New Williams Concert Arrangement: "Adagio from The Force Awakens" premiering August 7th 2018 at Tanglewood [UPDATE: World premiere was March 2018 in Mexico City - video on page 1]

[Bespin 8,478]

By example the way I would list the 9th Symphony of Beethoven on my page would be like this. That's the composition years, as simple as it is.

 

1824

Symphony No. 9 (1822-1824)

[Jay 37,287]

So by that logic, shouldn't Highwood's Ghost be under 2018?

 

2018

 

Highwood's Ghost (2017-2018)

[Bespin 8,478]

3 minutes ago, Jay said:

So by that logic, shouldn't Highwood's Ghost be under 2018?

 

2018

 

Highwood's Ghost (2017-2018)

 

Yes, I did that finally.

 

If you know other concert works that have been written over more than 1 year, just tell me.  I already used this method for the Violin Concerto (1974-76) by example.

[Jay 37,287]

I have no idea whatsoever.  Doesn't really matter to me when he started writing something or how long it took >shrug<

[Bespin 8,478]

Well, it doesn't really matter when it was composed in 1 year or less, but it matters when it's more than that. It shows the works's complexity and the effort the composer put on it.

 

For The Violin Concerto, it's really significant to know it took three years to achieve (and that it was then revised in 1998). I try to put all the info I have.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Well, especially when so much of it is speculation.  Perhaps after he's passed and we have years of scholars going through his papers, like with composers like Mozart, we'll have better information about actual composition dates.  For now, while he's a living, working composer, premiere date is most useful.

[Miguel Andrade 1,260]

The Bassoon Concerto was completed in 1993 but only premiered in 1995.

[SteveMc 2,674]

6 minutes ago, Miguel Andrade said:

The Bassoon Concerto was completed in 1993 but only premiered in 1995.

Different places choose to list it as 93 or 95.  I'm inclined to say 93 in this matter.

[karelm 2,903]

7 hours ago, TownerFan said:

 

It’s all valid arguments. However, the most usual way in which classical works are being catalogued chronologically, it’s when the finished composition is submitted to the publisher. It’s mostly for royalty and copyright sake, I know (hence why Stravinsky used to submit revisions many times, so he could renew and collect more royalty money), but from a music history point of view is also convenient and logical.

Not sure I agree.   Here is a music publisher listing of a work by Rachmaninoff

 

Symphony in D Minor (first movement) (1891)

Work Notes

Available in the USA and Canada only

Publisher

Hans Sikorski

Category

Orchestra

Year Composed:1891

Duration

15 Minutes

Orchestration

2222/4331/timp/str

Availability

Hire Explain this...

 

The year listed is composition year.  The work was not published during The Rach's life.

 

Notice Mahler's 10:

Symphony No. 10 (Cooke completion) (1910)

Publisher

Associated Music Publishers Inc

Category

Orchestra

Sub Category

Large Orchestra

Year Composed:1910

Arranger/Editor

completed by Deryck Cooke

Duration

1 Hour 14 Minutes

Orchestration

4444/4441/2timp.perc/hp/str

Availability

Hire Explain this...

 

The year listed is 1910 however the version is Cooke III completed in 1989.  The premiere was 1924 for the first movement, 1964 for Cooke I, 1976 for Cooke II, and 1990 for Cooke III.  The original composition date is listed, not the premiere. 

 

The German publisher, Schott Musik, lists both composition date and premiere date separately.  Neither publisher lists publication date.  True about Stravinsky, there are multiple editions and those revisions were mostly made for copyright issues however the original editions still exist and are still performed so the publishers maintain multiple editions for rent identifying them by the year of the new edition. 

 

Ok, wait a second.  I just realized this is a stupid and pedantic side conversation and has nothing to do with how awesome Adagio from The Force Awakens is.

 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

An oeuvre that's especially fun (read: confusing) to delve into regarding dates is Charles Ives.

[karelm 2,903]

1 hour ago, Disco Stu said:

An oeuvre that's especially fun (read: confusing) to delve into regarding dates is Charles Ives.

Dvorak symphonies were numbered in order of publication which annoys everyone.  His Symphony No. 2 was the second one published but the seventh one composed.  So some editions list it as No. 2 while it is known today as No. 7.  The famous No. 9 (From a New World) used to No. 5 then became No. 8 when reordered but Dvorak believed one of the earlier symphonies was lost but it was later found.  So four symphonies were published after his last one but were composed earliest in his career.  A mess!!

[Mitth'raw'nuorodo 43]

Yeah, I'm also guessing that it's a version of Starkiller.

[Jay 37,287]

There's no need to guess. There's a video recording if it on page one.

[LaloCoyoacan 46]

On 7/31/2018 at 1:34 PM, Pellaeon said:

Can any Spanish speakers tell us a bit of what Dudamel says in his eight-minute remarks?

