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Lebrecht review of Williams and the Vienna Philharmonic


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https://myscena.org/norman-lebrecht/lebrechts-album-of-the-week-john-williams-in-vienna-dg/

 

https://slippedisc.com/2020/09/we-review-john-williamss-one-star-wars/

 

I have posted the links to a classical music blogger's review of Williams and the Vienna Philharmonic. Have at it...

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i wont read it then.

I guess he's be pissed if Williams writes the new theme for the orchestra

ok Il'll stop at the first paragraph

 

"Here’s a first – a record that resists categorisation. To give it one star would be an insult, two stars a gross over-estimation. No stars is as close as I can get to describe the distinctly uncomfortable feeling I get from hearing John Williams conduct his film scores with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra."

:blink:

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14 minutes ago, King Mark said:

 

:blink:

Yup. When a review starts off as snide and bitchy as that, you know the writer is simply pandering to his base and/or his own puffed-up ego. His words aren’t worth the time to read them. I wish I could take back that link-click I gave him.

 

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Is misusing Australo supposed to be a joke? If yes... how?

 

Quote

The problem is that when Williams decided to score Star Wars like Richard Wagner, using “leit motifs,” he created static versions of every character. It’s inherent in the method; Luke is always represented by “Luke’s Theme,” so he’s always sad and resolute. Leia is always gossamer, compassionate, and a sort-of love interest. Darth Vader is always marching down some long, battle-scarred corridor.

The movies aren’t like that at all. Luke’s anything but static; over the course of the trilogy, he grows up. A whiny teenager becomes a driven, fearless warrior. Darth Vader also transforms, changing from a petty, tyrannical agent of evil into the father and liberator he ought to have always been.

This creti... "person" never even bothered to actually listen to the scores, has he? But then why the need to get on a high high horse and boast about his completely wrong assumptions based on concert pieces?

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24 minutes ago, Doug Adams said:

It's still better than this laughably awful screed:

 

https://www.splicetoday.com/music/the-australo-hungarian-empire-strikes-back

 

It's a masterpiece of how not to write about music. Or anything.

 

I have to give Lebrecht credit, that screed was part of my motivation to become a musicologist who specializes in film music. Not the effect he intended, I imagine!

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Wait people, Lebrecht is the first one (with the generic "I don't like it, so they shouldn't play it" thing), the Australo-Hungarian guy is Kugelmass. I mean, they are both wrong, but the styles are totally different!

 

I'd love to see John Williams "going Beethoven" and replying to those people in the style of the good old times, but unfortunately, it seems excessively out of his character...

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5 minutes ago, Not Mr. Big said:

This is the John Williams equivalent Christian Clemmensen Hans Zimmer score review

CC has the decency to examine Zimmer's scores, this review is just shameful. 

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So, John Williams music can't stand on its own without the visuals. 

Then the Wiener Philharmoniker should never again play any piece of any opera ever written, because, as this man may or may not know, they were written for actors on a stage, as well. 

In fact, it's WORSE with classical music and opera, because many people know the pieces, but have no clue what the story is of the operas they're extracted from. 

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If I understood this review right, the bottom line is that it's not good because it can't be good. I don't care what the status of this critic is, whether he is great, legendary, influential. Why should we care? He is simply unprofessional.

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I dunno. what if VPO and Deutche Grammaphone execs read it can they be influenced into thinking they were wrong doing this concert or feel guilty about it ? He's basically accusing them of commiting somekind of great sacrilege against the  classical elite

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5 hours ago, King Mark said:

I dunno. what if VPO and Deutche Grammaphone execs read it can they be influenced into thinking they were wrong doing this concert or feel guilty about it ? He's basically accusing them of commiting somekind of great sacrilege against the  classical elite

Do you not think the exposure this album and concert would've afforded to both parties and the sales of the album (plus streaming and what-not) would make them inclined to care what this dipshit has to say? Countless times have I heard it said that film music was a gateway for people to discover/rediscover classical music.

