John Williams is Coming to Texas!

[John Crichton 4]

When people speak of Williams, they are not mistaken when the refer to him as a generous and humble man.

Absolutely. He actually said while signing autographs after the rehearsal "this is so sweet".

Schindler's List was next, superb and Williams was pleased by the performance.

He actually said he was "speechless" by the performance of the soloist.

Unfortunately my wife couldn't get a snapshot of him shaking my hand but did get one of him signing my book.

But she did get one of me shaking his hand.

The Ft. Worth Symphony is one of the better ones I've heard and Williams also seemed very impressed. It was an experience I'll never forget.

I like how at some points he said "I wish I had written (so-and-so) there". For all the jokes we have about his memory, no Star Wars love theme before AotC and the like, he really does know this stuff like the back of his hand. After the CE3K suite everyone had a laugh and tender moment when he asked if the orchestra had played it before, and the head said no, but they all grew up with it.

[Musica42 0]

No photos were *technically* allowed... But between pieces I managed to snap a few. My camera isn't the best in low light but a couple of them came out decently from where I sat in the 3rd row.

Anyway to add my recollections to what everyone else has said:

This was a completely exhilarating experience for me and a day I'll remember forever. Maestro Williams' arrival was greeted with a roar of applause and after acknowledging the sizable audience that had gathered for this event he stood on the podium and mentioned to the orchestra that many of the pieces were likely very familiar to them already so he'd like to simply run through most of the program. Thus he launched into The Cowboy Overture and it was gloriously performed. I cannot heap enough praise on the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. They performed the vast majority of the music exceptionally and Williams' gift for orchestration was really highlighted by them and the warm sounding hall. That horn trill at the end of Cowboys was electric! Even better than the one on the ...By Request CD.

Next up was Close Encounters. Most of this piece was played phenomenally as well although I noticed the trombones folded pretty badly at their tutti section near the beginning (the rapid part where they go down to their extreme blatty low register). Following this performance Williams said he was extremely impressed with the caliber of playing in the orchestra and quipped it sounded like they'd all grown up playing the music. This was of course greeted with another round of applause much to Williams' amusement.

Third up was a trio of Harry Potter pieces (Hedwig's Theme, Nimbus 2000, and Harry's Wondrous World). The string runs at the beginning of that piece...holy crap. Clean as a whistle from where I sat. Again FWSO blew me away with how well they performed. The celeste player was a tad uneven on the second solo with all the runs and likewise the strings followed suit a bit on the dirty side as well. Fortunately Williams' addressed this issue and we all got to hear that passage a second time much improved. Very very cool to watch.

The Nimbus 2000 was the all woodwind arrangement that appears in the Signature Score edition which was VERY exciting for me because as many times as I'd looked at it, I've never heard a recording of that particular version. I kicking myself for not realizing what this piece was before it started and letting my camera record the audio. Oh well. The woodwinds knocked it out of the park (and if anyone has a decent recording of this movement could you PLEASE PM me). Lastly came Harry's Wondrous World which for me is one of the greatest things Williams has ever done. This piece suffered a bit here and there (I think the orchestra was beginning to get a little fatigued) and Williams took the time to address a few issues mostly related to the second section (starting around 2 minutes on the recording from the OST). To convey that he wanted the background material in the winds to be lighter he said to play it like little kids riding around on brooms, which was of course fitting. The ending also got another run through to fix some tempo issues. I should also mention that I may or may not have let my camera record the audio on this last piece.

Rounding out the first half of the rehearsal Williams finished with Adventures on Earth. At this point he began saying the players needed to save something for the evening concert so he only rehearsed parts of this piece. We did get the ending though and it made for an exhilarating end to the first half. Williams' vanished backstage at this point while I gushed with my friends who'd come along about how amazing this all was.

While Williams was away a techie was setting up a monitor for him on his podium and when he returned he began a piece titled "Monsters, Damsels and Heroes" ... or something to that effect. I'm amused that none of us seem to be able to remember what the hell this piece was called. The music was good enough but I detested the visuals that went with it. It looked like a Powerpoint presentation of still images that were synced to the music. My only recollection of this piece beyond that was I hated the way the tom-tom drum sounded during the Jaws segment (me being a percussionist I notice stupid things like this) and was happy to hear The Adventures of Robin Hood. Williams made a comment about bowing like a singer would sing the piece during one of the slower tunes and also corrected the rhythmic accuracy in the Robin Hood segment (happily resulting in another partial play through of this portion of the piece).

