John Williams conducts Filarmonica della Scala, Milan, Italy, 12 December 2022!

[Once 604]

6 hours ago, Jay said:

I'm in the theater! Left balcony. Getting excited! 

Warm-ups are always fun 

 

 

Oh, I can see my mother and almost myself in this video! Wow!

What an evening!

[Jay 37,316]

Too many negroni to post coherent thoughts. 

 

Except:

 

Best pieces / performances were Helena's Theme, Princees Leia's Theme, Schindler's List. 

 

He mixed up Fawkes with Buckbeak, Empire with Jedi, the ET moon with the ET sunset, and seemed to take longer to tell the usual stories than their best more succinct versions

 

He said there was a new ending to "shoot" and then score for Indiana Jones 5!

 

But it was overall very special, he seemed to really cherish the experience, and the orchestra seemed to really give it their best. Williams made sure to highlight the soloists and they deserved it

[Rikkardo 42]

1 hour ago, ciarlese said:

 

I agree the brass section weren't great in raiders' march, but I found the first violin in Schindler's list possibly one of the best and most moving versions I ever heard.

 I agree with you...

 

From critic point of view I have to agree on the Brass section for being weak but I was expecting that. This orchestra is not used to play cinematic soundtracks but only opera. Strings were superb and I think I've heard one of the best versions of Shindler's List. Soloist was incredible.

 

The whole experience was overhelming. Williams as always full of energy and never seen such a lively crowd (yes we are italians🤣). Lot of emotions.

[Tydirium 1,166]

I wasn't there, but I'm curious to hear about the orchestra being "not good." They aren't Berlin or Vienna, no, but AFAIK the La Scala orchestra is pretty well regarded. Probably the best in Italy, if I'm not mistaken—the only other possible contender I can think of would be the Santa Cecilia orchestra in Rome.

 

They record quite a bit for Decca with their music director Riccardo Chailly, and some of those albums have been really great: like the "Viva Verdi" album and "Overtures, Preludes & Intermezzi." Granted, those are opera excerpts. I know Williams' music is much more technically demanding than your average opera, but I still wouldn't expect "not good" from an orchestra of this level.

[Rikkardo 42]

9 minutes ago, Tydirium said:

I wasn't there, but I'm curious to hear about the orchestra being "not good." They aren't Berlin or Vienna, no, but AFAIK the La Scala orchestra is pretty well regarded. Probably the best in Italy, if I'm not mistaken—the only other possible contender I can think of would be the Santa Cecilia orchestra in Rome.

 

They record quite a bit for Decca with their music director Riccardo Chailly, and some of those albums have been really great: like the "Viva Verdi" album and "Overtures, Preludes & Intermezzi." Granted, those are opera excerpts. I know Williams' music is much more technically demanding than your average opera, but I still wouldn't expect "not good" from an orchestra of this level.

 

Overall the orchestra was good but after hearing Berliner or Wiener it's a whole different level. It was just the brass section being weak in some spots. Sound also very "intimate" in this theatre.

[pete 906]

1 hour ago, Jay said:

 

 

He mixed up Fawkes with Buckbeak, Empire with Jedi, the ET moon with the ET sunset, and seemed to take longer to tell the usual stories than their best more succinct versions

 

I think those little mistakes are understandable. He may not have seen those films since their release, or perhaps before their release. Wait... he saw ET when conduced to picture at a live performance, but still, that was a while ago. 20 years?

[aviazn 273]

4 hours ago, essel said:

I think he even mentioned a new ending (I guess reshoots?), if I got that correctly?

 

1 hour ago, Jay said:

He said there was a new ending to "shoot" and then score for Indiana Jones 5!

Well, that will set tongues wagging. Looking forward to all the Disney rumor blogs citing JWFan as the source for this…

[pete 906]

2 hours ago, pete said:

 

I think those little mistakes are understandable. He may not have seen those films since their release, or perhaps before their release. Wait... he saw ET when conduced to picture at a live performance, but still, that was a while ago. 20 years?

