John Williams playing instruments

[leeallen01 2,133]

Self-explanatory really. Not sure if there's a similar thread, but just want to know if people have seen him perform an instrument live in concert, or to share any youtube videos they know of with him playing something. 

 

I found this one, which I love.

 

 

[Cerebral Cortex 3,357]

 

 

 

[Bespin 8,480]

few seconds too late hehe

 

 

[Josh500 1,615]

John Williams started his career as a pianist. It's not instruments in plural, but just the piano.

 

One of my favourites, although not in concert:

 

 

[Cerebral Cortex 3,357]

I mean, I'm pretty sure Williams could probably also play the triangle with a certain panache. 

[mrbellamy 6,272]

John Williams is also a pretty good guitar player

 

 

[SteveMc 2,674]

It was part of a larger video, but I remember seeing a snippet of Williams conducting Vivaldi from a harpsichord.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,502]

9 minutes ago, mrbellamy said:

John Williams is also a pretty good guitar player

 

 

Fantastic. Post CANNONBALL, please.

[Bespin 8,480]

I have some videos of me playing with my organ, but these are private videos, I can't post them on Youtube.

[Josh500 1,615]

8 minutes ago, Bespin said:

I have some videos of me playing with my organ, but these are private videos, I can't post them on Youtube.

 

You pervert! You enjoy filming yourself, do you? 😂 

[Bespin 8,480]

It's the only way to improve the technique!!!

[karelm 2,903]

Not a video but I heard a story first hand that JW sat down to perform the piano part of E.T. end credits to get the right feel and everyone witnessing it was stunned by the quality of the performance but it was another performer who played it.  Just that he jumped in to demo it to the player.  It might have been Don Williams who mentioned this who played on the sessions but I forgot who exactly it was. 

[Jurassic Shark 12,030]

I've heard JW's a badass on kazoo.

[bollemanneke 3,337]

My God, he's amazing on the piano.

[Thor 7,472]

He actually played trombone quite decently in his youth, according to himself. But I don't believe there's any footage of it.

[Joni Wiljami 1,206]

Yes, I was just about to mention that. There must have been some connection to the brass instrument. That good he writes for those... 

[KingPin 201]

 

[Thor 7,472]

The weird thing is that he never picked up percussion, like his father and two brothers (yeah, yeah...I know piano is considered a percussion instrument, but you know what I mean). He was the odd one out in the family. Even John's son Mark continued the family percussion tradition.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

The black sheep! The outcast!

[Muad'Dib 1,801]

I seem to recall an interview where he stated that his life-long dream was to become a concert pianist, but he wasn't good enough -or something to the effect- and was something that has haunted him through his whole life. 

 

I remember it was a YT interview.

[aviazn 273]

One of my favorite JW piano performances. Listened to it on the Tanglewood lawn under a perfectly clear summer night sky. Just magical.

 

 

Continued here:

 

 

[Thor 7,472]

23 minutes ago, Muad'Dib said:

I seem to recall an interview where he stated that his life-long dream was to become a concert pianist, but he wasn't good enough -or something to the effect- and was something that has haunted him through his whole life. 

 

I remember it was a YT interview.

 

Well, he's said similar things on various occasions. There's also one interview where he talks about his year at Juilliard, and he often got frustrated when he heard the skills of the other pianist students down the hall.

 

I think it's all just humility, though. Obviously, Williams was a huge talent at the time. You wouldn't get accepted into Rosina Lhévinne's Juliard classes if you weren't.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,502]

5 hours ago, Thor said:

He actually played trombone quite decently in his youth, according to himself. But I don't believe there's any footage of it.

So, he liked a bit of tromboning, did he? 

[Jurassic Shark 12,030]

17 minutes ago, Thor said:

I think it's all just humility, though. Obviously, Williams was a huge talent at the time. You wouldn't get accepted into Rosina Lhévinne's Juliard classes if you weren't.

 

Of course he had to be good to get in, but then I suspect he didn't have the same progress as some of his peers.

[Score 770]

8 minutes ago, Thor said:

 

Well, he's said similar things on various occasions. There's also one interview where he talks about his year at Juilliard, and he often got frustrated when he heard the skills of the other pianist students down the hall.