Being a little "meh" toward this last piece I was brought back to rapt attention with Williams conducting live to picture the "Indy's First Adventure" cue from Last Crusade, a whirlwind orchestral tour de force if there ever was one. After the run through Williams had the picture turned off and reran the cue piece by piece. This was one of the highlights of the entire rehearsal simply from a technical standpoint. I would suspect that what I saw was very similar to how Williams would rehearse for film score recording.

After this piece the concertmaster raised his stand and I knew we where in for some Schindler's List. Next to the Cowboy Overture this was the other completely transcendent moment of the rehearsal. The violinist started out decently enough (although through the entire first statement of the theme I kept thinking Itzhak Perlman did a better job with it). Then he got to the second half and his playing completely transformed for whatever reason. By the end of the piece I was stunned with how beautifully unique his performance was. A simply masterful job and one Williams' clearly appreciated greatly as well.

Next up were a few snippets from Star Wars. He started by playing the Imperial March and cut off after 2 measures. The sound of the audience behind me deflating at this was hysterical (although I'll admit it was tragic that we didn't get to hear even ONE run through of the Imperial March theme). Next he moved onto Leia's Theme, again he only played a small section but we were at the very least blessed by the beautiful horn solo (which was PERFECTLY played). I assume the Main Title is on the program but he didn't address it at the rehearsal. I did catch him saying to the orchestra that he wasn't going to begin conducting until measure 4 and I *think* this was in reference to the Main Title. Ah well, who wants to hear Williams conduct his signature piece live anyway? (me, that's who. Boo.)

Next up was the Signature Score edition of Sayuri's Theme from Memoirs of a Geisha. It got one quick restart after Williams suggested the flutist take a bit more time with the opening solo and otherwise was a gorgeous run through.

Second to last was a piece I rarely hear these days: The Olympic Spirit synced to a video of Olympic clips. This was very very rousing and, although I didn't feel most of the hits landed where they should, a few certainly did and it was great fun nonetheless. Williams made a point of mentioning at least twice that the piece was very difficult to conduct/perform properly because of all the hits and from what I saw I believe him.

Lastly we got a few bits of Indiana Jones and then the rehearsal was over. Williams received a standing ovation then I made my way to the front of the stage as quickly as I could to see if I could get a signature. I was among the first to make it and was very happy to see him have a chair brought over and pen handed to him. I saw someone have their Star Wars double LP signed and I think I saw a Towering Inferno LP in there too. Williams was exceptionally gracious to allow for this time and when I went up to him I simply said he was the inspiration for my doing music and I handed him my copy of my favorite score of his (A.I.). He signed the inside booklet with his pen and I handed him a silver paint pen and he was nice enough to sign the disc itself as well. Then my wife shouted for a picture and we both turned and in a couple of tries got one of the greatest photos of my life.

In all the experience was precisely what I had always dreamed it would be. Williams was beyond humble and ... what else can I say. It was a very good day.

[Kendal_Ozzel 36]

I'm worn out from lots of driving and very little sleep, but I had to share my thoughts too, although Mark and John seem to have touched on a lot of the same things. Forgive my rambling!

I too thought this was cooler than an actual concert in a lot of ways. Instead of talking about the films in generic terms to the audience, we got to hear him talk to the orchestra about very specific musical stuff. Some of it went over my head, but I thought it was interesting when he pointed out spots for improvement that I had noticed too. (Hedwig's Theme comes to mind.) But that's not a knock against the orchestra—as he said, they were very minor issues, and the orchestra really was fantastic! Great acoustics in that hall, too!

Something I thought was funny. The announcer at the beginning said to hold applause until the end of the rehearsal. After the first piece, The Cowboys, there was a partial applause, but I held mine back, as ordered. But (and I don't remember if it was after this or CE3K), Williams waved his hand and encouraged the audience to go for it, and from then on, they got a well deserved applause after every one.

