An Evening with John Williams and Yo-Yo Ma: One Night Only at Carnegie Hall (February 22, 2024)

[Mr. Hooper 1,792]

1 hour ago, rpvee said:

Still can’t get over the insane prices for this and the Philly show vs. previous years.

Add transportation, hotel, etc., and it's a tidy sum for me, but I'm justifying it with the fact that I don't do things like this often.

[rpvee 805]

Floor prices are down to $359.

[Mr. Hooper 1,792]

1 hour ago, rpvee said:

Floor prices are down to $359.

And some great front row Blavatnik Family First Tier spots!

 

 

[Mr. Hooper 1,792]

I thought the concert would be broadcast on WQXR and then available for streaming, but it doesn't seem to be on the list of upcoming shows...

[Will 2,215]

It's official -- JW will conduct the second half!

 

https://www.carnegiehall.org/Calendar/2024/02/22/An-Evening-with-John-Williams-and-Yo-Yo-Ma-0700PM

 

Quote

In the first half of the performance, Yo-Yo Ma joins The Philadelphia Orchestra and conductor Stéphane Denève as soloist in the dazzling Cello Concerto, which Williams composed for Ma in 1994. The orchestra also performs Williams’s celebratory Just Down West Street ... on the left, composed as a gift for the Tanglewood Music Center’s 75th anniversary. Williams then takes the stage to conduct a grand tour through some of his most iconic film music—including selections from the Indiana Jones and Star Wars series, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and The Book Thief—as well as his quintessential Olympic Fanfare and Theme.

 

[Tom 4,661]

Hopefully, Yo Yo now regrets the crack he made about Williams's mother.  

 

Also, on an unrelated note, hearing Just Down West Street would be great.  

[ClaireT 2]

Morning all! First time poster here. Currently sat in NY with a view of Carnegie Hall from my hotel window! I travelled from the UK yesterday ready for tonight 

 

Just wondering what was allowed last night in terms of taking photos/videos during the performance? I presume there are some restrictions in place?

 

Thanks!

 

Claire

[Potterhead 42]

43 minutes ago, ClaireT said:

Morning all! First time poster here. Currently sat in NY with a view of Carnegie Hall from my hotel window! I travelled from the UK yesterday ready for tonight 

 

Just wondering what was allowed last night in terms of taking photos/videos during the performance? I presume there are some restrictions in place?

 

Thanks!

 

Claire

Congrats on being here! During performance you cannot take photo/video. I usually grab view stills when everyone is clapping and Williams is looking at audience. 

[Jay 37,369]

So who's going tonight?

[BB-8 3,478]

Claire

 

 

[rpvee 805]

14 minutes ago, Jay said:

So who's going tonight?

Me!

[Potterhead 42]

Me!

[Smeltington 1,440]

ME!!!!  

[rpvee 805]

A single seat in orchestra center, row Q has opened up.

[JohnnyD 1,223]

5 hours ago, Jay said:

So who's going tonight?

Me!

[ClaireT 2]

5 hours ago, Jay said:

So who's going tonight?

Me! Beyond excited. Heading over soon.

[rpvee 805]

First half done! Exactly the same as the first, including Williams greeting the crowd before and after the Schindler’s List encore. Also worth noting that while the Philly concert was confirmed to not have a future broadcast, it was heavily mic’d all the way down to one specifically in front of Yo-Yo Ma. Meanwhile, tonight’s concert only has a single microphone hanging in front of the conductor’s podium and no where else. There are a bunch of cameras at the back of the hall, but I can’t see how a good sound recording could be acquired for this one with the only mic I can see.

 

[Potterhead 42]

Masterful first half , same as Philly lineup wise

[mapotter99 0]

29 minutes ago, rpvee said:

First half done! Exactly the same as the first, including Williams greeting the crowd before and after the Schindler’s List encore. Also worth noting that while the Philly concert was confirmed to not have a future broadcast, it was heavily mic’d all the way down to one specifically in front of Yo-Yo Ma. Meanwhile, tonight’s concert only has a single microphone hanging in front of the conductor’s podium and no where else. There are a bunch of cameras at the back of the hall, but I can’t see how a good sound recording could be acquired for this one with the only mic I can see.

