Favourite non-JW Concert Arrangements

[Tom Guernsey 2,286]

Following from the conversation from the "recently listened to" thread about how lovely Horner's concert arrangement of Casper's Lullaby is, it got me thinking about what were people's favourite concert arrangements by other composers. JW is undoubtedly the master of the fine concert arrangement (although now I'm wondering what his first "official" concert style arrangement was... but that's for another thread!) but other composers have written pretty great ones. I guess given that many composers don't get the luxury of frequent concert performances, it might be harder to separate something that's a "proper" concert arrangement or something that's just an end credits suite, but I don't suggest anyone gets to precious about that (let's face it, there are a number of now standard JW concert arrangements that are effectively the end credits or, like Star Wars, the opening and end credits edited together). Anyway, a few of mine:

 

• Casper's Lullaby by James Horner, obviously. A perfectly formed 5 minute arrangement of the main theme (from a film with a good number of themes) done in the classic JW style with an aching opening that builds up throughout to a gently haunting (sorry) finale.
• That Hamilton Woman by Miklos Rozsa. I only know this from the recording on Hollywood 95 and assume that Rozsa wrote it specifically as a concert arrangement of the main theme (especially since movies in those days didn't have long opening or end credits sequences).
• Alice's Theme by Danny Elfman. Has Elfman ever written a concert arrangement like this anywhere else? I can't think of one. Either way, a terrific 5 minutes of variations on the main theme, almost to the extent that I don't remember much else about the score in general, despite having listened to it numerous times.
• Supergirl Overture by Jerry. The original Varese release has this as the end title, but appears to have been written as a concert suite that appears at the start of the Silva Screen release (much like JW's Superman march) and it's definitely a different performance (notably slower) so I can only assume he wrote and recorded it especially for the album.
• Motion Picture Medley & TV Themes Medley and Gremlins Suite also by Jerry. Guess these aren't so much concert arrangements (in the sense they don't develop a single theme) but are still great fun. I've always particularly enjoyed the suite from Gremlins a great deal even if my least favourite part is the rag itself where the kinda big band version doesn't quite work (then again I don't much like the synth only version from from the original, the funk-pop arrangement from Gremlins 2 is where it works best for me).

 

I'm sure there are a million others but just a few thoughts to get things going (hopefully). Look forward to hearing everyone else's favourites.

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

Great thread!!

 

I would add:

• Maleficent Suite: I saw Newton Howard concert a few years ago and this was one of the best things of the evening
• Love Theme From Ben-Hur & Theme From Kings Of Kings: This was played during a film music concert in my country. So beautiful!!
• The Hidden World Suite: A beautiful collection of themes from the 3rd How To Train Your Dragon film. One of my favourite suites.
• Marry Me: A suite of the Love Theme from the 3rd Pirates Of The Caribbean film
• Beyond The Forest: Beautiful suite from the 2nd Hobbit film.
• The Magnificent Seven: I don't know how I got this, but I have a great5 minute suite of Bernstein's theme. The build of the piece is a bit like The Raiders March from Indy 4, with Marion's theme in the middle.
• The Lord Of The Rings Symphony: Maybe it's a bit big, but I love this so much. I saw a perfomance of this once. And I would wish they would do it again with one of the anniversaries of the films.

[GerateWohl 4,371]

Miklós Rózsa has written some great suites of his film scores. I particularly like the four part suite from Quo Vadis, and there especially the Arabesque. Or the suite from The Thief of Bagdad and there especially The Love of the Princess which is also on the Gerhard album.

 

Elmer Bernstein's concert arrangement of the theme from Far from Heaven is great, too.

[Tom Guernsey 2,286]

I forgot about the Rozsa arrangements for the concert hall. I guess you could call his Violin Concerto a concert arrangement (same for Korngold's come to that) of his music from The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes. I'm not sure I'd quite count some of suites mentioned as they are often just existing cues tagged together, even Shore's LOTR Symphony is effectively an extended suite (much to my disappointment I have to admit).

 

The mention of Rozsa's historical epics reminded me of Newman's Man of Galilee, which is arranged from his scores to The Greatest Story Ever Told. A shame it doesn't ever get performed as it's a fine concert work that stands very well on its own.

[Edmilson 7,466]

The first one that came to my mind:

 

 

[Tom Guernsey 2,286]

Just now, Edmilson said:

The first one that came to my mind:

 

 

Alas not available in my country... can you confirm what it is?! Ta!

