John Williams Reimagined Album (Arranged for flute, cello & piano)

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

https://filmmusicreporter.com/2024/03/22/john-williams-reimagined-album-to-be-released/

 

 

 

Warner Classics will release John Williams Reimagined, a new album featuring music by the Academy Award-winning composer arranged for chamber trio of flute, cello, and piano. The 2-CD set is produced by Robert Townson and the music is performed by flutist Sara Andon, cellist Cécilia Tsan, and pianist Simone Pedroni. The album covers Williams’ career from his early Emmy Award-winning score for the 1970 television film Jane Eyre to the main theme of 2022’s The Fabelmans, and includes such titles as Star Wars, Schindler’s List, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Jurassic Park, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Hook, The Accidental Tourist, The Witches of Eastwick, Dracula, The Sugarland Express, The Patriot and War Horse. A first track (Over the Moon from E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial) has just been released today and is now available to stream/download now on all major digital music services and can also be checked out after the jump.

 

Here’s the album track list (per Slovenia’s NIKA):

 

Disc 1:

1. Star Wars: Princess Leia’s Theme
2. Jane Eyre: To Thornfield
3. Jane Eyre: Reunion
4. Memoirs of a Geisha: Sayuri’s Theme
5. Memoirs of a Geisha: A Dream Discarded
6. Memoirs of a Geisha: Going to School
7. Images: In Search of Unicorns
8. The River: Growing Up
9. The River: The Pony Ride
10. The River: Love Theme
11. The River: Young Friend’s Farewell
12. The Sugarland Express: Theme
13. The Sugarland Express: Elegy
14. A.I.: The Reunion
15. The Empire Strikes Back: Han Solo and the Princess
16. Far and Away: County Galway, Joseph and Shannon, Blowing Off Steam, Finale

 

Disc 2:

1. The Fabelmans
2. Seven Years in Tibet
3. Jurassic Park: A Tree for My Bed
4. Hook: The Face of Pan
5. The Accidental Tourist
6. Schindler’s List: Theme
7. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: Double Trouble
8. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: A Window to the Past
9. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: Hagrid the Professor
10. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: Chasing Scabbers/Hagrid’s Friendly Bird and The Snowball Fight
11. Dracula: End Credits
12. War Horse: Dartmoor 1912, Bringing Joey Home and Bonding, The Death of Topthorn, Finale and The Homecoming
13. The Patriot
14. Sabrina: How Can I Remember?
15. The Witches of Eastwick: The Tennis Game
16. The Witches of Eastwick: The Seduction of Suki and The Ballroom Sequence
17. The Witches of Eastwick: Devil’s Dance
18. E.T.: Over the Moon

 

 

[QuartalHarmony 543]

Lovely - could be a really good, interesting release.

 

In the excerpt posted, Pedroni does a bang-up job of what is a very challenging piano part, and the cello and flute are incorporated imaginatively and sensitively. Shame the flute starts dragging the tempo, especially around 1:00!

[Thor 7,518]

Kinda intriguing. Glad they snuck in some offbeat titles among the superfamous evergreens.

 

But the blurb leaves out the most important information -- who did the arrangements? Pedroni for all of them (he's listed with transcription in the actual YouTube clip itself)?

[Holko 9,529]

Very interesting selections but I'm worried that an ensemble this small could be too bare and not varied enough for 2 whole discs.

[Jurassic Shark 12,082]

Pedroni and Andon already did a 2-CD duo album with music by Morricone, and although it's good it's not something I listen to in one go. 

[JTN 2,036]

The album looks nice, but these kinds of albums

always remind me that nothing can ever top the original versions. A score and cue like E.T. and Over the Moon begs for the grand orchestration.

[Jurassic Shark 12,082]

40 minutes ago, Thor said:

But the blurb leaves out the most important information -- who did the arrangements? Pedroni for all of them (he's listed with transcription in the actual YouTube clip itself)?