 

Having said that, Fawkes is the name of the piece^. Anyway, he looks in great health! Amazing. How many 90 year olds travel overseas? - to work?!

[Holko 9,499]

6 minutes ago, pete said:

Having said that, Fawkes is the name of the piece^

In Vienna (2) he said Fawkes is the bird that Harry flies on.

[Amer 2,080]

1 hour ago, Holko said:

In Vienna (2) he said Fawkes is the bird that Harry flies on.

Ha he got confused with Buckbeak's Flight- Now, that's a piece of music that would have made a great concert piece.

[BB-8 3,461]

[Biodome 714]

31 minutes ago, BB-8 said:

 

For the history books, I feel the need to mention that those ridiculously tiny bowls of risotto cost €35 each, and we realized that only when we got the bill at the end.

[GlastoEls 558]

6 hours ago, Jay said:

Too many negroni to post coherent thoughts. 

 

Except:

 

Best pieces / performances were Helena's Theme, Princees Leia's Theme, Schindler's List. 

 

He mixed up Fawkes with Buckbeak, Empire with Jedi, the ET moon with the ET sunset, and seemed to take longer to tell the usual stories than their best more succinct versions

 

He said there was a new ending to "shoot" and then score for Indiana Jones 5!

 

But it was overall very special, he seemed to really cherish the experience, and the orchestra seemed to really give it their best. Williams made sure to highlight the soloists and they deserved it

Perfect post - my friend and I noted the exact same three highlights (Leia, Helena, Schindler)!

 

Also: putting the meet-up photos in the main thread too in case missed in the other one!

[ciarlese 248]

6 hours ago, Jay said:

 

He mixed up Fawkes with Buckbeak, Empire with Jedi, the ET moon with the ET sunset

 

Talking about E.T., can anybody explain why in concerts we keep missing the big flying theme' s rendition when all the bikes finally take off to escape the police?

There is a deep crescendo, it's the highlight of the movie, but for some reason it's taken out of concerts: why?

 

[BB-8 3,461]

47 minutes ago, GlastoEls said:

Perfect post - my friend and I noted the exact same three highlights (Leia, Helena, Schindler)!

 

Also: putting the meet-up photos in the main thread too in case missed in the other one!

Leia, Helena, Schindler's! Couldn't agree more. Helena and Schindler's were also life-ticks for me.

[bollemanneke 3,338]

My most pressing question: was there a ritardando in HWW?

[Daniel 53]

One of my shots from last night, more to follow once I can go through them. 

[BB-8 3,461]

55 minutes ago, bollemanneke said:

My most pressing question: was there a ritardando in HWW?

Not as molto as in Berlin but still more than in Vienna early this year. Tempi were generally quite slow. Fawkes, Leia and Superman Love Theme were almost analytical.

[GlastoEls 558]

1 minute ago, BB-8 said:

Not as molto as in Berlin but still more than in Vienna early this year. Tempi were generally quite slow. Fawkes, Leia and Superman Love Theme were almost analytical.

Agreed as discussed in the meet-up. 

[Jay 37,316]

Ah yes, that was my other big observation, that the tempos were often on the slow side. I especially noticed it for Harry's Wondrous World 

[GlastoEls 558]

Not news but La Scala itself is astonishing beautiful.  Those of us who had our first experiences of Williams live in the Musikverein will always look fondly at that, but my goodness, La Scala will now take some beating. 

[crumbs 14,304]

10 hours ago, Jossa said:

Unfortunately I did not manage to grab one of the mini posters at the end. So if someone has one extra, please let me know. I could pick it up tomorrow at Scala 🤗

 

What mini posters were these? 

 

I saw plenty of spare programs at the end but no posters? 

[keyes 18]

15 minutes ago, Jay said:

Ah yes, that was my other big observation, that the tempos were often on the slow side. I especially noticed it for Harry's Wondrous World 

Williams tried his best to PUSH the orchestra forward...