[Jay 37,371]

 

[Tom Guernsey 2,286]

2 minutes ago, Jay said:

 

Can't see that one either... maybe everyone could start putting what they're posting from YouTube above it for those of us living on small islands in the English Channel (admittedly a very small demographic of, I assume, one ;-)

[Edmilson 7,466]

50 minutes ago, Tom Guernsey said:

Alas not available in my country... can you confirm what it is?! Ta!

It's James Horner's For the Love of a Princess, from Braveheart.

 

Try on Spotify:

 

 

[Jay 37,371]

1 hour ago, Tom Guernsey said:

Can't see that one either... maybe everyone could start putting what they're posting from YouTube above it for those of us living on small islands in the English Channel (admittedly a very small demographic of, I assume, one ;-)

 

Does this one work

 

 

[Bellosh 3,419]

 

 

i've always loved this arrangement of combining John Dunbar's theme and that trek theme, which is essentially just 'Journey to Fort Sedgewick'

 

they get a little playful with that trek theme too.

[crocodile 8,017]

One of my absolute favourites:

 

 

Karol

[Tom Guernsey 2,286]

2 hours ago, Edmilson said:

It's James Horner's For the Love of a Princess, from Braveheart.

 

Try on Spotify:

 

 

I don’t think I’d remembered that was a concert arrangement as such but one of Horner’s most beautiful themes.  I feel there must be a few more Horner concert arrangements. Will have to do some digging. Then again he wrote in a way whereby music could be taken directly from the film without actually needing adaptation (something he shares with JW). 

[Marian Schedenig 8,207]

13 hours ago, Tom Guernsey said:

• Motion Picture Medley & TV Themes Medley and Gremlins Suite also by Jerry. Guess these aren't so much concert arrangements (in the sense they don't develop a single theme) but are still great fun. I've always particularly enjoyed the suite from Gremlins a great deal even if my least favourite part is the rag itself where the kinda big band version doesn't quite work (then again I don't much like the synth only version from from the original, the funk-pop arrangement from Gremlins 2 is where it works best for me).

 

Those were not arranged by Goldsmith himself though (I forget who did them). I always found them a bit too medley-ley, with very sudden transitions between several themes that generally have little in common - why, for example, not just play the Voyager theme as a standalone piece? But the medley's version of Barnaby Jones is great stuff.

 

I'm very partial to Goldsmith's extended Blue Max concert suite. Although I never checked how much (if at all) the individual cues differ from the original soundtrack versions.

[HunterTech 994]

2 hours ago, Bellosh said:

 

 

i've always loved this arrangement of combining John Dunbar's theme and that trek theme, which is essentially just 'Journey to Fort Sedgewick'

 

they get a little playful with that trek theme too.

 

Ah, this is effectively that radio remix from the score, but without any of the added production:

 

As much as I do like the score as whole, it's been common for me to come back to this particular mix a lot. Don't even mind the other one as much (even if stranger in concept with the themes used).

 

Been trying to think of an example of my own, since a lot of the suites I'm thinking of are purely conceptual ones than ones designed for live performances. I could pick Castles of Scotland V1 from Private Life of Sherlock Holmes based on its performance in Epic Hollywood, but I can't find a video with it unfortunately.

[Bellosh 3,419]

14 minutes ago, HunterTech said:

 

Ah, this is effectively that radio remix from the score, but without any of the added production:

 

As much as I do like the score as whole, it's been common for me to come back to this particular mix a lot. Don't even mind the other one as much (even if stranger in concept with the themes used).

 Oh wow I never realized.

 

I have the LLL release and I think I listened to those couple of radio pieces once and just didn't like them. So had no idea!

[bruce marshall 1,315]

I concur with "Alice's Theme"

.

Awesome!😁

 

 

" 007"  John Barry

[Tom Guernsey 2,286]

8 hours ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

Those were not arranged by Goldsmith himself though (I forget who did them). I always found them a bit too medley-ley, with very sudden transitions between several themes that generally have little in common - why, for example, not just play the Voyager theme as a standalone piece? But the medley's version of Barnaby Jones is great stuff.

 

I'm very partial to Goldsmith's extended Blue Max concert suite. Although I never checked how much (if at all) the individual cues differ from the original soundtrack versions.

Interesting, I always assumed he'd done the two medleys himself - although presumably he chose what went into them?  Funny you mention Voyager as I was going to say that the later additions of Voyager to the TV medley and Air Force One to the film medley are much less effective than the original suites which contain some fine transitions (the one from Poltergeist into Papillon is especially terrific and I actually prefer the orchestral version of Carol Anne's theme from the former too). Do you know if he did the Gremlins suite?

