Popular Post TownerFan 4,983 Posted August 4, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted August 4, 2022 John Williams appeared on the podium at Tanglewood on Tuesday August 2 for the annual "Tanglewood on Parade" night at the Koussevitzky Music Shed, conducting first the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra in a performance of "Just Down West Street... On The Left," and then the Boston Pops in "Hedwig's Theme" and "Fawkes the Phoenix." The Maestro looks in great shape. Nice to see Keisuke Wakao and Gus Sebring (recent guests of the BSO tribute video at TLOJW) in the band Remco, Muad'Dib, JTGL and 15 others 9 7 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabulin 3,513 Posted August 4, 2022 Share Posted August 4, 2022 This is my new favourite recording of Hedwig's Theme. Knew it on the first hearing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB-8 3,478 Posted August 4, 2022 Share Posted August 4, 2022 Just fantastic! "great luft and lift" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,364 Posted August 5, 2022 Share Posted August 5, 2022 Wow, thanks for posting that video! That was not only a wonderful performance, but the video was nicely shot, and the introduction by Williams ahead of it was nice to see. The man just does not look 90 year old! BB-8 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom 4,658 Posted August 5, 2022 Share Posted August 5, 2022 I suppose this means he is composing a chunk of Indy out there as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,364 Posted August 5, 2022 Share Posted August 5, 2022 Every summer he writes music in western MA he'll record later that year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post mrbellamy 6,287 Posted August 5, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted August 5, 2022 "The second piece we'll play for you is also about a bird, it's 'Fawkes the Phoenix,' beautiful bird that Harry rode that seemed to always have great luft and lift and glided and the music glides along with him" Starting to wonder if JW is getting Fawkes and Buckbeak confused haha Tom, BB-8, Disco Stu and 3 others 4 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Steve 593 Posted August 5, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted August 5, 2022 I wish the video showed "Fawkes the phoenix" instead of Hedwig. We still have no video of Williams conducting that piece. WilliamsStarShip2282, igger6 and Mattris 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom 4,658 Posted August 5, 2022 Share Posted August 5, 2022 1 hour ago, mrbellamy said: "The second piece we'll play for you is also about a bird, it's 'Fawkes the Phoenix,' beautiful bird that Harry rode that seemed to always have great luft and lift and glided and the music glides along with him" Starting to wonder if JW is getting Fawkes and Buckbeak confused haha I imagine if one of us told Williams this, his response would be similar to Liam Neeson's reaction to Warwick Davis talking about how they worked togheter: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smeltington 1,440 Posted August 5, 2022 Share Posted August 5, 2022 1 hour ago, mrbellamy said: Starting to wonder if JW is getting Fawkes and Buckbeak confused haha I guess he'd rather keep vaguely introducing the piece than actually check into the details back when he came to Atlanta he described Fawkes as "another beautiful bird" and left it at that. It's kind of remarkable to me, because I read so much meaning into the piece, about how it represents things in the story that Fawkes represents, it can represent the presence or will of Dumbledore, his relationship to Harry, how Harry sees him, etc etc. You could write a whole essay. And I'm sure JW had all that in mind when he wrote the piece, but I guess his concert introductions don't go any deeper than just a fun anecdote with obvious, broad impact for the audience. And now he probably doesn't even recall all the things the piece originally signified. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted August 5, 2022 Share Posted August 5, 2022 liam neesons is my shit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbellamy 6,287 Posted August 5, 2022 Share Posted August 5, 2022 6 minutes ago, Tom said: I imagine if one of us told Williams this, his response would be similar to Liam Neeson's reaction to Warwick Davis talking about how they worked togheter: Tom 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Marian Schedenig 8,193 Posted August 5, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted August 5, 2022 3 hours ago, mrbellamy said: Starting to wonder if JW is getting Fawkes and Buckbeak confused haha That's what I thought when he announced Fawkes in Vienna. I wish he'd get the *pieces* confused and accidentally put Buckbeak's Flight on the programme. Holko, MaxTheHouseelf and BB-8 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbellamy 6,287 Posted August 5, 2022 Share Posted August 5, 2022 I've always loved "Fawkes the Phoenix" and I'm glad it's become a concert staple, but it's crazy to me that "Buckbeak's Flight" has never been programmed and was excluded altogether from the POA signature edition. Will 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom 4,658 Posted August 5, 2022 Share Posted August 5, 2022 4 minutes ago, mrbellamy said: I've always loved "Fawkes the Phoenix" and I'm glad it's become a concert staple, but it's crazy to me that "Buckbeak's Flight" has never been programmed and was excluded altogether from the POA signature edition. He seems to shy away from all of the POA pieces in favor of SS and CoS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Fabulin 3,513 Posted August 5, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted August 5, 2022 4 hours ago, mrbellamy said: "The second piece we'll play for you is also about a bird, it's 'Fawkes