This is the full transcription:

I think that, it’s worth a few little words. For me, it means, besides the reaction of joy, proud of being present here, in front of this beautiful orchestra, of this representation of what music is, of what art is for the community, for the people. The music unites, the music breaks boundaries, eliminates walls and unites us as brothers. That, I’ve lived it since I was a little child, because 22 years ago I came to Mexico with the Venezuela National Child Orchestra (VNCO), I was a 13 year old child, well, not so child either, I was a 13 year old teen child and we live within the same context, because we shared with the mexican musical childhood and youth. All of this was started from a beautiful project that a very special being dreamed, Maestro Jose Antonio Abreu. The Maestro, 43 years ago, decided to form a youth orchestra in Venezuela. A youth orchestra? Was he sick? That was something completely impossible, but he was determined and insisted to create the VNCO and nobody believed him, but there was one important person who believed in him, a very important one, an ilustrious mexican, Maestro Carlos Chavez. When people said he was nuts, Maestro Carlos Chavez went to a garage in Venezuela, where the orchestra rehearsed, literally a garage that it worked as a workshop during the day and as a rehearsal room during the night. There it began all this project as a character that, in world music, was absolutely recognized, as Maestro Carlos Chavez. Maestro Chavez took the VNCO to it’s first international tour in Scotland, to Aberdeen, to a youth orchestra festival, and from there, it consolidated what is today the youth and child orchestra and chorus system, not only from Venezuela, but the entire world. Then, evidently, another great mexican came to Venezuela to deliver his knowledge and passion for music, Maestro Eduardo Mata. Maestro Mata left before time, in his full bloom as an artist, he left us but he gave us so much. To us, well, you can’t imagine what he did as Simon Bolivar Orchestra director. And I remember when I was a little child, in Guanare, in the westerns plains of Venezuela, that we we’re rehearsing for the VNCO, I was playing in the violin lane, when a man with a hat arrived to rehearse a new play that was a “danzón”, Maestro Arturo Marquez. As we can see, the veins are the same body, the blood that flows between us is the same blood. And it’s beautiful to see one America united by art, culture, music. What you represent (addressing to the orchestra) is the soul, the beautiful soul of what is the american people, one America, not three, not two, but one. For that we play, sing and fight for this dream, because it’s a dream, like the Maestro said before, a liberty dream. Unamuno used to say that culture is the liberty that has to be given to the people, and this is why is fundamental, beautiful and historical. John Williams, I will say something about the play we’re about to perform right now, that I don’t know nothing about John Williams, Star Wars, E.T., all of that. He invited me to direct the recording of the last Star Wars movie, and when I finished I sat down and he continued the recording session and began to play an adagio, and I said this is so beautiful, what is this? This is something I wrote last night because I needed more music for a scene; the director requested it, this great things that one has the opportunity to see; I loved it. And he adapted and made it for this orchestra, so this is an historical moment because you will see the premiere of this Star Wars adagio for this orchestra.

[obijonkenobi 30]

I just made a quick edit of this performance mixed with the Starkiller track from the soundtrack. Just something to listen to till a better recording comes along. PM if interested.

 

[Straxfan 1]

On ‎8‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 1:08 AM, obijonkenobi said:

I just made a quick edit of this performance mixed with the Starkiller track from the soundtrack. Just something to listen to till a better recording comes along. PM if interested.

 

Obijonkenobi - you did a fantastic job with this!  Thank you.

[obijonkenobi 30]

Thank you kindly!

[Pieter Boelen 740]

On 8/5/2018 at 2:08 AM, obijonkenobi said:

I just made a quick edit of this performance mixed with the Starkiller track from the soundtrack. Just something to listen to till a better recording comes along. PM if interested.

 

I'm curious now; how come you needed the OST?

[The Five Tones 302]

Glad the thread got bumped as I wasn't aware of this until now. I'm not a particular fan of the non-film, non-OST concert arrangements but this is a lovely piece, more delicate, hushed and unhurried than in any film, OST or pops concert context. Starkiller/Torn Apart, while most strongly sampled at 90 sec in, sounds more like what might've been a jumping off point for newly invented material. He's dedicated so much precious late in life time to spinning out new compositions based on his film work, which is fantastic but a part of me wishes there had been a body of numbered symphonies begun at some point. Like opera, just not his mission, I guess.

[Pieter Boelen 740]

5 hours ago, The Five Tones said:

He's dedicated so much precious late in life time to spinning out new compositions based on his film work, which is fantastic but a part of me wishes there had been a body of numbered symphonies begun at some point. Like opera, just not his mission, I guess.

I like it based on film work.

 

It is my impression that Williams pretty much made it his life's work to prove that film music is worth being taken seriously.