 

I think the Blue Max suite selections are essentially just the film cues (so technically doesn't really count as a concert arrangement but it's Jerry at his finest so I'm not complaining hehe). I had the joy of seeing it performed in London conducted by Jerry himself and it was mindblowingly good, even the superb Tadlow re-recording doesn't quite capture the blistering sound of the brass live on stage.

[GerateWohl 4,371]

When thinking about non-Williams concert arrangements I thought today about the Chandos Movies series with recording of suites of British composers which each of them wrote often especially for these recordings. These are concert arrangements or just suites??? There I started thinking. I could not really tell what is the difference. Does a concert arrangment need to contain a candenza or something that isn't in the original score?

Don't know. But in these suites/concert arrangements are many wonderful pieces. I like to listen to these albums a lot. For example the suite from Rodney Bennet's "Murder on the Orient Express". Or his Elegy for Viola and Orchestra on the score of "Lady Caroline Lamp". Or the suites of John Addison, Christopher Gunning, William Alwyn etc.

[Marian Schedenig 8,207]

9 hours ago, Tom Guernsey said:

Do you know if he did the Gremlins suite?

 

No idea. I'm not even very familiar with it (I have it, but I don't play those albums often), so I don't remember what's in it.

 

9 hours ago, Tom Guernsey said:

I think the Blue Max suite selections are essentially just the film cues (so technically doesn't really count as a concert arrangement but it's Jerry at his finest so I'm not complaining hehe).

 

Then they don't count, yes. Same for POTA. But perhaps Rudy - that was at least turned into one single long concert cue (and I Like having the big emotional theme without choir).

 

9 hours ago, Tom Guernsey said:

I had the joy of seeing it performed in London conducted by Jerry himself and it was mindblowingly good, even the superb Tadlow re-recording doesn't quite capture the blistering sound of the brass live on stage.

 

2001? My first film music concert, and still one of the best. Also my first visit to London (my first flight on my own - I was terrified). That Blue Max performance is still the best version I've ever heard of this score.

[Tom Guernsey 2,286]

4 hours ago, GerateWohl said:

When thinking about non-Williams concert arrangements I thought today about the Chandos Movies series with recording of suites of British composers which each of them wrote often especially for these recordings. These are concert arrangements or just suites??? There I started thinking. I could not really tell what is the difference. Does a concert arrangment need to contain a candenza or something that isn't in the original score?

I deliberately tried not to be too prescriptive (there are a few too many threads of this sort that get bogged down trying to define the terms of the discussion, which gets kinda dull after a while) but in my head, I was particularly thinking of themes that have an arrangement either on the original album or on a re-recording compilation or has actually appeared in concert. Very much along the lines of Princess Leia's theme or Casper's Lullaby which are neither in the film nor are end credits pieces. However, as I said, I didn't really want to be that prescriptive as there are probably a number of works that I would think of as concert arrangement (like the Raider's March, but it's essentially the end credits from Raiders) that are just the credits or are barely changed from their film appearance. I mean, by all rights, The Enterprise from ST:TMP should be a concert arrangement, but technically it doesn't count as it's just a score cue that's performed the same as it appears in the film (more or less, I guess they might dispense with the organ and there might be some subtle synth effects I've forgotten about).

 

4 hours ago, GerateWohl said:

Don't know. But in these suites/concert arrangements are many wonderful pieces. I like to listen to these albums a lot. For example the suite from Rodney Bennet's "Murder on the Orient Express". Or his Elegy for Viola and Orchestra on the score of "Lady Caroline Lamp". Or the suites of John Addison, Christopher Gunning, William Alwyn etc.

I assume you're thinking of those Chandos albums of British film music? I'll have to give the RRB one another listen. I always forget he scored Four Weddings and a Funeral! Quite a coup to get someone of that calibre on a romantic comedy.

 

1 hour ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

No idea. I'm not even very familiar with it (I have it, but I don't play those albums often), so I don't remember what's in it.

The Gremlins suite is great, definitely recommend digging it out. It has the opening prologue, the neighbourhood music and the Gremlin Rag (arranged big band style), plus a few bits and pieces of connective material taken from the score. I believe this was the only place you could hear the prologue section until the expanded soundtrack came out.

 

1 hour ago, Marian Schedenig said:

Then they don't count, yes. Same for POTA. But perhaps Rudy - that was at least turned into one single long concert cue (and I Like having the big emotional theme without choir).

I don't think I'd thought of the track from Rudy as a concert arrangement. I assume you mean the one from the LSO album?

 

1 hour ago, Marian Schedenig said:

2001? My first film music concert, and still one of the best. Also my first visit to London (my first flight on my own - I was terrified). That Blue Max performance is still the best version I've ever heard of this score.