the Phoenix,' beautiful bird that Harry rode that seemed to always have great luft and lift and glided and the music glides along with him" Starting to wonder if JW is getting Fawkes and Buckbeak confused haha I hope we will all be here 10 years from now, listening to JW's anecdotes about Hedwig, the wonderful pet owl of Indiana Jones's — or how Han & the Princess was supposed to be a love theme, but they turned out to be siblings! JTN, Martinland and JTGL 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom 4,658 Posted August 5, 2022 Share Posted August 5, 2022 3 hours ago, mrbellamy said: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Mulder 154 Posted August 6, 2022 Share Posted August 6, 2022 He probably does not consult with anyone about what he will say before the performance. He improvises, which is remarkable at his age. Someone should mention to him these details. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTGL 173 Posted August 6, 2022 Share Posted August 6, 2022 11 hours ago, Fabulin said: I hope we will all be here 10 years from now, listening to JW's anecdotes about Hedwig, the wonderful pet owl of Indiana Jones's — or how Han & the Princess was supposed to be a love theme, but they turned out to be siblings! And the Schindler’s List anecdote 😅 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbellamy 6,287 Posted August 7, 2022 Share Posted August 7, 2022 Yeah except he'll think Schindler saved Private Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post rpvee 805 Posted August 8, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted August 8, 2022 On 5/8/2022 at 10:17 PM, Darth Mulder said: He probably does not consult with anyone about what he will say before the performance. He improvises, which is remarkable at his age. Someone should mention to him these details. He definitely doesn’t consult anyone beforehand. One of my favorite concert memories seeing him was at Carnegie Hall earlier this year when he was introducing Across the Stars. He couldn’t remember which Star Wars it was from, even going so far as to say he hadn’t looked it up prior, so I held up two fingers right in front of him, and he looked at me with a laugh and announced it’s from Episode II. Then he looked at me and asked if it was the movie “associated with Natalie Portman, I think - is that right?”, which I confirmed. Just casually confirming Star Wars trivia with John Williams from the podium at a legendary venue. Even better, it’s in the radio broadcast! Life highlight right there. Jay, Falstaft, Andy and 10 others 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WilliamsStarShip2282 308 Posted August 8, 2022 Share Posted August 8, 2022 1 hour ago, rpvee said: He definitely doesn’t consult anyone beforehand. One of my favorite concert memories seeing him was at Carnegie Hall earlier this year when he was introducing Across the Stars. He couldn’t remember which Star Wars it was from, even going so far as to say he hadn’t looked it up prior, so I held up two fingers right in front of him, and he looked at me with a laugh and announced it’s from Episode II. Then he looked at me and asked if it was the movie “associated with Natalie Portman, I think - is that right?”, which I confirmed. Just casually confirming Star Wars trivia with John Williams from the podium at a legendary venue. Even better, it’s in the radio broadcast! Life highlight right there. Now you are legend DangerMotif and rpvee 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DangerMotif 1,038 Posted August 8, 2022 Share Posted August 8, 2022 2 hours ago, rpvee said: He definitely doesn’t consult anyone beforehand. One of my favorite concert memories seeing him was at Carnegie Hall earlier this year when he was introducing Across the Stars. He couldn’t remember which Star Wars it was from, even going so far as to say he hadn’t looked it up prior, so I held up two fingers right in front of him, and he looked at me with a laugh and announced it’s from Episode II. Then he looked at me and asked if it was the movie “associated with Natalie Portman, I think - is that right?”, which I confirmed. Just casually confirming Star Wars trivia with John Williams from the podium at a legendary venue. Even better, it’s in the radio broadcast! Life highlight right there. Any chance you can send a link? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTN 2,017 Posted August 8, 2022 Share Posted August 8, 2022 I believe John Williams knows exactly what movie “Across the Stars” is from. It’s written on the score [“Across the Stars (Love Theme from Star Wars: Episode II)”], so even if he forgot, which I’m sure he doesn’t, he would only need to take a look at the cover to refresh his memory. It’s just his lovely sense of humor why he keeps making that joke at his concerts, funnily indicating there are so many Star Wars episodes he can’t even remember which movie it’s from. But of course he knows exactly. He wrote the score, adapted it recently, and conducts it all the time, with rehearsals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpvee 805 Posted August 8, 2022 Share Posted August 8, 2022 1 hour ago, Gibster said: Any chance you can send a link? Here’s a clip of that moment: https://imgur.com/t/johnwilliams/2uxTZ30 40 minutes ago, JTW said: I believe John Williams knows exactly what movie “Across the Stars” is from. It’s written on the score [“Across the Stars (Love Theme from Star Wars: Episode II)”], so even if he forgot, which I’m sure he doesn’t, he would only need to take a look at the cover to refresh his memory. It’s just his lovely sense of humor why he keeps making that joke at his concerts, funnily indicating there are so many Star Wars episodes he can’t even remember which movie it’s from. But of course he knows exactly. He wrote the score, adapted it recently, and conducts it all the time, with rehearsals. You’d be