John Williams Conducts the Philadelphia Orchestra - May 4 2016

[Cerebral Cortex 3,358]

Looks great to me! Even if you were to skip evaluating him physically, his mental vitality is enviable at any age. 

 

And thanks for posting! 

[Tom 5,137]

That was a wonderful little interview with great insight by Williams into some of his concert works.  His connection to the Violin concerto is quite touching. 

[pete 970]

Would love to know what he's working during the concerts^. He said he'd love to go if he wasn't working. I guess he's always writing music.

 

And count me as another who doesn't think he looks too aged. Regardless, his mind seems as sharp as ever.

[artguy360 1,899]

Love hearing JW talk about his own music. Now if only the folks who made the TFA bluray agreed.

[Incanus 5,801]

Although Williams repeats a lot of the same sentiments he has said in several interviews in the past, it is always a delight to hear him speak on his music and music in general, which he seems to celebrate continually and is still in awe of his journey of exploration through it. And I don't think he looks too old or tired, quite the contrary.

[nightscape94 965]

That Philly orchestra interview is one second longer than TFA featurette.

[Thor 8,353]

Thanks for sharing that brief interview.

 

I don't think he looks old for his age at all. Yes, his face has become a little wrinkly (due, no doubt, to the harsh California sun), but the important thing is how lively he is. I don't know many 84-year-olds who have that.

 

The John Williams historian in me would have wanted specific questions about specific pieces -- preferably old ones or those not often talked about -- but I must say it was refreshing to just hear him talk for a few minutes about something else than the tired, old stories.

[TJH132 49]

I love his description of music as "mysterious as it is; elusive as it may be." Very poetic and heartfelt, I think.

[JonMcIntosh 0]

The press release for the concert on the jwfan.com site says that the May 4th show is sold-out. This is absolutely not true, in case anyone is wondering. I just picked up a pair in the famed Conductor's Circle. There are still a handful of really good seats left.

I cannot wait for this!

[Ricard 2,257]

9 hours ago, JonMcIntosh said:

The press release for the concert on the jwfan.com site says that the May 4th show is sold-out. This is absolutely not true, in case anyone is wondering.

 

Well, that's what the orchestra's website said when it was posted. Glad to see they put more tickets on sale.

[nightscape94 965]

Tickets will occasionally become available if people cancel.  Nothing strange about that.  I had a concert on my radar two years ago that was sold out for months only to catch a seat within the last couple of weeks leading up to it.

[Joe Brausam 218]

So who else is going?  I've got a conductor's circle ticket.  Normally I don't like sitting there, but I don't think I'll ever have another opportunity to see Williams do what he does face to face.

[JonMcIntosh 0]

2 hours ago, Joe Brausam said:

So who else is going?  I've got a conductor's circle ticket.  Normally I don't like sitting there, but I don't think I'll ever have another opportunity to see Williams do what he does face to face.

Joe, why do you normally not like these seats? It's my first time in Philly, first time at this venue, and first time seeing Maestro Williams conducting his own stuff. I was looking forward to these seats.

[Joe Brausam 218]

Oh!  Nothing wrong with them.  Really they're quite fun.  I just usually prefer to sit in the tiers.

 

I made the same choice as you here though, these will be great seats for really getting to see him in action.

[JonMcIntosh 0]

Just now, Joe Brausam said:

I made the same choice as you here though, these will be great seats for really getting to see him in action

 

Great! I called the box office to ensure that we could still see the screens from these seats and they assured me that there wouldn't be any sight problems.

[nightscape94 965]

"The May 1 concert with Denève and Ma will be broadcast live on WRTI, 90.1 FM"

 

FYI. 

[bespinGPT 8,767]

On ‎2016‎-‎03‎-‎31 at 8:19 AM, azahid said:

The Concert program sounds very nice. I hope they manage to record this for a future video release someday.

 

It would make a great Blu-Ray!