 

I think Pedroni arranged the earlier JW album, not sure about the Morricone.  

[Holko 9,529]

1 minute ago, JTN said:

A score and cue like E.T. and Over the Moon begs for the grand orchestration.

Not the best example, that's the album arrangement of the "Suburbia" theme spun off from the opening of the End Credits that's already very focused on the piano.

[JTN 2,036]

9 minutes ago, Holko said:

Not the best example, that's the album arrangement of the "Suburbia" theme spun off from the opening of the End Credits that's already very focused on the piano.

Yeah maybe, but this is the excerpt I could compare the original version to. And the piano is accompanied by strings, and later trumpets, etc. Yes, the piano is in the front the entire cue, but the original orchestration makes it sound much grander and more majestic than this one rearranged for three instruments.

[GerateWohl 4,371]

50 minutes ago, Thor said:

But the blurb leaves out the most important information -- who did the arrangements? Pedroni for all of them (he's listed with transcription in the actual YouTube clip itself)?

Some more information on that in the original thread.

 

 

[Bespin 8,484]

Wow!

[JTN 2,036]

4 minutes ago, Bespin said:

W.o.w.!

Williams on Williams 

[Thor 7,518]

2 hours ago, GerateWohl said:

Some more information on that in the original thread.

 

Thanks. That thread passed me by.

[Tom 4,669]

Nice to see The Fabelmans get some sort of release.  

 

Not to nitpick, but the notion of "Reimagined" irks me. 

[Jurassic Shark 12,082]

Just now, Tom said:

Not to nitpick, but the notion of "Reimagined" irks me. 

 

I'd love arrangements that take some tasteful liberties.

[JTN 2,036]

4 minutes ago, Tom said:

Not to nitpick, but the notion of "Reimagined" irks me. 

Well, maybe the term "rearranged" would have been better, but basically JW did the same thing for the Across the Stars album. He reimagined his own themes for solo instrument and orchestra. This album pretty much does the same, but for three solo instruments. Not exactly my cup of tea, either, but I (re)imagine others will like it a lot.

[crocodile 8,018]

I quite like the titles and pieces they picked. Colour me intrigued. 

 

Karol

[Jurassic Shark 12,082]

17 minutes ago, JTN said:

This album pretty much does the same, but for three solo instruments.

 

We don't know that though, do we? Reimagined could just mean arranged for a different ensemble, which I guess it does.

[JTN 2,036]

Just now, Jurassic Shark said:

 

We don't know that though, do we? Reimagined could just mean arranged for a different ensemble, which I guess it does.

Yes, that's what I meant by saying that JW did the same thing with the ATS album when he rearranged his themes for solo violin and orchestra. 

[Jurassic Shark 12,082]

1 minute ago, JTN said:

Yes, that's what I meant by saying that JW did the same thing with the ATS album when he rearranged his themes for solo violin and orchestra. 

 

I think JW went further that just arranging for a different ensemble.

[Bespin 8,484]

1 hour ago, Tom said:

Not to nitpick, but the notion of "Reimagined" irks me. 

 

Indeed, I find this awkward. When I see an album titled "Bach Reimagined," it often suggests that they will freely adapt Bach's music, adding notes, changing the style... and ultimately, it's no longer truly Bach. It becomes a sort of pop or jazz version of Bach, aimed at people who typically aren't familiar with or fond of Bach's music. However, in the case of John Williams and this album, I believe we can simply refer to it as "new arrangements."

Unfortunately, everything in the music industry revolves around marketing. Let's consider the brilliant way in which the latest album by James Newton Howard featuring his music for Shyamalan's films was marketed (Night After Night [Music from the Movies of M. Night Shyamalan], 2023).

 

Here, both the cover and the title are marketing disasters.

[JTN 2,036]

3 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

I think JW went further that just arranging for a different ensemble.

You’re right. He rearranged his themes, but also rewrote them. 

