John Williams conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchestra March 24, 2023

[igger6 894]

Wait, if "The Duel" is listed above "Sabrina," and Robert Chen is credited below "Sabrina," is it possible that Chen's credit applies to both of those pieces, and we'll get the Mutter arrangement of "The Duel"?  This deal is (maybe) getting better all the time!

 

Also, have fun in Chicago, @Erik Woods!  My brother and I, who discovered Cinematic Sound thanks to your Tintin premiere and listened to your Williams 80th retrospective together back in 2012, are simultaneously starstruck that you'll be there and humbled that we're three Williams concerts ahead of you.   What a program to come in on.  Here's to many more!

[Tom 4,654]

I am happy to see that Far and Away is back to being regularly programed.  I heard him in Chicago years ago (2007 maybe) and he did it then--it is a fantastic and fun piece live.  He also did the Reivers, which was thrilling.  The hall has really good acoustics, which makes it all the better.  

 

I hope to hear a recording of Grit/Glory, but for those attending, let us know if the piece is revised/extended/etc. 

[King Mark 3,631]

12 hours ago, Erik Woods said:

I'll try to make my mobile phone recording sound as good as possible!

 

-Erik-

 

 Just make sure you read a transcript of the dialogue from the official video as you record to make it as authentic as possible !

[Miguel Andrade 1,263]

No broadcast planned during the next few months... maybe sometime during next season.

https://www.wfmt.com/programs/chicago-symphony-orchestra/

[BB-8 3,474]

1 hour ago, Miguel Andrade said:

No broadcast planned during the next few months... maybe sometime during next season.

https://www.wfmt.com/programs/chicago-symphony-orchestra/

 

Milano 2.0

[wickerman 21]

Single seats for Friday have just dropped on CSO website. Be quick or be dead. 

 

Edit: Seem gone. Congrats to whoever got them!

[mrbellamy 6,286]

Emailed them about a wait-list and they said to just keep refreshing lmao 

 

Open invitation to anybody who has tickets they need to get rid of...

[BB-8 3,474]

2 hours ago, wickerman said:

Single seats for Friday have just dropped on CSO website. Be quick or be dead. 

 

Edit: Seem gone. Congrats to whoever got them!

Berlin 2.0

[mrbellamy 6,286]

Damn, refreshing the site worked, I'm in  thanks for the tip @wickerman

[wickerman 21]

39 minutes ago, mrbellamy said:

Damn, refreshing the site worked, I'm in  thanks for the tip @wickerman

 

See you there! Did you score Lower Balcony or they released some more seats?

[mrbellamy 6,286]

Just a random Gallery seat opened, which was lucky for me, the cheapest end of the scale 

 

Man, looking at that program, this will be my fourth JW concert and the first time seeing him conduct Jurassic Park  

[Tom 4,654]

Not sure if you have been to Chicago, but the gallery overhangs fairly close up the the stage.  So, the view is really good and the acoustics are excellent.  

[mrbellamy 6,286]

Yeah I live here and usually get Gallery when I go to the CSO anyway, it's great and sounds awesome. It's just nice to see The Messiah a little closer but I got floor seats last time so I had that experience. 

[wickerman 21]

Usual encores: Yoda's and Imperial.

 

https://www.facebook.com/reel/959970558332980

 

Interestingly, it's probably his first concert in a while that won't feature Raiders March.

[Erik Woods 555]

6 hours ago, wickerman said:

Usual encores: Yoda's and Imperial.

 

https://www.facebook.com/reel/959970558332980

 

Interestingly, it's probably his first concert in a while that won't feature Raiders March.

 

 

[Tom 4,654]

10 hours ago, wickerman said:

Usual encores: Yoda's and Imperial.

 

Good, as long as CSO releases a youtube video of the Imperial March, I don't need anything else.  

[igger6 894]

Nope! Raiders, too! Unbelievable show, more to say later, but for now, let’s see what the night brings! (Skip to 1:04)

 

 

[mrbellamy 6,286]

So was anybody close enough to hear him when he forgot to pick up his mic and did his entire intro to "The Duel" exclusively for the people immediately in front of him?  it seemed like he was just talking about scoring all the little details of a swordfight but boy I felt every second of that 

 

Also best quote of the night: "Here's 'Helena's Theme' from Harry...uh...not Harry. From Indiana Jones 5, which sometimes felt like 9." 

[BB-8 3,474]

Peeeter Waaarrick!!!!

[Tom 4,654]

I'll move my thoughts on Grit to the other thread.

 

Glad to hear it was a great show--I hope everyone had a great night.  

 

 

[Ricard 2,245]

With CSO's clarinetist John Yeh
https://www.instagram.com/p/CqGs5CRI8_b/

 

 

With CSO's principal bass Alex Hanna
https://www.instagram.com/p/CqMwlwdgmpS/

 

 

With flutist Gaby Vargas
https://www.instagram.com/p/CqMxW_4NDmQ/

 

 

 

 

Quote

With a sold-out house and abounding ovations, the legendary John Williams made an appearance in Orchestra Hall on Friday night to conduct the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in some of his landmark film and television scores. The crowd was full of smiles, cheers and even a few nostalgic tears as the Orchestra played selections from the Harry Potter films, the Olympic Fanfare and Theme, the theme from Jurassic Park, the Imperial March from Star Wars and much more — led by the very man who knows the music best.

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CqON0VdI1Eg/
 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ricard 2,245]

Williams conducts the concert premiere of "Of Grit and Glory"

 

Discussion: 

https://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?/topic/35157-john-williams-writes-new-theme-for-espn-college-football-championship-of-grit-and-glory/&do=findComment&comment=1948087)

[Dr. Know 326]

So great to hear it without the narration! And good to know Johnny considers it a concert piece that can be performed without the narration.  Bodes well for an official release…PLEASE

[Nemesis 245]

Can't stop listening! Good to see Williams is proud on his new piece, otherwise he wouln'd performe it live, right?

