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Williams conducting new arrangement of "Star Spangled Banner" in Washington on July 4


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Patti LaBelle, Jordin Sparks, Michael McDonald and others will join headliner Frankie Valli at “A Capitol Fourth” concert.

Organizers say the July 4 celebration at the National Mall will be hosted by Tom Bergeron of “Dancing with the Stars.”

Other performers will include Sara Evans, Kendall Schmidt and Kelli O’Hara. Composer John Williams will conduct a new arrangement for orchestra and chorus of the “Star Spangled Banner” to mark its 200th anniversary.

“A Capitol Fourth” will be broadcast live on PBS from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. EDT

http://washington.cbslocal.com/2014/05/28/tom-bergeron-jordin-sparks-patti-labelle-set-for-a-capitol-fourth/

Thanks to Mari for pointing it out on Facebook!

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Well, that sounds pretty cool. My first thought was that this will not be a new version, but the one we have had for years now. But, if it involves an chorus, it will have to at least be a revision of the existing wind band arrangement.

I think this is the third year in a row Williams has conducted a piece at this concert.

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The press release doesn't actually say that Williams created the arrangement, does it? Or is that implied by the fact that he's conducting it?

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It is implied. It seems exceedingly doubtful he would travel to DC to conduct only one piece and not have arranged it.

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A chorus for the Banner? You mean, one that isn't all the old people and vets around me singing? What a novel concept.

Star Spangled Banner, for Orchestra, Singing and Removed Hats

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I am really looking forward to seeing this on TV. I remember last year's "A Capital Fourth," when the Maestro performed his suite movement from "Lincoln." That was phenomenal. Looking forward to this.

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  • 5 weeks later...

Cell phone quality picture or not thanks for sharing them! :)

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Just read the story on this. Can't wait to hear it. No small honor, performing the anthem on its 200th anniversary.

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I'm a bit late watching ('i recorded it though), ..is the anthem passed?


ok, watching it on the DVR

Williams himself is even introducing the piece with some patriotic words!

oh it's different!

it was great!!!

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That was awesome! Loved the Williams button at the end of the piece!

I think the cannons referred to in the press release were in the video played during the bridge. There certainly weren't any cannons fired on the National Mall.

I am very glad to see how young and lively he looks at 82.

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it was like a re-working of the Brass arrangement. The opening fanfare was different, they added the choir but the rest was similar

there was also a new bit when Williams was talking


I am very glad to see how young and lively he looks at 82.

He seemed really into it, he was even singing along while conducting

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I think the cannons referred to in the press release were in the video played during the bridge. There certainly weren't any cannons fired on the National Mall.

Yes there were some real cannons firing on some ledge, they showed them during the fireworks in the 1812 Overture

I'm also pretty sure Williams composed the little into that played when he was talking

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This is the best and most beautiful arrangement of The Star-Spangled Banner I have ever heard. Bravo, Maestro. Absolutely phenomenal.

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The intro is actually part of the piece, since the orchestra doesn't stop when Williams starts the fanfare

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When does it appear in the program? I'm not gonna sit through the rest of the crap.

Top of the program...first thing. No crap to sit through until after the anthem and that tragic patriotic medley.

I liked the arrangement....it's nothing earth-shattering or new. And that's the part that I liked best about it. :)

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Dear God.

They used one of my stock medleys, the one after the anthem. Grand Old Flag into This Is My Country, etc. Never liked it.

If I hear another vocalist pronounce "emblem" as "amblem" I'll scream!

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Fantastic arrangement! A beautiful, slow string intro followed by shades of "Hymn to the Fallen" in the opening chords. (Too bad they were late turning on the chorus's mics.) Nice trumpet blasts throughout, and a really killer finale. One stretch reminded me of an earlier Williams arrangement (the one available on a US Air Force Band album called To the Edge of Space), but overall it was much more traditional and accessible than that one.

I hope there will be a recording someday, so I can really pick apart the harmony. Beautiful tribute, and what a shock to see the Maestro giving the intro! God bless America!

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I was actually pretty disappointed by the arrangement. Nothing new here...most of the parts that deviated from the standard Star Spangled Banner arrangement were from JW's wind band arrangement or the version he wrote for the World Series a few years ago. Maybe I was getting my hopes up too high for a new approach, after hearing JW's wildly inventive Scherzo for Piano and Orchestra.

I much prefer the World Series version...that had some really unexpected twists

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Thank you for the link. Hopefully will also pop up in HD soon.

The arrangement itself sounds like a revision of the 2001 one from the Rose Parade.

As for Liberty Fanfare, that one is a regular on this concerts, and particularly on The Capitol Fourth (this years and past ones) it uses prerecorded bits of it.

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Here's the full performance of the new arrangement (still low quality, same source as the previously linked video). Includes Williams' intro and the beginning of Liberty Fanfare.


The intro is actually part of the piece, since the orchestra doesn't stop when Williams starts the fanfare

It certainly looks so.

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Cool! Very "full-on" and American (and very different from how we do it over here), but there's a definite appeal in that.

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I don't think we should be looking for something "different" in an arrangement of this piece. If we get too inventive then it goes away from being something respectful or celebratory and becomes something more of an artist trying to show off - kind of like what we see with vocalists at the Super Bowl year after year. The Star-Spangled Banner shouldn't be used as a personal artistic platform to that degree, lest we start alienating the people whom the anthem really matters to.

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I don't think we should be looking for something "different" in an arrangement of this piece. If we get too inventive then it goes away from being something respectful or celebratory and becomes something more of an artist trying to show off - kind of like what we see with vocalists at the Super Bowl year after year. The Star-Spangled Banner shouldn't be used as a personal artistic platform to that degree, lest we start alienating the people whom the anthem really matters to.

Preach!

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Disappointing arrangement and nowhere near as rousing as his 1996 Olympics version.

I'm surprised by how ineffectual this is.

On the plus side I was emotionally respondent to how well and rigorously precise the Maestro was in the clip. A magnificent fellow.

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2014July4_1.jpg

This is the best and most beautiful arrangement of The Star-Spangled Banner ever done. This new arrangement for chorus and orchestra done by the Maestro was phenomenal. I shed a tear or two. It was nice to see him introduce his arrangement with patriotic words and background history of the song. God bless John Williams, and God bless the United States of America.

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