 

The Philly concert will be re-broadcast on Philadelphia’s WRTI, as per the playbill. It stated…

“Philadelphia Orchestra concerts are broadcast on WRTI 90.1 FM on Sunday afternoons at 1 PM and are repeated on Monday evenings at 7 PM on WRTI HD 2.

Visit www.wrti.org to listen live or for more details.”

[rpvee 805]

Another truly wonderful evening! Not much to add since I covered this same program in my post about the Philly concert, but Williams was again in amazing spirits, even widely smiling at the orchestra while conducting. He couldn’t remember Mark Hamill’s name, referring only to Carrie Fisher’s screen “partner”, but that’s literally my only nitpick beyond again lamenting the missed opportunity of having Williams conduct Yo-Yo Ma himself.

 

Beyond that, nothing but great energy from the stage and the audience, and in an iconic and historic venue that Williams highly praised when he began the second half of the program (even theorizing there are ghosts in the Hall that dance and play music when it’s empty after performances).

 

I guess for now, this is it until Tanglewood for East Coast-ers. August feels so far away, but I’m sure it’ll be here before we all know it! Until then, grateful as ever to the living legend that is Maestro John Williams for countless priceless musical memories, from the first note of the first piece to the famous “sleepy hands”, and everything in between.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, mapotter99 said:

The Philly concert will be re-broadcast on Philadelphia’s WRTI, as per the playbill. It stated…

“Philadelphia Orchestra concerts are broadcast on WRTI 90.1 FM on Sunday afternoons at 1 PM and are repeated on Monday evenings at 7 PM on WRTI HD 2.

Visit www.wrti.org to listen live or for more details.”

I mentioned in that thread that I emailed the station and they told me the concert won’t be broadcast.

[Will 2,215]

FANTASTIC concert! JW looked great — so energetic in his conducting.

[DangerMotif 1,038]

He looked great, the most energetic i’ve seen him in a while.

 

David Newman and Tim Greiving where in attendance together.

[Potterhead 42]

A few of my favorite shots with my phone yesterday. What an amazing night!

[Ricard 2,245]

Quote

This reviewer was overwhelmed by the memories from and enjoyment of these renowned works of the genius that is John Williams.  Yes, this one man has brought so many people so much joy through his music composition- what a national treasure!   When at last John Williams left the stage at Carnegie Hall, theatergoers were still  giving him a standing ovation with what seemed to be never-ending applause.

 

https://www.broadwayworld.com/cabaret/article/Review-Carnegie-Hall-Brings-Audience-to-Its-Feet-with-AN-EVENING-WITH-JOHN-WILLIAMS-AND-YO-YO-MA-20240224

 

 

[Bayesian 1,363]

Does anyone happen to know what cello Ma played at these concerts? Mere curiosity, is all. He’s got two cellos from the early 18th century—a 1712 Strad and a 1733 Montagnana, according to Wikipedia. (To think that either of those master luthiers couldn’t have any idea at the time that their instruments would be playing JW’s music three centuries later..)

[Miszka 19]

The Maestro looks great in these photos! Can't wait to see him at the Hollywood Bowl in July.

[MSM 126]

I am sorry for the delay…here are my shots of the wonderful gala concert @ Carnegie Hall…if they add something.

 

 

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

43 minutes ago, MSM said:

I am sorry for the delay…here are my shots of the wonderful gala concert @ Carnegie Hall…if they add something.

 

I see you almost got a butt seat again.

[Thor 7,508]

Hey, MSM, seems like you got eye contact in that last shot! I got one too, in Boston 2014, but alas didn't manage to take a picture of it.

[Mr. Hooper 1,792]

5 hours ago, Thor said:

Hey, MSM, seems like you got eye contact in that last shot! I got one too, in Boston 2014, but alas didn't manage to take a picture of it.

