John Williams returns to San Diego - January 31, 2018

[Ricard 2,254]

 

Quote

John Williams and Associate Conductor Sameel Patel lead the Sand Diego Symphony in selections from the composer's most popular film scores.

 

Renowned composer John Williams returns to San Diego on Wednesday, January 31, 2008 to conduct the San Diego Symphony in selections from some of his most famous film scores including Star Wars, Harry Potter and many more.

 

Our Associate Conductor, Sameel Patel, will lead the Orchestra in the first half of the concert, and then Mr. Williams will take the podium for the second half of the program. Film clips will not be part of this concert.

 

 

http://archive.skem1.com/csb/Public/show/k0iy6--dj6nl-5080tji3

 

Tickets go on sale to subscribers on Tuesday October 10 at 12:00 noon.

http://purchasing.sandiegosymphony.org/single/eventDetail.aspx?p=6579

 

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Tuesday October 30.

 

http://www.sandiegosymphony.org/

 

 

[Jay 39,156]

Nice!

[Smeltington 1,555]

I like that they mention there won't be any film clips, lol. That's actually one of my favorite parts of seeing Williams "on tour", like in Nashville this year. It's nice when there's no projector screen and you can focus on the music.

[Will 2,230]

Wonder if they will premiere the TLJ suite. However, IIRC the TFA suite hadn't been published that early after release. 

[Jay 39,156]

That would be awesome if it is premiered that early!

[MovieMusicMaestro 33]

I attended John's concert with the San Diego Symphony on February 10, 2007. The SDS is a great orchestra. 

[Tom 5,023]

22 hours ago, Will said:

Wonder if they will premiere the TLJ suite. However, IIRC the TFA suite hadn't been published that early after release. 

In the case of TFA, the score was finished just weeks before release, whereas TLJ has been done for months.  I would assume Williams worked up the concert suite soon afterwards and thus it should/could be ready to go immediately with the film release.  

[Ricard 2,254]

Ticket link now active:

http://sdsymphony.instantencore.com/m2/app.html?v=171003#tevent/6579/title

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MrScratch 294]

This makes John a “Visitor In San Diego”.

[MikeH 769]

2 hours ago, MrScratch said:

This makes John a “Visitor In San Diego”.

 

Yes, but will he have teeth? 

[leeallen01 2,169]

Wish I had the guts to buy a ticket but still painfully holding out for the Boston Concerts.

 

 

Jackin it, jackin it, jackety jack.

[John Dutton 7,251]

But you don't bring people halfway around the world to visit Williams. You bring the Williams to them. And San Diego is the perfect setting. People already associate our beautiful city with Williams attractions. The Lost World: Jurassic Park; Sea World; Former San Diego Chargers on NBC Sunday Night Football.

[MrScratch 294]

Anyone here attending this concert next week?

[KingPin 226]

I am! 😀

[MrScratch 294]

Looking forward to your report!

[KingPin 226]

Expected Program for this week's San Diego performance:

 

Hymn to New England

Suite from Far and Away

Out to Sea/The Shark Cage Fugue from Jaws

Suite from E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial (Three Million Light Years from Home; Stargazers; Adventures on Earth)

 

INTERMISSION

 

The Adventures of Mutt from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

A Child's Tale: Suite from The BFG

Three Selections from Harry Potter (The Chamber of Secrets; Nimbus 2000; Harry's Wondrous World)

Theme from Sabrina

Three Selections from Star Wars (The Rebellion is Reborn; Rey's Theme; Main Title)

[TownerFan 5,097]

Great that he included Three Million Light Years from Home. Hopefully one day it will be published by Hal Leonard, together with Stargazers as well.

[crumbs 14,696]

First new performance of Rebellion is Reborn outside the OST. 

[KingPin 226]

More details to come, but the first encore was a BRAND NEW arrangement of Han Solo and the Princess!!!

[rpvee 854]

3 hours ago, KingPin said:

More details to come, but the first encore was a BRAND NEW arrangement of Han Solo and the Princess!!!

 

No way! A full concert version for the theme almost 40 years later??

[Jurassic Shark 12,882]

@KingPin, are you certain the arrangement was new? Charles Gerhardt already recorded a concert arrangement of the theme in the early 80s:

 

 

[Miguel Andrade 1,343]

The score to the original concert version was removed from the catalog of rental scores a year or so ago.

[crumbs 14,696]

So where are the reviews? Did anyone go?

[Balahkay 629]

More importantly, where are the videos??