surprised. No doubt, the man is a genius, but these scores are just jobs. He isn’t a trivia detailed nerd about things like that. He’s certainly mixed up bits of trivia during concert speeches before, frequently about what happens in which Star Wars film. Plus, I don’t think he would fake a moment like that. Omen II and Madmartigan JC 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTN 2,017 Posted August 8, 2022 Share Posted August 8, 2022 1 hour ago, rpvee said: Here’s a clip of that moment: https://imgur.com/t/johnwilliams/2uxTZ30 You’d be surprised. No doubt, the man is a genius, but these scores are just jobs. He isn’t a trivia detailed nerd about things like that. He’s certainly mixed up bits of trivia during concert speeches before, frequently about what happens in which Star Wars film. Plus, I don’t think he would fake a moment like that. I'm not trying to take away your moment, only trying to say that John Williams knows his scores. The very fact that he did this same "mistake" more than once, makes it seem deliberate, a jest. When you pointed it out to him, he reacted to it because he didn't want to appear ignorant, but trust me, he knows exactly which Star Wars movie "Across The Stars" is from. Like I said, he does it all the time, has the score with him. He could maybe forget it once or twice, but I'm sure sooner rather than later someone from his staff would tell him. He does it on purpose, and again, I'm not trying to rain on your parade, but correcting the composer of Star Wars at a concert is a little, for the lack of a better term, bold move. Thankfully he took it in the best way possible, and that shows what a true gentleman he is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Mulder 154 Posted August 8, 2022 Share Posted August 8, 2022 He's 90 years old and his forgetfulness is perhaps the beginning of something worse. JTN 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post SilverTrumpet 638 Posted August 8, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted August 8, 2022 Or he just doesn't bother to keep track of which magical creature from a movie 20 years ago is which. Tom, rpvee and WilliamsStarShip2282 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB-8 3,478 Posted August 8, 2022 Share Posted August 8, 2022 Harry Potter riding Fawkes Madmartigan JC and rpvee 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom 4,658 Posted August 8, 2022 Share Posted August 8, 2022 21 minutes ago, BB-8 said: Harry Potter riding Fawkes The nice think about riding a Phoenix is that if you kill it, it doesn't matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madmartigan JC 85 Posted August 8, 2022 Share Posted August 8, 2022 Harry Potter may not have "ridden" Fawkes, but the bird certainly DID take him for a fly (and Ron and Ginny and Lockhart)."Fawkes leads the way to the Chamber tunnel; he carries Harry, Ron, Ginny and Lockhart back up the pipe." (From Potter Wiki) So, I guess the old man IS right in a way, and it's some of you younger nitpickers who are getting more forgetful. Darth Mulder and BB-8 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB-8 3,478 Posted August 9, 2022 Share Posted August 9, 2022 From a certain point of view... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WilliamsStarShip2282 308 Posted August 9, 2022 Share Posted August 9, 2022 21 hours ago, Darth Mulder said: He's 90 years old and his forgetfulness is perhaps the beginning of something worse. 23 hours ago, JTW said: I'm not trying to take away your moment, only trying to say that John Williams knows his scores. The very fact that he did this same "mistake" more than once, makes it seem deliberate, a jest. When you pointed it out to him, he reacted to it because he didn't want to appear ignorant, but trust me, he knows exactly which Star Wars movie "Across The Stars" is from. Like I said, he does it all the time, has the score with him. He could maybe forget it once or twice, but I'm sure sooner rather than later someone from his staff would tell him. He does it on purpose, and again, I'm not trying to rain on your parade, but correcting the composer of Star Wars at a concert is a little, for the lack of a better term, bold move. Thankfully he took it in the best way possible, and that shows what a true gentleman he is. Or as can be pretty well noticed, first he himself has said he doesn't watch most of this stuff after he's done with it. Second, he's not super fans like the rest of us. People get way to wrapped up this type of thing. Somebody go ask Harrison Ford what his favorite scene from Star Wars is. I would bet he can't even tell you the basic plot, let alone a favorite scene. I also think there probably isn't anything wrong with his memory for sure, he's a very active person. I think its another point people obsess over far too much. He's slower, but not by much. But think about how many times hes asked about the same things time and again. People rag about the Schindler's list story. Well, in reality, there probably isn't much more to say about it since he sat every day for a period of time just writing. Not everything is very memorable. And "jesting" with the audience, I doubt. I think he really just doesn't care. When he's done with something, for the most part thats it hes much more interested in other things. That, and you can always tell which pieces he was most interested in. He played Harry Potter music a lot for years, as well as Memoirs of a Geisha. Very rarely can I ever remember him playing live any of the prequel music, with the exception of Duel of Fates, and Anakin's theme (one time). He also, more or less, only played the recent trilogy stuff as it came out and then not again (with music from ROS never being played even). rpvee and artguy360 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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