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John Williams returns to Chicago -- April 26-29, 2018 (*Full concert now available online*)


Mari

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Anyone else thinking, after all these recent co-conducted concert announcements, that it's a major coup that Chicago is apparently getting BOTH HALVES of a John Williams concert? :D

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2 minutes ago, igger6 said:

Anyone else thinking, after all these recent co-conducted concert announcements, that it's a major coup that Chicago is apparently getting BOTH HALVES of a John Williams concert? :D

 

It would indeed be awesome if that happens, but realistically I fully expect another conductor to be announced soon. There's no way JW could do four straight full concerts when he hasn't done more than two or three half-concerts in a row in years. 

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  • 1 month later...

Apparently loads of new tickets are available for the concert. I might go now. especially when the choir stalls are available. anyone know if Williams is conducting the entire concerts all 4 of them yet?

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2 hours ago, leeallen01 said:

Just bought tickets. I will be going to the first and second concerts on the 26th and 27th. Sitting in the choir stalls!!! so I can admire his face the entire time.

Thanks for posting! I was keeping an eye on tickets, but they were way too expensive for me. (Well... for my wife!) But now we get to see him from an entirely different perspective!

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  • 1 month later...

 

   Happily I managed to snag two tickets for the 28th concert in Chicago. I also barely got the last two tickets for his soon Indianapolis concert. The Indy tickets are worse seats, but a much easier trek for my wife and I. I'm trying to compare the actual show and performances and decide if we need to get ride of a set of tickets because my wife isn't dying to pay/go to both. Chicago shows seem to be either John Williams Returns or Movies with John Williams. My tickets are for the 'Returns' show but for someone primarily interested in his more famous film scores, would the Indy show (described as "in a program of some of his most popular film music") be a better fit for performance too? This is our first time seeing JW (so excited) so maybe more  veteran fans can enlighten me as to what to expect so I can decide. Thanks,

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1 hour ago, Ricard said:

 

Additionally, the CSO has added a pre and post concert event called “A Toast to John Williams” before and after the Sunday, April 29 concert:

https://cso.org/ticketsandevents/production-details-2017-18/volunteer-events/a-toast-to-john-williams/

 

How did they know Williams likes toast??  :o
 

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  • 2 weeks later...

The shoe drops: Kaufman it is for the first half of the Chicago show. I was hoping for special treatment, but if this enables JW to keep touring, I’ll gladly take it. Notice it doesn’t affect the price, though... :sarcasm:

 

Also, kudos for nixing the screen this time around! Been there, done that, and it’ll be nice to get to focus on the musicians for a change. 

CA53D875-6943-4152-840B-B247A5AA7EBD.jpeg

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Beat me to it. I was going to post and ask if this meant they were sharing the stage even on the Saturday sunday shows? I have tickets for sat (whew), should I be worried given the special pre post event on Sunday invite a Kaufmann only saturday as well? 

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16 hours ago, chinaismine said:

It almost certainly is going to be both Kaufman and Williams for all four performances.

 

    Hmmmm, I'm confused. The memo said Kaufman was invited for the first half of the four. I have no idea, but you are saying based on past experiences they will all be shared experiences and no  performance will be stuck with only Kaufman?

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4 hours ago, moltke44 said:

 

    Hmmmm, I'm confused. The memo said Kaufman was invited for the first half of the four. I have no idea, but you are saying based on past experiences they will all be shared experiences and no  performance will be stuck with only Kaufman?

The first half of the four doesn't mean the first two concerts, it means the first half of each concert.  You can look on the CSO site to confirm, you'll see each performance has two conductors listed.

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Frankly, I'm extremely irritated about the Kaufman and 'no movie screen' announcement. I bought tickets for this show the day they went on sale in August. I'm flying in with my whole family from out of state. We bought these tickets BECAUSE John Williams was advertised as the conductor, and there would be a movie screen. This is a clear, cut & dry case of "bait and switch". I'll be calling the box office to let them know exactly how I feel about this.

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I'm totally fine with the fact of the Kaufman and the "no movie screen" situation. I'm coming from Finland. If this old man can make these concerts happen with the assistant conducter I'm totally happy!!! 

That dude is 86 then and I do not mind

an assistent conducter there.....

 

 

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5 minutes ago, hornist said:

I'm totally fine with the fact of the Kaufman and the "no movie screen" situation. I'm coming from Finland. If this old man can make these concerts happen with the assistant conducter I'm totally happy!!! 

 

I'll probably be happy with the performance too. That's not my point though. My point is that they advertised the concerts as something they are not. And I bought tickets based upon what they advertised. It's called "False Advertising", and it's illegal to do so in the U.S.