[KingPin 226]

5 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

@KingPin, are you certain the arrangement was new? Charles Gerhardt already recorded a concert arrangement of the theme in the early 80s:

 

 

 

Yes it was brand new. I’m very familiar with the original concert version and this one contained no traces of the original version.

 

I’ll post my full review of the concert later once I have a full moment to sit at a proper keyboard.

[Jay 39,156]

8 hours ago, KingPin said:

More details to come, but the first encore was a BRAND NEW arrangement of Han Solo and the Princess!!!

 

Whaaaaaaaat!?

 

 

6 minutes ago, KingPin said:

Yes it was brand new. I’m very familiar with the original concert version and this one contained no traces of the original version.

 

I’ll post my full review of the concert later once I have a full moment to sit at a proper keyboard.

 

 

Holy cow!  Please tell me you recorded the show on your phone!

[BuzzLightyear 143]

Wow!!
..Maybe he made a new arrangement for the upcoming Han Solo movie? 

[Tom 5,023]

1 hour ago, BuzzLightyear said:

Wow!!
..Maybe he made a new arrangement for the upcoming Han Solo movie? 

I would say there is a 10% chance it is the "new Solo theme," (which I would be fine with, btw).  

[MrScratch 294]

Was Adventures On Earth the full concert version? Or was it truncated because it was part of a larger suite?

[KingPin 226]

53 minutes ago, MrScratch said:

Was Adventures On Earth the full concert version? Or was it truncated because it was part of a larger suite?

 

Full version.

[crumbs 14,696]

Wow, still writing new concert suites of themes he wrote nearly four decades ago. Guess he had an itch for some reason, possibly related to the Solo movie in some capacity.

[Jurassic Shark 12,882]

Or it could be related to the fact that he revisited the theme for TLJ.

[KingPin 226]

Hi everyone, sorry for not posting this sooner. Work has been a bit crazy today and I’m just now getting some down time to put this write-up together for the sold-out concert. I will say this up front: I do not have any recordings from this performance (sorry to disappoint!), so I’ll do my best to especially the new material that was performed which I’m sure people are curious about.

San Diego Symphony Associate Conductor Sameer Patel conducted the first half, which opened with Hymn to New England. Overall, the orchestra was well-balanced during this piece, although the brass was a little choppy on some of the entrances (slightly-off intonation, cracked notes – things probably less noticeable to an untrained ear but), but an overall decent performance.

Next was the Suite from Far and Away, which was beautifully executed. The flute solo of the Joseph and Shannon love theme was absolutely exquisite, and the faster parts were played with vigor that perfectly captured the Irish setting. The whole concert itself was quite flute-friendly as you will see throughout this review.

Out to Sea/Shark Cage Fugue followed, and it would have been a flawless performance of the piece had the trumpets not entered a beat early towards the end of the piece. It happened in a section of the music where there was a lot of counterpoint happening in the music, which probably makes it harder to find one’s bearings. It took several seconds for the orchestra to re-align. It was very noticeable, as even my friend who I attended the concert with, who wasn’t familiar with the piece at all, sensed that there was something wrong. As a result, this piece was probably the biggest disappointment of the evening.

Closing the first half was a three-movement suite from E.T. First was Three Million Light Years from Home, which was my first time hearing this live. I thought it was a fantastic performance of the piece. During the action music portion, the strings played with ferocity and energy. Stargazers was next, and the harp and flute solos were simply sublime. The celeste player missed some notes at the end of the piece though, so there were some awkward empty beats where the celeste is supposed to pick up a portion of the melody from the harp. Ending the set was Adventures on Earth, which needs little introduction and was flawlessly executed.

John Williams came out to conduct the second half of the concert, opening with a well-played rendition of The Adventures of Mutt. The timpanist came in a measure early in one spot, but he recovered quickly, and it was less prominent that the trumpet flub in the Jaws cue from earlier because I did a quick double-take when it happened just to be sure.

Williams then got on the microphone and introduced the Suite from BFG, explaining that the flute flurries were meant to represent the chasing of dreams in the movie (which I have never seen). The flute solos were played brilliantly, and the orchestra was in perfect synchronization with the piece. Personally, this was one of the highlights of the evening for me.

Three Harry Potter selections followed. The Chamber of Secrets came first. It was well played, but the balance didn’t allow for the fast string triplet figures to carry though very well. The piece sounded more bass and percussion heavy, drowning out some of the other orchestration. Nimbus 2000 for woodwinds was next. Williams’ old age started to show here, as he described the piece as characterizing Harry’s wand rather than his broomstick, and then immediately stated that he couldn’t remember what the wand (broomstick) was called in the film, even though it’s literally the title of the piece! Regardless of his little memory lapse, the piece was played quite well. Harry’s Wondrous World rounded out the set, which was well-played.