[pete 907]

6 hours ago, JNHFan2000 said:

Disc 1:
13. The Sugarland Express: Elegy
 

 

Robert Townsend's Facebook post has that as the Elegy for Cello and Piano - the piano version of Elegy for Cello and Orchestra 

 

And wow, that track list has me so excited!

[JTN 2,036]

4 minutes ago, pete said:

Robert Townsend's

You mean Robert Townson?

[pete 907]

4 hours ago, JTN said:

You mean Robert Townson?

Oops, yes.

 

Love this bit:
 

Quote

During the recording sessions in Los Angeles, John Williams invited the trio to perform a selection of the new arrangements for him privately in his writing studio at Amblin. This was in 2022, during Williams’ 90th birthday year, and he was being celebrated all over the world. Following the performance of “The Face of Pan” from Hook, the composer was very moved. He warmly remarked, "This is one of my best birthday gifts," and gave each of the musicians a hug. Sara, Cécilia and Simone will remember this moment with immense joy and heartfelt gratitude for the rest of their lives.

 

[JTN 2,036]

JW: Play it, Simone. Play “Over the Moon”.

[pete 907]

And the Filmmusicreporter post omits the release date, which is August 23

[BB-8 3,481]

I would have liked Anakin's Theme for that ensemble. Ah well...

[WilliamsStarShip2282 308]

12 hours ago, JTN said:

Well, maybe the term "rearranged" would have been better, but basically JW did the same thing for the Across the Stars album. He reimagined his own themes for solo instrument and orchestra. This album pretty much does the same, but for three solo instruments. Not exactly my cup of tea, either, but I (re)imagine others will like it a lot.

 

Agreed- the re-imagined title I find very annoying, but in any context. Unless the arrangements are very different, like those big band arrangements and Maynard Ferguson, then its really just a modified transcription. Williams clearly re-imagined a lot of those original pieces though for violin, especially the new version of Scherzo for Motorcycle, Hedwig, and the Elegy for Cello.

These types of arrangements though seem best to me for live performance. I would love a night or an afternoon out listening to this. But as an album idk if I would buy it over just an occasional listen on youtube.

But at least these arrangements are tastefully done. I went to one of these of just HP music last year and the arrangements were hideous.

 

I often wonder how JW feels about this. I know he doesn't allow any arrangements, or at least so far, to be published as a buyable score (plus I assume whatever other nonsense happens with the studios). I like to play some of his concert works on the pipa, and I wonder if he would be intrigued or horrified.

 

Incidentally as I continue this novella, has anyone here heard the Beethoven Symphony trios with Emmanual Ax, Yo Yo, and Leonidas Kavakos? They're incredibly well done, but of course brought to life by the most amazing musicians.

[artguy360 1,844]

This is an awesome project. The ET track sounds nice. I love interesting new arrangements of JW music.

[pete 907]

When I think "re-imagine", I think of something like "The Beatles Reimagined for trumpet, accordian, and two ballet dancers" 
For this album, I think the pieces are more faithful arrangements for piano, cello, and flute. But John Williams: Faithful Arrangements doesn't sound as catchy as John Williams: Reimagined. I quite like the title even though "re-imagined" in my mind evokes some avant-garde monstrosity.

 

As I mentioned above, my jaw dropped when I saw the setlist. For example, I've always longed for music from AI featuring cello after that brief quote on the OST in Stored Memories & Monica's Theme, and I think this could be the arrangenent I've been dreaming about. And I've always loved those more melodic pieces from The River (Growing Up, The Pony Ride, & Young Friends Farewell), so I'm really curious and excited to hear them for these instruments. 

[igger6 894]

YES! This is what I wished for when I broke the window on 320 Sycamore! It’s like Night After Night for Williams. 
 