[Ricard 2,257]

'Phila. Orchestra celebrates 'Star Wars,' classical composer John Williams' (New Williams interview)

 

Quote

Creative breakthroughs in the face of personal trauma aren't unusual in the lives of artists. "It makes or breaks people," Williams said. "I was young and my wife was very young. Had I been 20 years older, I would've been less able to restart my life. Immediately thereafter, I did feel differently about working, especially with music. I can't quantify or describe what it did. But we do change. All life experience does that. We have accidents. We have happy things. Having three teenage children at the time required a lot of focus and strength, being a single parent. . . . We could talk for a week about this."

http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/david_patrick_stearns/20160426_Phila__Orchestra_to_celebrate_John_Williams_-_movie_and_classical_composer.html#O57HoM01KVYTmW0S.99

[Thor 8,353]

I like this:

 

Quote

Now he's one of the few 84-year-olds working in the thick of the film industry. At one point in the last decade, there was a three-year hiatus. Williams says he can't remember why. "Music," he says, "is something you don't leave."

 

 

Affirms my belief that he will write music right up untill the day he dies -- like you see in AMADEUS.

[justaguy 68]

Quote

But while everyone remarks at Williams' modesty and his superb, courtly manners, he did walk out on a Boston rehearsal when musicians hissed one of his pieces. So he stands up for his music, though his self-critical nature drives him to revise concertos many times.

Interesting.

[crumbs 14,869]

14 minutes ago, zaddini said:

Interesting.

 

Musicians "hissed" one of his pieces? Really?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,415]

Multiple Miggs from the string section, he hissed at you, what did he say?

[Code 000. Destruct. 0. 4,260]

What piece got "hissed?" Ridiculous.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,415]

Where Dreams Are Born from A.I.

[Tom 5,137]

It was America the Dream Goes On, which is a bit over the top both musically and in terms of its lyrics. 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,415]

Pinko Commie scum! The whole orchestra should have been disbanded!

[Loert 2,673]

I didn't find it interesting at first, but before I knew it, it had gotten hold of me!

 

Seriously, sometimes I find myself randomly singing "A-meeer-_icaaaa"...and I'm not even American!

 

I think it should be mentioned though, that almost immediately after, everybody apologized and were on good terms.  

[Disco Stu 15,501]

That song always makes me think of the over-the-top patriotic song that's being recorded at the beginning of the movie Nashville.

 

"We must be doin' somethin' right, to last 200 years!"

[Thor 8,353]

36 minutes ago, Tom said:

It was America the Dream Goes On, which is a bit over the top both musically and in terms of its lyrics. 

 

Yeah, that's the one. However, we do not know the circumstances of the "walk-out". Whether it was the musicians' reactions to the piece or some other factor. Perhaps they were just unruly that day, and Williams had a bad day, and it came to a halt.

[nightscape94 965]

Interviews with Ma and Denève here:

 

http://wrti.org/post/yo-yo-ma-and-philadelphia-orchestra-live-wrti-tribute-john-williams-may-1st-2-pm

 

[aviazn 273]

 

13 hours ago, loert said:

I think it should be mentioned though, that almost immediately after, everybody apologized and were on good terms.  

 

Not exactly—Williams actually quit as director that night. It was widely reported around the country that the orchestra had discipline problems and that Williams felt he wasn't given enough artistic control. It was a major embarrassment for the Pops, and they had to lure him back two months later. Some of the contemporary news stories make for interesting reading.

http://www.nytimes.com/1984/06/14/arts/boston-pops-conductor-resigns-post-abruptly.html

Quote

The incident touching off Mr. Williams's displeasure was said to have occurred at a rehearsal of one of his own pieces. A few hisses reportedly came from orchestra players, but such behavior is said to be common toward other composers' works at Pops rehearsals as an expression of opinion. The sources said that the players did not think that that incident alone was strong enough to provoke Mr. Williams to resign.

http://www.csmonitor.com/1984/0628/062847.html

Quote

 

Pops members have speculated that the hissing incident was the ''straw that broke the camel's back'' - that Mr. Williams's deeper dissatisfaction lay with management's lack of control over unruly members, and his lack of artistic control over hiring and firing.