It's like receiving a blessing.

[Smeltington 1,440]

The thread bump reminded me, I wrote up my recollections of the concert and have been meaning to post them.

 

----

 

I arrived about an hour early, and walked around the first, second, and third floors and looked at all the handwritten music by famous composers, and autographed photos of famous performers. I eventually made my way to my seat, on the fourth floor balcony. I was almost all the way on the far right, close to the stage. People filed into their seats, many arriving last minute. The orchestra members were all warming up, and you could catch occasional strains of Williams tunes.

 

Finally the first chair violin came out, to applause. Then Deneuve. He said something like "Yes... (pause) John Williams is here!" He introduced Just Down West Street and they performed it. He then introduced the cello concerto, with much discussion of Seiji Ozawa (who died recently) and saying that Ozawa encouraged Williams to write the concerto in the first place. He introduced Yo Yo Ma, who took the stage to big applause. I enjoyed hearing a lot of hallmarks of Williams' early-2000s writing in the concerto. At the end, Ma held his bow a long time, holding off the applause, and finally everybody went nuts. Then the stage door opened and I could see Williams standing square in the middle of it! He came out, hugged Yo Yo, waved at everyone, there was big clapping and ovating. He left again, Ma sat back down and did Schindler's.

 

After an intermission, the lights dimmed and it was time for the second half. Williams took the stage, to big applause of course. After every piece he conducted, there was quite a bit of applause, and ovations at least half the time. He moved around slowly, but was otherwise very enthusiastic, in introducing the pieces, waving to the audience, gesturing to orchestra members to stand for applause, and in conducting. He often used gestures to get the feeling he wanted, and to encourage specific sections of the orchestra during key moments.

 

Olympic Fanfare and Theme
> A great opener!

 

Excerpts from The Book Thief
> I like this score and was excited to hear this piece. Nice oboe solo! Williams introduced the piece with a long description of the plot, saying the music they were about to play was mostly for scenes of the children in the story reading books together.

 

Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra
> He introduced this and the two following Indiana Jones pieces all together, saying Harrison Ford was in his 70s, which made him a teenager in Williams' eyes. He joked that the insurance companies were nervous about Ford's stunts. He told his anecdote about the Scherzo, firstly that a scherzo meant a little joke, but that it was challenging to perform. He said it took a brilliant orchestra to record it, but when he saw the final movie, all he could hear was the motorcycles. So now he was going to have his revenge, playing it without the movie. Which is a great thing about this and the other Williams concert I saw at Carnegie Hall previously (with Anne-Sophie Mutter) - no video screen the entire time! He introduced the other two pieces as well, not really explaining Marion's Theme, and calling the Raiders March "the Indiana Jones march", close enough right? He told an anecdote about that one, saying Ford told him he hears the theme everywhere he goes, and he even heard it when he was getting a root canal, and hates the music! Williams got a chuckle out of that. The Scherzo, I've heard live quite a bit in recent years. But it was still cool to hear it again, and it's a very nice showcase for the orchestra.

 

Marion's Theme
> While this piece is lovely, it just kind of drifts by, with the concert arrangement spreading the theme a little thin. And it became redundant with the long excerpt of the theme appearing again in the Raiders March.

 

The Raiders March
> This one somehow never really gets old, even after 1000000 listens. I focused more on the brass this time, and noticed they were really respecting the dynamics of the piece.

 

Princess Leia's Theme
> He introduced this piece with his anecdote I've heard several times, that George Lucas didn't tell him there'd be a second movie, and he figured Luke and Leia would end up living "happily ever after" and had good action scenes and comedy scenes together, so he wrote them a love theme. Then George made more movies and it turned out they were brother and sister, so he had to write a new love theme to correct the situation. He emphasized that he didn't know, so he was innocent! I was excited to hear the piece, which I think is one of his best concert arrangements of a film theme. And HOLY... SHIT did the Philadelphia Orchestra perform the hell out of that piece. This was the biggest highlight of the night for me. A series of absolutely stunning, BEAUTIFUL solos. Williams pointed out the soloists during the applause at the end, though I think only the flute player stood up.