And can it be that this will finally be my access route to a gorgeous cohesive performance of the tonal melody from Images? Nah, with my luck, they’ll use the cello to simulate those drunken werewolf grunts from the OST…

[Naïve Old Fart 9,551]

'The Pony Ride'? 'The Seduction Of Suki'? 'In Search Of Unicorns'?

This is going to be a very tasty morsel, Indeed.

[Tom 4,669]

14 minutes ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

'The Pony Ride'? 'The Seduction Of Suki'? 'In Search Of Unicorns'?

This is going to be a very tasty morsel, Indeed.

Ah yes, the age old question.  Would you rather ride a pony, search for unicorns, or seduce Suki?  

[Thor 7,518]

15 hours ago, WilliamsStarShip2282 said:

I like to play some of his concert works on the pipa,

 

On the what?

[QuartalHarmony 543]

Wikipedia is quite helpful:

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pipa#
 

[WilliamsStarShip2282 308]

13 hours ago, Thor said:

 

On the what?

Sometimes called the Chinese lute, but it isn't really. Like a cross between a guitar and an oversized viola. But it has a more reverberant sound so I can play stuff like the Bach cello suites and some of Williams stuff and it sounds decent (for someone who is just sitting enjoying playing it without an audience). The three piece from Memoirs of a Geisha, which lends itself more to the instrument, but I like playing the Elegy for Cello and am trying to record both parts of the Duo Concertante.
 

 

[Jurassic Shark 12,082]

On 23/03/2024 at 2:16 AM, WilliamsStarShip2282 said:

Incidentally as I continue this novella, has anyone here heard the Beethoven Symphony trios with Emmanual Ax, Yo Yo, and Leonidas Kavakos? They're incredibly well done, but of course brought to life by the most amazing musicians.

 

I love chamber arrangements of Beethoven's symphonies, assuming, of course, that the arrangement is good. 

[JTN 2,036]

16 hours ago, Tom said:

Ah yes, the age old question.  Would you rather ride a pony, search for unicorns, or seduce Suki?  

That was never a question for me. I would seduce Suki while riding a pony searching for unicorns.

[WilliamsStarShip2282 308]

6 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

I love chamber arrangements of Beethoven's symphonies, assuming, of course, that the arrangement is good. 

 

Love this recording

 

 

[Jurassic Shark 12,082]

25 minutes ago, WilliamsStarShip2282 said:

 

Love this recording

 

 

 

Oh yes, bring out those lines. Can't remember if this is a new arrangement or one from Beethoven's time. I'm a bit of a collector of the latter.

[rough cut 1,714]

[WilliamsStarShip2282 308]

9 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

Oh yes, bring out those lines. Can't remember if this is a new arrangement or one from Beethoven's time. I'm a bit of a collector of the latter.

This one is new, I believe its their recording of the 4th symphony that Beethoven did himself

 

[Jay 37,372]

 

[BB-8 3,481]

It's rather shrill, isn't it.

[Jay 37,372]

It looks like Robert Townson's post about this album isn't here yet:

 

John Williams Reimagined

 

Sara Andon, flute; Cecilia Tsan, cello; Simone Pedroni, piano

 

Produced by Robert Townson

 

So proud to announce this 2-CD set that will be released by Warner Classics on August 23, 2024.

 

Star Wars. Memoirs of a Geisha. Schindler’s List. Far and Away. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. The list goes on and on. Legendary film composer John Williams has for decades reigned as the most celebrated film composer of all time. But John Williams Reimagined is Williams like you’ve never heard him before.

 

John Williams’ themes and orchestrations have resonated in moviegoers’ minds for generations. Steven Spielberg called him “the greatest of all maestros.” George Lucas once told him, “You brought my stories to life beyond my wildest dreams.” For film score producer par excellence Robert Townson, it was the “extraordinary flute solos John has featured in so many of his film scores” that triggered the idea of “a John Williams album…unlike any other.”

 

But could the album Townson imagined—scored for chamber trio of flute, cello, and piano—become reality? With a long career of film score productions to his credit, the producer knew that Williams seldom approves new arrangements of music from his iconic scores.