Yeah that must be it I think and yeah, the best performance I can recall, absolutely blown away by it. Not sure if that was the same year he did the extended suite from ST:TMP with Blaster Beam. That was amazing too.

 

I did think of another by Jerry... in honour of his passing, I had a bit of a Jerry day today and gave the original album for Capricorn One a spin and the "Opening Title" is the film opening title edited to the end title finale, so I think that kinda counts. That's a terrific arrangement.

 

I'd like to count the Patton March (or Entr'acte as it's called on the original album) but guess it appears in the film so doesn't count. Technically. However, I'm not actually a huge fan of the official concert arrangement in the Generals Suite, the alternate ending isn't nearly as effective as the crashing few chords that just leave the echoing trumpets, but I guess that works less well on stage than on album.

[Marian Schedenig 8,207]

4 minutes ago, Tom Guernsey said:

I don't think I'd thought of the track from Rudy as a concert arrangement. I assume you mean the one from the LSO album?

 

No, the suite that concluded the 2001 concert, although I just realised that also consists of individual pieces that may have just been the exact album cues. In any case, it worked wonderfully as a suite (and at least differed from the album by omitting the choir).

 

4 minutes ago, Tom Guernsey said:

Yeah that must be it I think and yeah, the best performance I can recall, absolutely blown away by it. Not sure if that was the same year he did the extended suite from ST:TMP with Blaster Beam. That was amazing too.

 

ST:TMP was in 2003, when he did two concerts with entirely different programmes on two consecutive days. ST:TMP was about 30 minutes of music from the score (including Spock Walk!) that filled the entire half of one of the concerts (I forget if it was the first or the second day).

 

4 minutes ago, Tom Guernsey said:

I did think of another by Jerry... in honour of his passing, I had a bit of a Jerry day today and gave the original album for Capricorn One a spin and the "Opening Title" is the film opening title edited to the end title finale, so I think that kinda counts. That's a terrific arrangement.

 

At least it's not an edit (of a recording) but a new (outstanding) recording of the re-arranged score.

[Tom Guernsey 2,286]

48 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

No, the suite that concluded the 2001 concert, although I just realised that also consists of individual pieces that may have just been the exact album cues. In any case, it worked wonderfully as a suite (and at least differed from the album by omitting the choir).

 

 

ST:TMP was in 2003, when he did two concerts with entirely different programmes on two consecutive days. ST:TMP was about 30 minutes of music from the score (including Spock Walk!) that filled the entire half of one of the concerts (I forget if it was the first or the second day).

Ah yes, I went to all of those. I thought I'd been to two sets of Jerry concerts (as I went to two sets of JW concerts in London in the late 90s/early 2000s-ish). I think the 2001 concert was at the Royal Albert Hall

and the 2003 at the Barbican from what I recall, they were all pretty great though. I suspect the Rudy suite might have just been a few cues played in sequence but I don't think I have any programmes from that period alas. I do remember being almost unable to contain myself with the suite from ST:TMP, that was spectacular.

 

51 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

At least it's not an edit (of a recording) but a new (outstanding) recording of the re-arranged score.

Agreed, the re-recorded original Capricorn One soundtrack album is superb, think it's a larger orchestra than the original film recording too, in better sound and that concert arrangement of the main titles works like gangbusters.

[Marian Schedenig 8,207]

3 minutes ago, Tom Guernsey said:

I think the 2001 concert was at the Royal Albert Hall

and the 2003 at the Barbican from what I recall, they were all pretty great though.

 

Correct. I skipped the 2002 concert (which ended up being cancelled anyway). 2004, where he was replaced at the last minute by Dirk Brossé, was at the RAH again.

 

3 minutes ago, Tom Guernsey said:

I suspect the Rudy suite might have just been a few cues played in sequence but I don't think I have any programmes from that period alas.

 

Suite from Rudy:

• Theme
• Back on the Field
• Tryouts
• To Notre Dame
• Final Game

[bruce marshall 1,315]

" Hymn to the Sea"

TITANIC

[Tom Guernsey 2,286]

Just listening to Sursum Corda by Korngold and it's basically a fantasy overture on themes from The Adventures of Robin Hood, but was written well before the film (and before he started writing for the movies I think). It doesn't contain all of the main thematic material he wrote for the score, but quite a substantial amount of it and some very specific moments that he turned into one of his most famous efforts.

[Jay 37,371]

"Jenny" from The Rocketeer by Horner is a great concert arrangement

 

 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Alexandre Desplat's wonderful arrangement of "The Grand Budapest Hotel" if you need a bite-sized visit with that score