Another thing about the rehearsal: don't get me wrong, I love the "hits", and them conducted by the man himself is awesome. But really, I was fine with him skipping over the Star Wars suite and the Raiders March, and what we got of Adventures on Earth plenty satisfying. I'll probably never get to hear "Indy's Very First Adventure" live again, much less twice! That was my favorite part of the show, actually. Totally unexpected!

And that arrangement of Memoirs of a Geisha was gorgeous. It wasn't until it was almost over that I realized I had gotten completely swept away in it and hadn't even realized it was a unique arrangement! I so want to hear that again!

And after all that, the one piece I couldn't get out of my head after the show? Korngold's Robin Hood. Heh.

But yeah, when the show was over, I rushed outside and tried to find where I might be able to catch him afterwards for an autograph. (This was the case the other time I saw him in Boston in '08, but I didn't manage to get one then.) Come to find out he had stayed on stage and was signing for everybody! So I ended up near the back of the line—but I still got one! But first...

I didn't get to meet any JWFanners, but I had to have seen some. Guy with the Raiders LP sitting on the right aisle of the left side, right across from me, perhaps? I think may have overheard part of a conversation between two meeting in the line at the end, also. But I had to have seen Mark while in line. When I heard the call for a silver Sharpie, and I had my own to offer, but then it apparently wasn't needed. Anyway, back to the me part:

When I got up the man, I handed him the cover of the CD I had chosen for him to sign: The Fury. It was tough for me to pick one CD. Do I go with my first, TPM? Or one of the best, E.T.? Or the big one, A New Hope? Or the lesser (but lovely) Sabrina? Or maybe How to Steal a Million? But ultimately I decided to go with an older limited edition score that I really liked. So when I handed it to him, he said something to the effect of "Ohh, The Fury. Wow! Very interesting cover artwork." Or something like that. The moment's a blur in my mind, but he was certainly very surprised by that album. Meanwhile, I mumbled something unintelligible about loving the score. Then I shook his hand and thanked him, and that was it!

And then I got home to find that LLL was releasing The Poseidon Adventure!

So, yeah. Today was awesome.

ETA: Musica's wasn't on here when I started my post. Totally agree with you, and it can't be said enough: the orchestra was excellent!

Also, to what John said: I too thought that was interesting the couple of times when he said that he should have written something a different way.

[Datameister 2,037]

So jealous...but so glad y'all had such a wonderful time!

[Incanus 5,713]

Thank you guys for you great reports! I can only imagine how awesome it must have been to be in the Maestro's presence and watch him conduct.

[mahler3 478]

The further realisation that I need to get stateside if i'm ever going to see Williams in concert again is hitting home.

Loved reading these reports, thanks for sharing!

The same thing happened in London re photo Mark / John, the way the table was positioned backstage meant the only photo possible was one of him signing my booklet (Summon the Heroes). Meeting him in person is as good as everybody says it is, never have I met such a polite, humble and genuine man!

- Tim

[Quintus 5,399]

Whoa, I nearly missed these stories. Sounds absolutely fantastic, you jammy swines! Seriously though, really pleased you guys had a good time and I'm really happy for those who had the honour of meeting the great man in person - by the sounds of it, he more than lives up to his rep of being the consumate gentleman - humble, gracious and modest to boot! Just an all round top bloke.

Take that Cameron, you miserable narky bastard!

[Jay 37,323]

Thanks very much for all the reviews everyone, I quite enjoyed reading them!

I'm surprised how many JWFanners were able to attend this concert - and SHOCKED that you guys didn't plan a meetup!

I'm looking forward to seeing the pictures and videos referenced soon!

[John Crichton 4]

Kendal, Musica, where did you guys sit? Just curious if we might have spotted you.

[Ollie 1,059]

Well I was sitting to the right of the guy with the Raiders LP. The Mrs. & I were in the center section, right next to the aisle. There was a pregnant lady sitting next to us on the outside seat.

I should also add that even though I mentioned Williams had a "perturbed/horrified" look, he wasn't upset. It was more along the lines of him not expecting that many people lining up for autographs. But the look he gave was just priceless.

[Kendal_Ozzel 36]

I was in a left aisle seat on the center section, probably not far behind Mark, sounds like. Row R. Tall and skinny fellow, buzzcut, red shirt, glasses.

[Ollie 1,059]

We were in row P.