[Tom 4,654]

Have you ever noticed how Williams deages 20 years when next to the ladies?  

 

[WilliamsStarShip2282 308]

2 hours ago, Ricard said:

Williams conducts the concert premiere of "Of Grit and Glory"

 

Discussion: 

https://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?/topic/35157-john-williams-writes-new-theme-for-espn-college-football-championship-of-grit-and-glory/&do=findComment&comment=1948087)

 

So much nicer without the narration

[crumbs 14,313]

What a gorgeous photo!

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Todd Rosenberg (@toddrphoto)

 

 

[BB-8 3,474]

Hang on..."backstage working on video"?

 

Means we're in for a recording.

[wickerman 21]

Just a recording / clip of his visit @ CSO, not a full concert.

[Tom 4,654]

Funny the similiarity between these two pictures 15 years apart (and I believe the ablum cover is also from the CSO).

 

 

[Ricard 2,245]

The Raiders March and standing ovation

 

 

[BB-8 3,474]

Meanwhile, I've been re-listening to the 2018 Star Wars "suite" with CSO and find much of it musically superior to any other version I've more recently been listening to.

 

 

[Erik Woods 555]

11 hours ago, Ricard said:

The Raiders March and standing ovation

 

 

I was in a puddle of my own tears after this! This was so unexpected and now is one of the greatest moments of my life!

 

-Erik-

[Jay 37,355]

It was unexpected that a John Williams concert that didn't list the Raiders March in its main program would have it performed as an encore?

[Erik Woods 555]

44 minutes ago, Jay said:

It was unexpected that a John Williams concert that didn't list the Raiders March in its main program would have it performed as an encore?

 

 

Yes, because we had seen a video earlier with what we assumed was all the pieces being performed and we only saw Yoda's Theme and The Imperial March as encores.  

 

-Erik-

[JohnnyD 1,223]

On 25/3/2023 at 10:36 PM, crumbs said:

What a gorgeous photo!

 

 

 

Very moving testimony.

 

On 26/3/2023 at 7:50 PM, Tom said:

Funny the similiarity between these two pictures 15 years apart (and I believe the ablum cover is also from the CSO).

 

 

 

That is pretty cool!

[pete 907]

Was that audience laughter annoying to anyone attending? I don't get the urge to laugh - smile and be happy inside sure, but not laugh out loud while music is being performed? Or am I just being jealous and grumpy?

[Erik Woods 555]

1 minute ago, pete said:

Was that audience laughter annoying to anyone attending? I don't get the urge to laugh - smile and be happy inside, but not laugh out loud while music is being performed? Or am I just being jealous and grumpy?

They're just happy to hear music they are familiar with but probably haven't heard for years. I mean, when I heard Raiders, my friend let out a "woooooo" (who might be the one you hear on the recording) and gave me a high five!

I over heard guys waiting in line to go to the washroom during intermission at how cool it was to hear music from some of their favourite scenes and movies they used to watch then they were kids. Their childhood was literally coming back to life that night! I mean, you should have heard the roar for "The Imperial March!"

Anyway, everyone reacts in different ways; some with nervous laughter, or others like me, are just balling their eyes out because they are seeing for the very first time a master conduct his own work and having a world class orchestra perform that music for all of us to enjoy for a few hours on a chilly Friday evening. 

 

-Erik-

[mrbellamy 6,286]

It was cute, especially for the encores when the excitement's up and nobody knows what they're gonna get. You hear the ones who know immediately and then once the trumpets started, it's a laugh of recognition. In the room it just feels like a release waiting for him to play more. Everybody was very respectful but John Williams concerts are always gonna have a little more Pops energy, it's totally fine. 

 

Encores are also different in that way, anyway. I remember seeing a pianist at Symphony Center and he came out for an encore and when he started playing the March from Love of Three Oranges there was a similar kind of affectionate laugh. 

[pete 907]

Thanks for your thought!. I think I'm just comparing it to the London 1998 concerts I attended and other orchestral concerts. Apart from some evil people coughing, there was audience silence at the start of every piece (as far as I can remember)... And I remember watching performance of Jaws that started with audience laughter. I never got that! And I'm prone to the same laughing and yelling at other concerts - Queen for example!

[Erik Woods 555]

15 minutes ago, pete said:

Thanks for your thought!. I think I'm just comparing it to the London 1998 concerts I attended and other orchestral concerts. Apart from some evil people coughing, there was audience silence at the start of every piece (as far as I can remember)... And I remember watching performance of Jaws that started with audience laughter. I never got that! And I'm prone to the same laughing and yelling at other concerts - Queen for example!

 

I think there is a "little" leeway for pops concerts. They are a little more... fun... for the lack of a better word! 

 

-Erik-

[dcruzin 1]

Does anyone have an audio recording of some or all the music from the concert I was there but was only able to record parts?

[BB-8 3,474]

[Erik Woods 555]

7 hours ago, BB-8 said:

 

Thanks for the plug!

[Tom 4,654]

14 hours ago, Erik Woods said:

 

I think there is a "little" leeway for pops concerts. They are a little more... fun... for the lack of a better word! 

 

-Erik-

Yes, not only that, people are so genuinely jazzed and excited that it is difficult to stay reserved and stolid.  It is a testament to Williams's influence on the audience.  

[Ricard 2,245]

Throne Room and Finale

 

 

[wickerman 21]

I just realized this might have been the very last performance fully conducted by John - as ever since Chicago he's went back to his usual pattern of conducting only 2nd part of the show - which is totally understandable considering he will be 92 shortly!