 

Various members said they were surprised Williams took the hissing ''so seriously.'' Reports are legion of Pops players hissing at new music or new arrangements, looking at watches, reading, or talking while colleagues played. Associate conductor Harry Ellis Dickson says he, too, has had to contend with decorum problems. Arthur Fiedler, Pops conductor for 51 years, had to put up with constant friction, Mr. Dickson adds.

 

''There were knock-down, drag-out fights with him,'' Dickson says at the office of Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Pops's parent organization. ''But Fiedler loved it. John was a bit more sensitive.''

 

http://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/08/03/Mark-Williams-to-return-as-Pops-conductor/5111460353600/

Quote

 

Orchestra members have been close-mouthed about causes of the discord that led to Williams' resignation in June.

 

It was widely reported that Williams considered the musicians disrespectful for reading, talking and joking during rehearsals, but orchestra spokeswoman Kim Smedvig said the differences 'were more of a morale than a discipline' problem.

 

 

Of course things eventually settled down, and here's how the LA Times characterized the incident in retrospective when JW retired.

http://articles.latimes.com/1991-12-21/entertainment/ca-566_1_boston-pops

 

Quote

 

Aside from Williams' commercial accomplishments with the Boston Pops, he will be remembered for turning around a frayed and jaded ensemble left to him by Arthur Fiedler who led it for more than 50 years. Under Williams' baton, the Pops has emerged as a far more artistically dynamic and disciplined ensemble than it had under Fiedler who, near the end of his tenure, felt he was never taken seriously as a conductor. Orchestra members thought the ensemble reduced to background noise by the Pops' audience and that arrangements of Pops' favorites were tired and outdated.

The situation came to a head in 1985 when Williams stormed off the podium during rehearsal after a Pops player maligned a score being played in front of its arranger, Syd Ramin, a close friend of Williams. It was a turning point for Williams and the orchestra. Reforms came, allowing members of the parent Boston Symphony to opt out of playing part of or even the entire Pops season, which runs about eight weeks (six in the spring two at Christmas Pops).

 

More challenging scores were given to the orchestra, and Williams took pains to encourage the audience to listen more carefully to performances.

 

 

[justaguy 68]

Thank you, aviazn.

[Thor 8,353]

Yeah, thanks for the context, aviazn. As I suspected, it was clearly a more complex issue than players just being dissatisfied with the "America - The Dream Goes On" piece.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,415]

So basically Williams made the BPO a more professional ensemble then it had been, and not just an obligation on the Boston Symphony schedule.

[Thor 8,353]

Seems that way. I can understand why things got a little haywire at the end of Fiedler's career. He had been there for more than 50 years, and players were obviously not taking him that seriously anymore. Lots of things to "tidy up" for Williams. I hope they've managed to stay disciplined throughout Lockhart's tenure as well (he's been the music director for 21 years now!).

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,415]

I can see how a lack of discipline from the orchestra might lead to frustration from Williams. Since he was used to dealing with Hollywood orchestra's who by their nature have to be very disciplined and professional. Time is money after all.

[Loert 2,673]

Thank you for the context @aviazn, obviously I was misrepresenting the complexity of the situation. I was aware that Williams quit (and returned later), but didn't realise that it was due to a longer-standing problem with the orchestra.

 

Quote

...Williams took pains to encourage the audience to listen more carefully to performances.

 

My respect for Williams deepens yet again!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,415]

People who book the tables as the Pops and have dinner and drinks during the concert should be shot by snipers positioned on the balcony of Symphony Hall!

[Thor 8,353]

17 minutes ago, Stefancos said:

People who book the tables as the Pops and have dinner and drinks during the concert should be shot by snipers positioned on the balcony of Symphony Hall!

 

I did that. But it was to sit close to the stage & Williams. And I did order a beer or two. But I agree that it's annoying with chatter etc. Ideally, I would have preferred a normal seating system.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,415]

Good thing we went on separate years. I would have had to kill you!