John can attest that I brought a notebook to do a detailed report. However I found myself lost in the moment and didn't write a damn thing.

As soon as Williams walked out I just couldn't believe it. I was thinking "Wow!! this is John Williams!!" "He's right here in front of me". "That's John Williams!!!"

It was just a joy to watch him in action and the idea of taking notes quickly went out the window.

[Quintus 5,399]

And to think you weren't gonna bother going

[John Crichton 4]

I was in a left aisle seat on the center section, probably not far behind Mark, sounds like. Row R. Tall and skinny fellow, buzzcut, red shirt, glasses.

We were in row P.

I was in row O, right section, isle seat. Unfortunately Mark and I couldn't get seats together since we ordered separately.

John can attest that I brought a notebook to do a detailed report. However I found myself lost in the moment and didn't write a damn thing.

Yup, I asked him during intermission how the note taking was going, I was relying on him to do the detailed report, and he said he hadn't written a thing down. Not that I blame him, it was an awesome experience and I was more concerned with just soaking it all in.

I think we were both thinking that we would never wash our right hands again after both shaking hands with Williams.

[Musica42 0]

I was up front in the 3rd row and just to the left side of him. Bright red shirt with glasses.

Here's a baker's dozen of photos I took.

Regarding the recording of Harry's Wondrous World I eluded to earlier, it's pretty bad quality but I'm going to make an mp3 out of it anyway. The video part is just a shot of my knee the entire time except for a very brief moment at the end where I capture Williams reacting to the audience's applause. I was very concerned about losing my camera privileges so I aimed to be as inconspicuous as possible.

EDIT: I've uploaded the rehearsal run-through audio of Harry's Wondrous World. Please PM if you're interested in a link.

[Datameister 2,037]

Soooooo epic.

[John Crichton 4]

Heh, I saw him lean in for your photo, Musica. That was probably about 5 minutes before Mark and I got to him.

[Muad'Dib 1,801]

Sounds fantastic! Congtratulations, guys! And the programme seems to have been sooo perfect. Maybe missed JP, but he would have played it at a the faster tempo version probably, so no big deal with that.

I envy you guys! In a good way, of course. Again, congratulations!

PS: The topic should be named "JW came to Texas!" now

[Ollie 1,059]

Here are a few photos of Williams signing my Anthology book

Williams and Van Cliburn

John and I showing off our signatures.

[John Crichton 4]

Yes, that's me *patiently* waiting with my ANH CD while he's signing Mark's.

There's a pic of me shaking his hand too, isn't there?

God, I look like such a goober in pictures.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

Oh Williams and his black turtlenecks.

Congrats on autographed Star Wars.

[John Crichton 4]

I still laugh at Williams having a misfire with Mark's Sharpie. Panic moment!

Here's him signing mine, with a great shot of the back of my head:

And the precious item itself:

[Maglorfin 196]

Oh you guys, I'm dying of envy here! Thanks so much to everybody for these terrific reports and photos!

And BTW, why doesn't anybody think of mentioning the JWFan.com and this forum to the man himself when getting the chance to exchange a few sentences with him?! Or has it already been done - if so, what was the reaction?!

[Luke Skywalker 1,793]

<-green with envy

Congratulations

[fommes 153]

Well done, guys! Must have been quite the memorable day!

[Ollie 1,059]

Unfortunately we don't have a pic of John shaking Williams' hand. The picture John posted is the one the Mrs. thought contained a handshake but she must have snapped the picture too quick..

And BTW, why doesn't anybody think of mentioning the JWFan.com and this forum to the man himself when getting the chance to exchange a few sentences with him?!

Oh a part of me thinks that might not be a good idea.

[John Crichton 4]

Best not to confuse him- we'd probably have to explain what the internet is.

[Datameister 2,037]

And then we'd have to explain the conversations about his farts...etc...

[John Crichton 4]

I still want to know how long he was there signing autographs after we left. It was so great to hear, every time someone that was with him tried to give him an out, "oh, I can do a few more". What a guy.

[Datameister 2,037]

That is so awesome of him to do that. Seems like he really is as gracious a fellow as he appears to be in interviews and whatnot.

Now, why couldn't he have had the same mentality after the Hollywood Bowl a few years ago? All I got was a few shots of his head through a small window!

