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"Violin Concerto No. 2 and Selected Film Themes" Williams / Mutter album & Blu Ray


Jay

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Apologies if this has been clarified already or if we still don’t know, but any idea if the film pieces from Boston’s Symphony Hall will be from the live performances with the audience, or if they were recorded during a proper recording session around the same time?

 

And either way, it’s same to assume the eventual video of those themes would be from the actual concerts, right?

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Everything will be taken from live performances.  Whether there will be applause, etc, is unknown.  I imagine the applause will be edited out, but that's just my personal opinion.

 

The CD will be from the Boston Symphony Hall concerts in October.

 

The Blu-ray will be the Concerto and "Across the Stars," from Tanglewood, along with the three film themes recorded in Boston in October.

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I thought there was a recording session for the concerto? And the new Marion’s Theme version for violin and orchestra hasn’t been performed live 

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1 hour ago, Matt S. said:

Everything will be taken from live performances.  Whether there will be applause, etc, is unknown.  I imagine the applause will be edited out, but that's just my personal opinion.

 

The CD will be from the Boston Symphony Hall concerts in October.

 

The Blu-ray will be the Concerto and "Across the Stars," from Tanglewood, along with the three film themes recorded in Boston in October.


Interesting! I was at the OCTOBER concerts and didn’t see any big cameras. Also, the Sunday concert was free to the general public so it wasn’t necessarily a traditional audience.

 

7 minutes ago, pete said:

I thought there was a recording session for the concerto? And the new Marion’s Theme version for violin and orchestra hasn’t been performed live 


Marion’s Theme was performed at one of the Boston concerts.

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11 minutes ago, rpvee said:


Marion’s Theme was performed at one of the Boston concerts.

 I could be wrong - I’m just going by what I read about the concerts and I don’t recall anyone mentioning it. I thought the announcement of the track list was the first time we knew of this new arrangement.

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6 minutes ago, Jay said:

The main post of this thread has all the answers you guys are looking for

Thanks! I think I was a little confused by it being described as an update of the previous arrangement rather than a new arrangement

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The new Marion's Theme concert arrangement debuted in 2008 and has been performed live many times.

 

A new ASM version of that concert arrangement debuted in Boston on Saturday October 2nd 2021 and was played again on October 3rd 2021.  One of those recordings will be on the CD.  Or the CD will contain a unique "album" recording they did with no audience; We don't know yet.

 

The Blu Ray Video will have either the October 2nd or October 3rd performance on it.

 

I hope that explains everything.

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Yes it does. I would just - without having heard it - describe it as a new arrangement due to the addition of the solo violin. That’s how I’d describe the pieces on the Across the Stars CD. 

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15 hours ago, Jay said:

The new Marion's Theme concert arrangement debuted in 2008 and has been performed live many times.

 

A new ASM version of that concert arrangement debuted in Boston on Saturday October 2nd 2021 and was played again on October 3rd 2021.  One of those recordings will be on the CD.  Or the CD will contain a unique "album" recording they did with no audience; We don't know yet.

 

The Blu Ray Video will have either the October 2nd or October 3rd performance on it.

 

I hope that explains everything.

 

I know this is slightly off topic but is there a studio recording of the revised Across the Stars orchestral arrangement JW wrote a few years back, before the new violin arrangement(s)? 

 

The version performed by the LSO in their 2018 concert (when JW fell ill). 

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On 14/3/2022 at 11:26 AM, crypto said:

 

I know this is slightly off topic but is there a studio recording of the revised Across the Stars orchestral arrangement JW wrote a few years back, before the new violin arrangement(s)? 

 

The version performed by the LSO in their 2018 concert (when JW fell ill). 


That wasn’t played in London? 
 

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/dirk-brosse/2018/royal-albert-hall-london-england-1b961908.html

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  • 1 month later...

wow, thanks for posting that. I also think it's the best Mutter arrangement so far and almost equals the full orchestral version. I wish he'd kept the full ESB Finale somewhere in there though because now it sounds more like a totally new theme "inspired" by the ESB one. Marion's theme retains most of the structure of the movie version.

 

Maybe it's another indication he never liked the original one

 

 

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Amazing to hear this in full quality! There’s some background noise that makes me think this was indeed taken from one of the Boston concerts vs. a dedicated recording session. If that’s the case, I’m even more excited for this release since it’ll be the first time a Williams concert I attended gets an official release!

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Utterly sublime... easily my favourite of all the ASM arrangements. JW has outdone himself.

 

And something feels more natural about the mix/recording on this one; ASM is better integrated with the orchestra. I found her presence a little overpowering on the Across the Stars album.

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Not yet available outside US and nothing on Spotify as yet.

 

Edit: Finally heard it. It's lovely and really nice. The recording sounds terrific!!! 

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19 hours ago, Michael G. said:

Of all the arrangements this is my favorite...

 

 

 

I shed a tear or two... I cannot wait to own this album; the fact that my copy will have been signed by Anne Sophie-Mutter is a plus. Heck, I cannot wait to get the Blu-Ray come August 19.

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2 hours ago, King Mark said:

i always love that moment of hearing a glorious sounding recording after being struck for a cell phone bootleg for a while

I'm surprised they were able to get away with a cell phone recording at a Mutter concert

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Well that was worth the wait! I think it's been 3.5 - 4 years since we got a glimpse of the sheet music. I'll never understand why Willliams seems to prefer Across the Stars. It's not natural. 

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51 minutes ago, King Mark said:

that 1 minute fanfare for solo trumpet got me a bit worried though

 

But that one is essentially his version of Stravinsky's "Fanfare for a New Theater". Same purpose, same instrument, same more or less duration and style (although in Williams language). Very strange language and over all style for the opening of something. I would guess he just scribbled it down to make somebody happy.

Interesting though, the language of the Stravinsky one is similar to the early concert works John did.

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1 hour ago, Jay said:

I'm so glad this is getting a blu ray video in addition to the album!

 

1 hour ago, Jay said:

He has a muse!


Ditto and that muse is beyond mortal reckoning.

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This is actually my favorite piece John ever wrote, but this arrangement sounded awkward to me, especially the intro. Marion's Theme was a true masterpiece, the best of the collection. I will be curious to see which version makes the album, as the second time he played it he had cut things from the night before.

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2 hours ago, rpvee said:

Ahh, I can see myself a few times!! Can’t believe I’m a small part of an official Williams release!

I always assumed that your thumbnail picture, you were the guy without a beard.  

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5 hours ago, Tom said:

That is the most impassioned I have seen Williams conduct in a long time.  

Indeed, JW seems very forceful in his conducting. This new arrangement also has a lot in common with his violin and orchestra arrangement of Across the Stars. Very heavy strings and deep brass, giving the theme a tragic quality.

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4 hours ago, King Mark said:

I kind of hope he can also record the 2018 version 

 

Also didn't he record HSATP for the first album and it just didn't make the cut? If so why use this new one?

 

I'm not sure if it was recorded, but an arrangement was made at the time. He sent Ann-Sophie the score for it along with other pieces that were on the album. She received it the same time she received Hegwig's Theme etc. The only reason I can think of as to why it wasn't on the album was because there were already plenty of Star Wars pieces on it - maybe?  But by golly, it's better than all the rest!

 

The Witches of Eastwick arrangement was completed too, but left off as she didn't have enough time to master it. Perhaps that's also why Han Solo and the Princess was left off. John just produced too much material!

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