 

Adventures on Earth
> Beautiful of course. I may have heard this one a couple too many times in concert, but there were still many excellent moments that I enjoyed... both the obvious "hooks" and some of the more meandering parts that I don't have memorized.

 

Helena's Theme
> The first encore. Big introduction about Helena, Phoebe, Lauren Bacall, and the idea that it was a femme fatale theme, although I kind of question that. But it was nice to hear, especially after getting more familiar with the Dial of Destiny soundtrack.

 

Star Wars (main title/end credits combo)
> This one was more welcome than usual, since I've been having a moment with the Star Wars 1977 score lately. Hearing this piece performed live, you would really never know he edited together the main title/Imperial Attack stuff right into the end credits... it flowed perfectly in this performance. Great to hear the material feeling fresh after my revisiting of the score.

 

The Imperial March
> Got the biggest cheer of the night at the start when people recognized it. As usual when hearing this in concert, I got the biggest kick out of the flute solo. Who knew flutes could convey pure evil.

 

After each encore, he walked to the stage door and a guy gave him a sip of bottled water, then he came back out for the next piece. But after Imperial March he did his usual sleepytime gesture, to the usual laughter, and walked off for good. Really a nice, enthusiastic, and highly professional performance from himself, the orchestra, and the soloists. A well-behaved and appreciative audience too. I'd say there's something special about the atmosphere of a Williams concert at Carnegie Hall compared to some other places. I daresay New York City and Carnegie Hall foster a climate of appreciation for the arts that leaves no need for gimmicks and keeps the focus simply on quality programming and refined musicianship. Serious Williams fans, see him at Carnegie if you can!

[Mr. Hooper 1,792]

Great review!

 

I wondered about the inclusion of 'The Book Thief,' and Williams did explain that the girl and the young Jewish man reunited later in life in New York, and I guess that was the impetus.

 

I was only slightly acquainted with the score and had never seen the movie, so I made a point of watching it before the concert to contextualize the music. It's a fine film, and the emotional connection it provided made listening to the performance a much more satisfying experience.

 

I agree with what you said about Leia's Theme. It was the high point for me too, and hearing the end crescendo in the splendour of Carnegie Hall sent me soaring.

 

A wonderful evening.

[Smeltington 1,440]

9 hours ago, Mr. Hooper said:

I wondered about the inclusion of 'The Book Thief,' and Williams did explain that the girl and the young Jewish man reunited later in life in New York, and I guess that was the impetus.

 

Good thought, maybe he had that connection in mind. And glad you did your homework on that one! It's a good score, and the suite is a very satisfying souvenir from it.

[MSM 126]

On 30/3/2024 at 2:20 AM, Marian Schedenig said:

 

I see you almost got a butt seat again.

You’ve got a great memory😅

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

2 hours ago, MSM said:

You’ve got a great memory😅

 

Hardly. You're there for everyone to see on the Vienna Blu-ray!

[igger6 894]

It’s going to be fun to watch Williams switch out Harrison Ford’s medical procedure every time he tells that Raiders March story for the next several concerts. 
 

“He was going in for an acupuncture treatment…”

”…a hip replacement…”

”…a bowel resection…”

”…a scowl lift…”

”…right in the middle of his vasectomy…”

”…he was getting new hair extensions put in for Han Solo in Purgatory…”

[Mr. Hooper 1,792]

1 hour ago, igger6 said:

It’s going to be fun to watch Williams switch out Harrison Ford’s medical procedure every time he tells that Raiders March story for the next several concerts.

I said to the guy next to me that the original version of this story included a "colonoscopy." But I guess Williams felt that "root canal" would be more polite to mention within the hallowed walls of Carnegie Hall.

[pete 907]

Both could be true!

[Tom 4,661]

great, now I will forever identify the colon as the root canal.   

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

Well, it *is* a kind of canal…