 

I think it's all just humility, though. Obviously, Williams was a huge talent at the time. You wouldn't get accepted into Rosa Lhevinne's Juliard classes if you weren't.

 

Williams is surely a good pianist (better than most film composers). However, there are many ways of being a good pianist. His way, as far as I can see, is the "composer way": intelligent, able to improvise, able to express feelings, technically ok but not necessarily able to do technical wonders. Exceptional concert pianists are, in general, different animals. Maybe they would not know what to do if they were given a vocal line with chords and asked to accompany a singer, but they are able to play anything by Liszt and Rachmaninov at age 10, without missing a single note. Now, I can easily see John Williams, as a youngster, meeting some of the latter people in Julliard and feeling he was not one of them. On the other hand, theory-wise I bet very few of his mates would have been in the same league as his.   

[SteveMc 2,674]

Actually, if I recall correctly, Rosa Lhevinne was the one who told Williams that his true talents lay in composing and arranging, and encouraged him to pursue a career in that realm.

Apparently, he would transcript larger works for piano performance while at Julliard.

 

I do very much like his approach at the piano, but it is certain he is no incredible virtuoso, which seems to be what is demanded of a top tier concert pianist.  

[Thor 7,472]

Sure, he's no Emanuel Ax or whatever. But I think he could have been, had he nurtured that further.

 

His Prokofiev album as pianist (his only serious classical album as pianist) is pretty good -- and this came out in the mid 70s, when he had long since left his concert pianist ambitions behind.

[Jurassic Shark 12,030]

3 minutes ago, Steve McQueen said:

Apparently, he would transcript larger works for piano performance while at Julliard.

 

It would sure be interesting to hear some of those arrangements!

2 minutes ago, Thor said:

His Prokofiev album as pianist (his only serious classical album as pianist) is pretty good -- and this came out in the mid 70s, when he had long since left his concert pianist ambitions behind.

 

I don't think I've heard that  album. Was well received at the time?

[Thor 7,472]

I have no idea how it was received at the time. I think it went under most people’s radar.

[SteveMc 2,674]

Is it available anywhere?  This is the first I've heard of it.

[Thor 7,472]

https://www.amazon.com/Sergei-Prokofiev-David-Ward-steinman-Music/dp/B000S58M1G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1537654698&sr=8-1&keywords=prokofiev+john+williams

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I have it, its a nice album.

[Luke Skywalker 1,792]

Wasn't there a goldsmith quote saying that he thought when Williams left the piano for composing, the music world lost a great pianist?

[Jurassic Shark 12,030]

Goldsmith just didn't want competition in his own field.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

He could have been a contender!

[Naïve Old Fart 9,502]

He could have been somebody.

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,356]

I would love for Williams to cameo in IX as a Bith musician.

[The Psycho Pianist 216]

I've always adored this theme, and particularly this performance. The bit where he ascends and transitions from playing to conducting at 1:10 is just glorious - almost a kind of choreographed dance move; the 90 degree turn timed to the beat. 😅

 

 

[leeallen01 2,133]

"Screw this, I'm outa here!"

 

*hums E.T*

[Nick Parker 3,040]

On 9/22/2018 at 9:53 AM, Score said:

 

Williams is surely a good pianist (better than most film composers). However, there are many ways of being a good pianist. His way, as far as I can see, is the "composer way": intelligent, able to improvise, able to express feelings, technically ok but not necessarily able to do technical wonders. Exceptional concert pianists are, in general, different animals. 

 

Very astute distillation. Another great thing with John Williams as a pianist in this sense, is how he plays the orchestra at the piano, to paraphrase something said about Duke Ellington. He has a very particular touch at the piano, and his playing takes on the qualities of the instruments you know he's hearing in his head.

[Jurassic Shark 12,030]

8 minutes ago, Nick Parker said:

instruments you know he's hearing in his head.

 

Is this the stage prior to hearing voices in your head?

[Nick Parker 3,040]

1 hour ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

Is this the stage prior to hearing voices in your head?

 

Depends on the score.

[Score 770]

3 hours ago, leeallen01 said:

"Screw this, I'm outa here!"

 

*hums E.T*

 

More than with E.T., I'd say his mental detour probably had something to do with Dracula...