 

It's one review in a largely positive critical consensus, I'm not losing sleep over this snob's opinions.

 

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3 minutes ago, Romão said:

There's some absolutely incredible video game music. I'm the vast majority here would agree


I hold Yuzo Koshiro’s Streets of Rage stuff very dearly, 

 

And Rob Hubbard’s stuff for EA in the early 1990s. 

 

 

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19 hours ago, Romão said:

There's some absolutely incredible video game music. I'm sure the vast majority here would agree

 

I suppose my impression is coloured somewhat by the bigoted ignoramus views of the late Stefancos, god rest his soul. 

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1 hour ago, TownerFan said:

I'm not as hip or famous as Mr. Lebrecht,  but here's my own take:

 

https://thelegacyofjohnwilliams.com/2020/09/07/john-williams-in-vienna/

Nice write-up! Now that there is a reputable article written on the topic, I have added the distinguished performance on this concert to the 1st hornist's (German) wikipedia page :) 

It's certainly an interesting detail that only two USAmerican natives have so far conducted the VPO...

 

One piece of trivia I would add is that per Disney, blue is the colour of Cinderella, so ASM's dress choice might have been deliberate.

Spoiler

Cinderella Birthday Party Favors and Supplies | Cinderella characters,  Cinderella disney, Disney storybook

.

Cinderella: a modern adaptation with classic charm – Golden Arrow

.

JohnWilliams-Vienna2020-ConcertSummary-G

 

 

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6 hours ago, TownerFan said:

 

A good article, Maurizio! Let me make two corrections (or perhaps one correction and one comment):

 

1) Hanslick's first name was Eduard

2) The Philharmoniker were founded in 1842, which makes them quite old (62 years older than the LSO, for example), but still rather young when compared with the truly old institutions, like the Staatskapelle Dresden that's almost 300 years older and performed with Heinrich Schütz (!). Here's an interesting list.

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Thanks, Marian! Duly noted and corrected.

 

I'm aware that the Philharmoniker aren't the oldest European musical institution, but they're perhaps the one which kept attached stronger than others to the (especially Viennese) musical tradition. I hope I was clear enough in making that point.

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On 9/6/2020 at 8:31 AM, Dave Norris said:

He’s a well know instigator in classical music circles. I think its position in classical music charts around the world should speak for itself
I’m sorry I wasted 30 seconds of my time reading it !

 

Also hello everyone-I’ve decided to jump in after reading this forum for years !  Many of you know me already so please be kind 

 

Welcome Dave!

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On 9/6/2020 at 2:31 PM, Dave Norris said:

Also hello everyone-I’ve decided to jump in after reading this forum for years !  Many of you know me already so please be kind 

 

Surely you've been reading long enough to know this isn't how things work here.

 

320_one.gif

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On 9/6/2020 at 1:41 AM, King Mark said:

I dunno. what if VPO and Deutche Grammaphone execs read it can they be influenced into thinking they were wrong doing this concert or feel guilty about it ? He's basically accusing them of commiting somekind of great sacrilege against the  classical elite

 

 

DG is owned by the UMG, and their priority is making money. So it seems the release is doing great from their point of view.

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I think the Vienna PO is very musician driven, the players voice will be heard. They decide who will conduct in the New Year's concert etc. I'm sure that the office asked if they wanted to play with JW and as seen in that recording(and heard live in the audience) many of the musicians showed their enthusiasm for this music and JW. And they are top musicians, Lebrecht isn't. This 5 star  expert must hate the fact that this zero star artist is commissioned to compose a  new fanfare for this wonderful orchestra. 

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48 minutes ago, moi said:

I think the Vienna PO is very musician driven, the players voice will be heard.

 

The VPO is democratically organised - the orchestra members themselves are responsible for organisational and management decisions. This includes their unusual M.O. (modus operandi) of not having a principal conductor.

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