[Jay 37,316]

We saw tons of people holding posters at the end! It was just a smaller version of the one that was outside 

[keyes 18]

1 minute ago, crumbs said:

 

What mini posters were these? 

 

I saw plenty of spare programs at the end but no posters? 

The poster printed to advertise the concert in classical "La Scala" style

[GlastoEls 558]

Yes I also missed the mini poster.  Will have to keep an eye on eBay. 

[crumbs 14,304]

Oh interesting... I didn't notice at all. Maybe there were none left by the time I left the theater?

 

Seems pointless going to La Scala today asking for spares, they're likely closed.

[Jay 37,316]

Nobody in our entire gathering of JW Fans managed to get one, but random people we saw all did, with some people even holding multiple copies

[Martinland 357]

4 hours ago, pete said:

"to work"

 

He doesn't work, he breathes; it's his oxygen, he said so himself, right?

[crumbs 14,304]

 

3 minutes ago, Jay said:

Nobody in our entire gathering of JW Fans managed to get one, but random people we saw all did, with some people even holding multiple copies

 

Ah, so they must have run out then. That's a shame if people took multiple posters and there weren't enough for everyone. 

[Jossa 0]

8 minutes ago, crumbs said:

 

What mini posters were these? 

 

I saw plenty of spare programs at the end but no posters? 

A smaller version of the one that was outside at Teatro. Some people grabbed multiple, so I asked the manager but she told me that they were all out...

 

The program booklet I got, thank God 🙌🏻

[Sandor 796]

40 minutes ago, Daniel said:

One of my shots from last night, more to follow once I can go through them. 

Another fantastic photo!

 

Thanks for sharing everyone! 

[GlastoEls 558]

48 minutes ago, Daniel said:

One of my shots from last night, more to follow once I can go through them. 

Wonderful shot!

[rpvee 805]

4 hours ago, Holko said:

In Vienna (2) he said Fawkes is the bird that Harry flies on.

Fawkes does fly Harry out of the Chamber of Secrets at the end of the second film. 🤷🏻‍♂️ 

[Gurkensalat 339]

3 hours ago, Amer said:

Ha he got confused with Buckbeak's Flight- Now, that's a piece of music that would have made a great concert piece.

 

Perhaps not. Doesn't Harry get carried by Fawkes out of the chamber of secrets at the end? OK, he is hanging on his tail or so, but still.

[Jay 37,316]

At the concert last night Williams specifically said that Fawkes was a large bird that Harry flies over the lake

[bigjimwilson 253]

1 minute ago, Jay said:

At the concert last night Williams specifically said that Fawkes was a large bird that Harry flies over the lake

But he also said this was a chance to hear the music without having to watch the film 😂 I have a feeling our Johnny doesn’t care one bit which bird is which 😄

[crumbs 14,304]

8 minutes ago, Jay said:

At the concert last night Williams specifically said that Fawkes was a large bird that Harry flies over the lake

 

How I wish he'd program something from Azkaban once in a while. I'm starting to wonder if he thinks Fawkes the Phoenix is from Azkaban and forgets the other concert suites he wrote! 

[BB-8 3,461]

39 minutes ago, GlastoEls said:

Yes I also missed the mini poster.  Will have to keep an eye on eBay. 

They even had mini posters for the public rehearsal...managed to grab one of those but not for the actual concert...well we have the PDF and could print it on high quality Italian paper at home ;-)

[Nathan95 66]

Look, forgetting Harry Potter birds isn't as bad as forgetting to do a Harry Potter piece altogether (Hollywood Bowl 2nd night 👀)

[54dcwrcxwertx 11]

I was lucky enough to get a poster (I mean my girlfriend did, I didn't even think of that lol), we just asked one of the ladies guiding us to the seats. 

I agree the brass section wasn't the best in the world, I personally think they weren't bad, maybe there should just be more of them for Williams music?

That being said, it was an amazing experience. 

Strange thing is there was nobody besides me and my gf in the first floor balony... I guess some of the Best seats besides the main floor, why would anyone miss it? There were two empty seats. 