Sabrina was next, and it was the arrangement for solo violin and orchestra from the Cinema Serenade album. The concertmaster, Jeff Thayer, was soloist. Williams initially started with a rushed tempo at the introduction, but promptly brought it back to a statelier, more romantic tempo once the violinist entered. Beautiful playing by the soloist, and easily another highlight of the concert for me.

The program concluded with selections from Star Wars. First up was The Rebellion is Reborn from The Last Jedi, which was flawlessly executed. The tempo was slightly faster than on the original soundtrack, but the sound balance I thought was superior in concert. Rey’s Theme followed, and Williams again shared a quick story of his infatuation with Daisy Ridley before starting the piece. Rey’s Theme was played exquisitely, although the only oddity was that Williams added a sustained low brass chord at the end of the piece as the celeste plays its final note. I didn’t feel that the addition of the chord was necessary, as I much prefer the sort of open-endedness that the solo celeste leaves, almost symbolizing the mystery of Rey’s origins. The Main Title from A New Hope rousingly closed the program with usual pomp and pizazz, and it elicited a big applause from the crowd upon hearing the first downbeat.

There were two encores. The first was the new arrangement of Han Solo and the Princess, which was completely unexpected but a pleasant surprise all the same. Although Williams never specifically alluded to it, I couldn’t help wondering whether revisiting this piece had something to do with the upcoming Han Solo standalone film. As stated previously, this piece bears hardly any resemblance to the original concert version. The original version is more horn and woodwind prominent until the piece hits the climax, whereas this new version very much features the strings section throughout. The cellos are given the theme first, and the theme itself has been heavily modified and developed by Williams. The violins work through some thematic variation, and then the woodwinds take over the theme. The piece continues to build to the climax, at which point it leads into the version heard at the end of the end credits of Empire Strikes Back, which I think may be the only time in the piece that the theme is heard in its original unadulterated form. As the climax dies down, it leads into a sweet and delicate solo flute cadenza that was another variation of the melody before coming to a gentle close (again, more flute being featured throughout the evening). I sort of view Williams' approach to this new piece as a combination of the Marion’s Theme concert version and the revised concert version of The Face of Pan: prominently modified from the original concert version, but still with sweeping orchestration that is characteristic of Williams’ current lyrical style.

The second and final encore was the Imperial March, which was played perfectly and needs no further description.

Despite the orchestra having some trouble spots, it was overall a great evening and well-crafted program, even if everything wasn’t perfect. Though Williams himself looks physically spry on the podium, it is quite evident when he speaks that his age is having an impact and that these types of performances are becoming increasingly exhausting for him. But the audience loved him and gave him a long standing ovation. Fun evening overall.

 

[MrScratch 294]

Great write up, I really hope he plays this new Han Solo and The Princess piece here in Baltimore.  

[Tom 5,023]

I concur: great write up.  I don't understand the segment of JWfandom that disses the BFG piece.  It is a well-constructed, very satisfying piece of music.  

 

I really hope this will lead to a publication and recording of the ET suite.  It is the JW symphony that should be programed by pops and Symphony orchestras alike.   

[ocelot 549]

BFG to me is a brilliant score. It honestly stands on it's own. The impressionistic feel to it is lovely and there's so much in there in orchestration. I can understand why people don't gravitate to it as much as say The Post or even Star Wars because it is flighty in a way. Harmonically is also goes all over the place which I love but people seem to prefer easier to listen to pieces these days as I have stated before. With the pop sound of Zimmer and his ilk coming into fashion in the last 10 years or it has dumbed down Epic sounding music to a big degree (IMO although musically it's not my opinion, it's just fact). And don't come at me again for saying something like this, I honestly don't care! I also like easier to listen to pieces sometimes, lol! Take TLJ for instance, the end of The Spark is most people's favorite moment and really it's a simple section where it rests on the tonic and repeats notes ad nauseam. It's a great moment but frankly, it's just "easy listening music".... I Love it but way prefer where Williams is really modulating and flying all over the place and showing off his compositional skills and the orchestra is showing off it's virtuostic playing which there is a lot of in most Star Wars, The BFG and other adventure score that Williams writes.