 

I can go see orchestras performing John William's scores anywhere. I paid to see John Williams, not Kaufman.

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13 minutes ago, Mari said:

 

John Williams is going to be 86 in a few days. At the time the concerts were announced, I'm sure JW thought he could physically conduct the entire concerts. Over the past year, he's cut back on conducting complete concerts because he can't physically do it anymore without damaging his health.

 

Speaking only for myself, I'd rather have him healthy and composing music for a few more years than wearing himself out conducting complete concerts.

 

 

 

I agree with you. When four shows, four days in a row were announced, I was quite surprised TBH.

 

But that still is not my point of contention. I bought tickets to THIS show, spending thousands more to fly in from out of state BECAUSE it was advertised as being conducted by John Williams. Not 1/2 guest and 1/2 Williams. I'm not sure I would have bought tickets to this show if I'd known in advance it was 1/2 Kaufman & 1/2 Williams. That's called "bait & switch".

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I hear ya. One silver lining is that we may get more total JW composed music performed, even if it's less JW conducted music. In all reality, the show probably wouldn't have been much longer. I've seen JW conduct each of the past two years, and his 'halves' of the concerts have been more like 2/3. If he was the solo conductor, that 2/3 really might have been it.

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2 hours ago, PokeDocMatt said:

I hear ya. One silver lining is that we may get more total JW composed music performed,............

 

The entire premise of the show is that it's John Williams composed music! Am I wrong about that? Clue me in if I'm wrong! Isn't the point of a show called "John Williams Returns" to be performing John Williams scores? I'm there to see John Williams's movie scores! Not movie scores by other composers!

 

The last thing on Earth I'd ever want is for JW to "over do it" and risk exhaustion from too long/too many live performances in a row. The fact that FOUR two-hour performances, four days in a ROW were scheduled did NOT GO UNNOTICED by me as a RISK for exhaustion. But there was absolutely NO indication that these shows would NOT be 100% conducted by JW! That fact was ABSOLUTELY a HUGE factor in my purchase of tickets for this show, on the day they went on sale! I also specifically asked the box office agent for choir seating -- and was told that there wouldn't BE ANY, as there would be a movie screen set up behind the orchestra. The tickets I bought to this show were NOT CHEAP -- based upon the claim that this was a concert of JW movie scores conducted by JW himself. Knowing JW's age, I highly suspect that CSO was fully aware that JW wasn't going to be able to conduct all 4 shows 100% himself WHEN THEY CONCERTS WERE SCHEDULED. Yet they marketed the 4 shows as exclusively conducted by JW anyway.

 

Honesty up front isn't too much to ask, is it? Then again, I guess we're dealing with CHICAGO.

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Though I don't share the same concerns as you, I completely understand your issue. Personally I'm flying in from England for the thursday and friday concerts. It has been my dream to witness the maestro conduct in person. So for me, even just half a concert of Williams is an utter dream. And considering I'll be at both thursdays and fridays, I will essentially witness two halves on separate days. Thus a full concert of time seeing him conduct. I am sitting in the choir stalls.

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Anyone know if there are any tickets left? I might be in town around this time, but the website isn't quite cooperating with me.

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  • 2 months later...

Looks like a wonderful programme, a mix of old and new.

 

And the Jane Eyre suite is a definite highlight. 

45 minutes ago, hornist said:

I love it!! Except Mutt😜

And I hope SW is something else than that usual main/Leia/Imperial...

 

more like Rey/Rebellion reborn/Fathiers😍😍😍

 

Hey The Adventures of Mutt is not THAT bad Pasi. It is just Johnny's affectionate tip of his hat to Korngold's The Adventures of Robinhood.

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It is about 75 minutes (we don't know what the SW selections include). Plus possible encores. Looks like a pretty standard JW concert length to me.

 

Williams Overture to The Cowboys 9 minutes
Williams Suite from Jane Eyre 14 minutes
Williams The Adventures of Mutt from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 3,5 minutes
Williams A New Beginning from Minority Report 3,5 minutes
Williams Adventures on Earth from E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial 10 minutes
Williams Flight to Neverland from Hook 5 minutes
Williams A Child's Tale: Suite from The BFG 7 minutes
Williams Out to Sea and Shark Cage Fugue from Jaws 4,5 minutes
Williams With Malice Toward None from Lincoln 3,5 minutes
Williams Three Selections from Star Wars probably around 10 to 15 minutes

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I like that BFG is part of every concert he conducts.  It is his way of saying, "this is damn good music, and I am going to keep performing it until you understand that." 

 

It is such a wonderful piece of wonder-inducing music. 

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