 

[Mr. Who 919]

9 minutes ago, crumbs said:

 

How I wish he'd program something from Azkaban once in a while. I'm starting to wonder if he thinks Fawkes the Phoenix is from Azkaban and forgets the other concert suites he wrote! 

A Window to the Past or Buckbeak’s Flight would be great in concert. 
 

My one issue with film music co certs as these is that they usually always play the same pieces without anything that isn’t the most famous. The Flying Car would bring the house down on sure but it will Probably never be performed because Hedwig and Wondrous World are always in the programme. Fawkes is a nice addition though so never say never.

22 minutes ago, Jay said:

At the concert last night Williams specifically said that Fawkes was a large bird that Harry flies over the lake

He’s technically right that Harry “flew” him but it was up from the chamber of secrets and not over the lake haha

[BB-8 3,461]

14 minutes ago, bigjimwilson said:

But he also said this was a chance to hear the music without having to watch the film 😂 I have a feeling our Johnny doesn’t care one bit which bird is which 😄

 

It seems he doesn't even care (know) that Hedwig is a Snowy Owl.

 

 What a cultural loss of biodiversity!

[AOP 259]

I tried to a get a poster but alas they were all gone…

 

Performance issues aside, it was a privilege and honor to see and hear John Williams live in concert. Something to treasure, always.

 

He’s doing amazingly well for 90 years old! So I think we can cut him some slack when he makes small mental flubs. I’m in my early 40s and I can’t even remember what I had for breakfast…
 

By the way, I’m pretty sure I saw Pino Donaggio in the audience (or someone who looked just like him!). Can someone confirm or were those 2 pre-concert beers screwing with my head??

[bollemanneke 3,338]

1 hour ago, BB-8 said:

Not as molto as in Berlin but still more than in Vienna early this year. Tempi were generally quite slow. Fawkes, Leia and Superman Love Theme were almost analytical.

So, this isn't sour grapes at all, but is it fair to say I haven't really missed anything, at least performance-wise? If people on this board, who were more positive about Vienna 1 than me, start commenting on the bad brass section, I'm getting concerned. 

[Jay 37,316]

Yes, Pino Donnagio was in the audience 

[TownerFan 4,983]

26 minutes ago, bollemanneke said:

So, this isn't sour grapes at all, but is it fair to say I haven't really missed anything, at least performance-wise? If people on this board, who were more positive about Vienna 1 than me, start commenting on the bad brass section, I'm getting concerned. 

 

Saying that the orchestra played badly is totally unjust. I don't know what the standard references of these people are, but the orchestra was absolutely great. Was everything perfect? Of course not, as virtually any live performance is. It's known that London or US brass sections are always more powerful and precise than any European orchestra, but the brass of the Filarmonica yesterday did a great job nonetheless, especially the horn section, whose principal did some tearjerking playing on the Love Theme form Superman and the big Princess Leia solo. The trumpets perhaps weren't as powerful as Berlin or Vienna, and played in a more "Italian" fashion during the Raiders March, but that's one of the perks of hearing these pieces performed by orchestras who are not used to them. It should also be said that the theatre has a characteristic opera house acoustic (i.e. very dry, without virtually any reverb, but with lots of low-end frequencies becoming very prominent) and that's something that surely made the music sound a bit different than usual, especially if compared to Berlin's Philharmonie or Boston's Symphony Hall.

[MisterXDTV 61]

I was there guys!!

 

Here are official photos from la Filarmonica

 

[Daniel 53]

2 hours ago, Jay said:

Nobody in our entire gathering of JW Fans managed to get one, but random people we saw all did, with some people even holding multiple copies

I was really gutted there wasn’t any of those paper mini posters left. Really wanted one. The theatre should have just printed hundreds really it wouldn’t have cost them that much. 

[JTN 2,002]

1 hour ago, MisterXDTV said:

I was there guys!!

 

Here are official photos from la Filarmonica

 

Amazing photos!