 

I would love to hear the new rendition of Han Solo and The Princess. You know. He had stated last year that he wrote a new piece for Princess Leia fas a tribute or the end titles. I can't believe it was just the simple rendition of Leia's Theme on Piano that we heard. That is not writing, that's just the first statement simply played on piano, which was lovely in itself anyway. I wonder if this was what he had originally written and they changed their mind and decided to go with the piano bit. Which would also explain why the end titles don't sound like a completely written out section of music but a collection of cues.

[igger6 945]

Amazing news! Makes me wonder how much else he has socked away on his desk. 

 

I wouldn’t be surprised if that “new piece” he referenced was just a casual way of referring to the end credits callout. Johnny’s not exactly a model of precision when discussing the particulars of his catalog entries. 

 

I do hope the Solo theme is a fresh composition, though. Poe, Rey, and Rose prove that he can still crank out a corker when he’s got something to work with. 

[crumbs 14,696]

I will have a good chuckle to myself if this new suite of Han Solo and the Princess is officially revealed as "Han's Theme" for Solo, after all the years of debate.

[chinaismine 64]

FYI he's been making that Nimbus 2000/wand/broomstick mixup for literally years lol, I wouldn't read anything into that!

[Jurassic Shark 12,882]

@KingPin, thanks for the informative review. Were there any changes to the arrangement of The Rebellion is Reborn, structurally or otherwise?

[KingPin 226]

34 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

@KingPin, thanks for the informative review. Were there any changes to the arrangement of The Rebellion is Reborn, structurally or otherwise?

 

No, it was exactly the same as the soundtrack album.

[Ricard 2,254]

 

[TownerFan 5,097]

9 hours ago, KingPin said:

There were two encores. The first was the new arrangement of Han Solo and the Princess, which was completely unexpected but a pleasant surprise all the same. Although Williams never specifically alluded to it, I couldn’t help wondering whether revisiting this piece had something to do with the upcoming Han Solo standalone film. As stated previously, this piece bears hardly any resemblance to the original concert version. The original version is more horn and woodwind prominent until the piece hits the climax, whereas this new version very much features the strings section throughout. The cellos are given the theme first, and the theme itself has been heavily modified and developed by Williams. The violins work through some thematic variation, and then the woodwinds take over the theme. The piece continues to build to the climax, at which point it leads into the version heard at the end of the end credits of Empire Strikes Back, which I think may be the only time in the piece that the theme is heard in its original unadulterated form. As the climax dies down, it leads into a sweet and delicate solo flute cadenza that was another variation of the melody before coming to a gentle close (again, more flute being featured throughout the evening). I sort of view Williams' approach to this new piece as a combination of the Marion’s Theme concert version and the revised concert version of The Face of Pan: prominently modified from the original concert version, but still with sweeping orchestration that is characteristic of Williams’ current lyrical style. 

 

Thanks for the description! I very much hope it will be recorded or published soon. I think it's very amusing to see JW taking a 40-years old tune and doing new variations/permutations on it. I guess tinkering with his own creations in the new Star Wars films induced him to sift through his library saying "Let's see if I can do better now"

 

I love the original concert version (especially as recorded by Gerhardt), but the only small quibble I always had about it was that it's shaped and structured a tad too much like the Princess Leia Theme concert version. I guess Williams never performed it as often as his other "love themes" from SW (Princess Leia and Luke & Leia) likely because he felt it wasn't as good as the other two. It's nice to see him returning to an old creation and trying to give it a new spin.

[Jurassic Shark 12,882]

@Miguel Andrade, are we sure that the old concert arrangement of Han Solo and the Princess was done by JW, or was it done by Gerhardt especially for his Empire album? If it was done by Gerhardt that would explain why JW made a new arrangement.

[Ricard 2,254]

It was done by John Williams as part of TESB 5-movement suite.

[TownerFan 5,097]

Yes, it was penned by JW. It was part of the symphonic suite that was published by Fox Fanfare back in 1980 (it includes The Imperial March, Han Solo and the Princess, The Asteroid Field, Yoda's Theme and Finale)

 

EDIT: Ricard ninja'd me

[Jurassic Shark 12,882]

But still, there's a possibility that Gerhardt did the extended arrangement and that JW approved it and included it in the suite, since Gerhardt must have been working with preparations for his album shortly after the film was released.

[TownerFan 5,097]

No, because the manuscript that was available for rental until a couple of years ago is exactly as recorded by Gerhardt.

[Jurassic Shark 12,882]

I don't see how that rules out the possibility that Gerhardt wrote the arrangement when he was preparing his Empire album, before the suite was released, and then JW approved it and included it in the suite.

[pete 950]

I don't have the liner notes with me, but I recall they say that Williams made the arrangement. Am I remembering correctly?