 

?

[Loert 2,673]

Wait, so the JW Dance comes from the 1984 July 4th concert, under a month after the resignation? So the members of the orchestra knew he was going to leave at that point?

 

 

If so...that's interesting. Unless it's a different orchestra he's conducting???

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,415]

Hollywood Bowl i think?

[Miguel Andrade 1,361]

That concert was at the Hatch Shell, at Boston's Esplanade. Most likely it wasn't with the Boston Pops Orchestra, but rather with the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, that while operates under the BSO organization, is made up of freelancer musicians from the Boston area.

Also, there is an interview made by a British television channel, in which bits of a rehearsal can be seen and where Williams has to call the orchestra members to attention. The interviewer asks him about that, wondering about lack of discipline, but Williams downplays it as it would be expected. The interview dates from 83 or 84...

Finally, I do remember reading the articles from the Boston Globe from that time, and I do recall mention of problems between Williams and orchestra during rehearsal of Varsity Drag -- maybe that was the Sid Ramin arranged piece?... Williams also conducts an arrangement of his own of that one every now and then. I have all of those on my files, and when I get the time, I might just check it out.

[Thor 8,353]

43 minutes ago, Miguel Andrade said:

Also, there is an interview made by a British television channel, in which bits of a rehearsal can be seen and where Williams has to call the orchestra members to attention. The interviewer asks him about that, wondering about lack of discipline, but Williams downplays it as it would be expected. The interview dates from 83 or 84...

 

I have some faint memory of that, but it would be great to see again if the footage is available somewhere. I have this weird curiousity to see Williams pissed off.

[Miguel Andrade 1,361]

Well, I do have it on DVD... maybe it can even be found on youtube -- not that I ever saw it there.

Williams "pissed-off" mode is hardly the regular "pissed-off"... he sounds a bit annoyed at best!

[nightscape94 965]

Audience loved the cello concerto performance. Big response for Ma.  They both held the score up. 

[Code 000. Destruct. 0. 4,260]

I completely understand goofing off in an orchestra.  It's just what happens.  I spent years in the trombone section, and was often the root of the trouble there, which made me the root of the trouble ensemble-wide.  BUT... to actually be disrespectful to the conductor, or composer, or arranger, especially if they're present, is beyond the pale, and Williams was right to get fed up with it.  There's just no reason for that, it's common decency and musical fellowship.  Why be an ass?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,415]

Those trombone players are usually the ones that cause a fuss!

[Not Mr. Big 4,739]

It's funny how the politics of grade-school band seem to extend into the professional world.  I guess each instrument naturally attracts a certain type of person.    

[aviazn 273]

Ooooh, here's another fun news story from right after he resigned, this time an AP wire report. Headline: John Williams Couldn't Take the Hissing

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1346&dat=19840617&id=nu8vAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ovsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6559,265251&hl=en

 

Quote

Musicians often relieve boredom and stress with a variety of antics, [longtime associate conductor Harry Ellis] Dickson said, and Fiedler encouraged their pranks.
 

For instance, while Fiedler was conducting the movie theme "Jaws," percussionists inflated a plastic shark and tossed it around on stage, he said.
 

Once they flew paper airplanes on stage, and another time a player let loose a live lobster to amuse a colleague, he said.

Williams, though, was not amused by a tradition of hissing while rehearsing new music.

"It is not unusual for the orchestra to hiss at what we consider bad arrangements. Some of the pieces do deserve it, but I think it particularly bothered John that is piece was included among them," a musician, who asked not to be identified, told The Patriot Ledger of Quincy.

The hissers never stepped forward, but the entire orchestra visited Williams that night to apologize and ask him to reconsider, Dickson said. "They feel very bad about this."

Craig Nordstrom, chairman of a players' committee, told the Globe, "There is a feeling of embarrassment."

Williams refused to reconsider, but promised to finish out the season, conducting four concerts on Boston's Esplanade, including the annual Fourth of July performance.