be up to later.

I once again attempted to get his autograph. I waited for an hour in the garage. At first there was a black mercesdes *sp* with a driver waiting outside i was like "YES I'M GONNA GET HIM TO SIGN MY THING!!". Then they swing the car into a little area and the door closes down in front of it. I still didn't leave. Finally, the door opens up again and you see John sitting in the backseat, smiling and waving. They don't stop. I chase the car all the way to a red light but they still didn't stop. . I will get him to sign my star wars suite!!!!!

I am sorry you didn't get to meet him....did you enjoy the concert?

[JWfangirl1992 18]

Yea it was pretty suite I must say. *haha music pun*

[vincehardy 0]

Posting from Avery Fisher Hall on my cell. The orchestra is warming up.

[Red 75]

You're so lucky.

[JWfangirl1992 18]

LOL nice one. If you want an autograph head to the garage and look for a black mercedes.

[John Crichton 4]

What do you guys normally do in the time to kill before the concert?

Wander around downtown Houston trying to figure out how to get to the Hard Rock.

Glad you guys got to go! Keep trying for that autograph JWFangirl, next time have a car stashed behind the bushes so you can jump in and chase down the black Mercedes.

: Attack on Ft. Schmerzen- Medal of Honor, Michael Giacchino

[King Osric 0]

I will get him to sign my star wars suite!!!!!

Even though I joked about it earlier, I didn't think I would ever be waiting in a parking lot, humming the main theme from Presumed Innocent, waiting to see John Williams drive by in a car. It was so exciting. It was too exciting. I was actually waving to John Williams, the John Williams. I was tempted to take some pictures, but I couldn't believe that I was seeing John Williams, and that a fan was chasing his car down the street. I had to talk myelf out of doing this again tonight. Anyway, it was good to see that John Williams signed the card, of my new friend, who had dropped it off with the (security) assitant outside of the green room. The concert was great. I hope JW does this again at the Avery Fischer Hall. If there's an open rehearsal. I'll get there early, and I'll rush to the stage right before the intermision. It would be unbelievable to have my picture taken with John Williams. Jwfangirl, I hope you're able to get JW to sign your suite.