How would you feel about an orchestra playing John Williams music on baroque instruments?

[bollemanneke 3,346]

This is really random and will probably never happen, but just wanted to see what you guys thought. Because I’m currently listening to classical music again, I suddenly wondered what it would sound like if an orchestra playing on baroque instruments would play John Williams music. I, personally, would love to hear, say, Richard Egarr and the Academy of Ancient Music do the Home Alone carols (because then there would be no vibrato) or Jane Eyre. And in an ideal world, I would like to hear what an unconventional conductor like Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Concentus Musicus Wien would have done with Harry’s Wondrous World.
 

[Jurassic Shark 12,073]

It would be good fun to have a baroque JW album. As for Harnoncourt, I think his conducting is on the stiff side nowadays...

 

Rather than Academy of Ancient Music, I'd choose the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields or The English Concert.

[Thor 7,503]

Sure, I'd love to hear that.

 

In a similar vein, someone on Youtube posted a series of JW tracks in medieval style fairly recently.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,524]

I've watched some of that, as well. Very entertaining.

 

How would I feel? Baroque 'n' roll 

[Bespin 8,481]

It would sound out of tune, because ancient instruments

are not tuned to the same frequency as modern orchestras.

[Fabulin 3,511]

.

[Thor 7,503]

8 minutes ago, Albus Percival Wulfric said:

Or the lack of the piano necessitating a substitution in Jaws, The Black Sunday, March of the Resistance, and the Johnny Williams jazz scores. What about those?

 

Harpsicord for the win!

[Jurassic Shark 12,073]

22 minutes ago, Albus Percival Wulfric said:

 

On a serious note, the baroque idea sounds nice when dealing with music for keyboard and strings, but modern, wind-heavy music is not easily translatable.

Imagine the passion of players of natural horns and other pre-valve brass instruments who would have to deal with Williams' music as it is. Everything would have to be heavily rewritten. Or the lack of the piano and some other instruments necessitating awkward substitutions in Jaws, The Black Sunday, March of the Resistance, or the Johnny Williams jazz scores, to name a few.

 

 

 

There's plenty of JW compositions that translate well to smaller ensembles.

 

 

[bollemanneke 3,346]

1 hour ago, Bespin said:

It would sound out of tune, because ancient instruments

are not tuned to the same frequency as modern orchestras.

It would just sound a semi-tone lower, not out of tune, which I would love.

[bruce marshall 1,315]

Well, the way things are going, all performing Arts groups willl soon be ' baroque'.😰

[Oomoog the Ecstatic 314]

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[pete 907]

There's are "medievil style" arrangements on this YouTube channel... Sounds like he had fun!