[Quintus 5,399]

That's a brilliant picture of Mark and John. They both look well pleased, jammy gits!

[Kendal_Ozzel 36]

I still want to know how long he was there signing autographs after we left. It was so great to hear, every time someone that was with him tried to give him an out, "oh, I can do a few more". What a guy.

I was pretty close to the end; he probably stayed until everyone got a chance.

[josefsuma 9]

Wonderful photos! Thank you guys for sharing these pieces :-)

[Red 75]

You lucky dogs, you.

[Ollie 1,059]

There was an amusing moment I forgot to mention. Some young man handed Williams what appeared to be his iPod and asked him to sign the back.

Williams seemed shocked and asked if the guy was serious. I can't remember Williams' exact words but it was along the line of "are you sure you want me to sign this expensive piece of equipment?"

[Datameister 2,037]

Haha, that's pretty funny. As if an iPod could be sullied by the signature of John Williams!

[Wojo 2,453]

Hopefully he doesn't plan to use it anymore. Put it in a protective case or sealed container, and save it as a fascinating conversation piece.

Because if he thinks that he can send it out for battery replacement and get it back, he's mistaken. Unless he plans to hack the battery replacement himself.

[Ollie 1,059]

Yeah I would immediately seal it up because I don't know how well sharpies stick to metal.

On the way home I stopped at a Hobby Lobby and bought a 12" x 12" shadow box and immediately put my book in it.

I plan on printing out the photos of Williams signing my book and putting them in the box next to the Anthology book.

[Marian Schedenig 8,179]

There was an amusing moment I forgot to mention. Some young man handed Williams what appeared to be his iPod and asked him to sign the back.

Williams seemed shocked and asked if the guy was serious. I can't remember Williams' exact words but it was along the line of "are you sure you want me to sign this expensive piece of equipment?"

Reminds me of the guy who had Goldsmith sign his passport in London.

[John Crichton 4]

I thought it was a phone or a camera he was signing. But yeah, I forgot about that, I couldn't believe someone wanted that signed.

I went to Hobby Lobby too on Wednesday and bought a shadow box for my CD. I'm going to have some prints of the pics made, put the one of Williams signing mine in the box too, and select a few more to put in a display along with the ticket for my desk at work.

[Maglorfin 196]

There was an amusing moment I forgot to mention. Some young man handed Williams what appeared to be his iPod and asked him to sign the back.

Williams seemed shocked and asked if the guy was serious. I can't remember Williams' exact words but it was along the line of "are you sure you want me to sign this expensive piece of equipment?"

Haha, that's hilarious I'd probably never have thought of it myself but it does seem a brilliant idea!

[indy4 155]

I just watched that video, and from that short clip of the Cowboys, the orchestra sounds great! Better than some of the recordings I've heard.

[Jacob 0]

Just saw this on the site's homepage.

It was a thrill reading your stories and seeing your photos.

Congratulations on the experience of a lifetime.

If only I may be so fortunate one day.

[Muad'Dib 1,801]

Small video I found on YouTube...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqf1tRfJXu8

I gotta say, Johnny looks great!

[MissPadmé 17]

"wasn't he gorgeous?" "Aaaawwwww..."

[Naïve Old Fart 9,508]

Here are a few photos of Williams signing my Anthology book

Williams and Van Cliburn

John and I showing off our signatures.

Actually, Mark, I think that you are showing off John Williams' signatures. Which one of you is which?

[Ollie 1,059]

Yes I am showing off his signature.

The answer to who is who lies in the pictures.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

There was an amusing moment I forgot to mention. Some young man handed Williams what appeared to be his iPod and asked him to sign the back.

Williams seemed shocked and asked if the guy was serious. I can't remember Williams' exact words but it was along the line of "are you sure you want me to sign this expensive piece of equipment?"

Haha, that's hilarious I'd probably never have thought of it myself but it does seem a brilliant idea!

I came up with that idea years ago! When they released the Red U2 iPod with all their signatures on the back. So really, I didn't come up with it, but whatever!

[ChewBacha 0]

Anyone else get this angle in the rehearsal?

[Ollie 1,059]

Aha, I saw someone taking pics from within the orchestra.