 

Townson had more than a dream, though. He had a dream ensemble in mind: flutist Sara Andon, cellist Cécilia Tsan, and pianist Simone Pedroni. So, with no guarantee they’d ever see the light of day, he enlisted Pedroni to create three sample transcriptions; record them with the three musicians; and sent them to the composer. Much to their delight, Williams approved Townson’s full track list and sanctioned the trio to exclusively record and perform the full set.

 

Pedroni, for his part, describes the orchestral color of John Williams’ film scores as “always masterful—which made me think that it is impossible to do better.” Yet as the pianist worked on the transcriptions he realized that “Williams’ compositional genius…pure, deep, and great in itself” was precisely what would enable him to reimagine the selections—some iconic, some relatively obscure—for the chamber trio Townson had in mind.

 

The result is a revelation.

 

Familiar themes pepper the track list, intermingling with lesser-known music. “Princess Leia’s Theme” from Star Wars made a lasting impression on Sara Andon when she first heard it as a child. The score for Memoirs of a Geisha features cello solos that Williams wrote for his friend Yo-Yo Ma, and that translate perfectly for Cécilia Tsan, who is a childhood friend of Ma. The trio premiered their John Williams Reimagined concert recital at the Rome Film Music Festival in 2023.

 

The selections cover more than half a century—from Williams’ Emmy-winning score for the 1970 telefilm Jane Eyre—Townson’s original inspiration for the album—to the main theme of 2022’s The Fabelmans, one of over two dozen collaborations between Williams and Spielberg, which affords the brilliant Pedroni a solo piano spotlight. From the canon of iconic Williams scores over this timespan, the two-CD set includes selections from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, The Witches of Eastwick, Jurassic Park, The Accidental Tourist, Dracula, The Sugarland Express, Jane Eyre, War Horse, Hook, The Patriot, and more, not to mention the Star Wars saga, Schindler’s List, and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

 

During the recording sessions in Los Angeles, John Williams invited the trio to perform a selection of the new arrangements for him privately in his writing studio at Amblin. This was in 2022, during Williams’ 90th birthday year, and he was being celebrated all over the world. Following the performance of “The Face of Pan” from Hook, the composer was very moved. He warmly remarked, "This is one of my best birthday gifts," and gave each of the musicians a hug. Sara, Cécilia and Simone will remember this moment with immense joy and heartfelt gratitude for the rest of their lives.

 

Film music producer Robert Townson founded his first record label in 1985 and has produced nearly 1,500 film music recordings over the past four decades. He has worked with a galaxy of eminent composers, from Jerry Goldsmith, Elmer Bernstein and Alexandre Desplat to Hans Zimmer, Lalo Schifrin, Danny Elfman, and of course John Williams.

 

Flutist Sara Andon is a versatile international soloist and recording artist equally at home with symphonic and chamber music, opera, ballet, new music, jazz, and Broadway. She has performed with top-tier orchestras and is heard on countless film, TV and video game scores. She has recorded with such composers as Brian Tyler, John Debney, Marco Beltrami, and Jeff Russo and for labels Sony Classical and Varèse Sarabande.

 

Cellist Cécilia Tsan, winner of the Debussy Prize at the Paris International Competition, performs as a soloist and chamber musician in her home country of France and abroad. She has recorded hundreds of movie soundtracks in Los Angeles by composers such as John Williams, Randy Newman, James Horner, and Alan Silvestri.

 

Pianist, conductor and arranger Simone Pedroni launched his solo career winning the gold medal at the Van Cliburn Competition in 1993. He has performed in sold-out concerts throughout the world, working with artists such as Yehudi Menuhin, Zubin Mehta, and Leonard Slatkin, and recorded for labels including Sony Classical and Decca Records.

 

JOHN WILLIAMS REIMAGINED - TRACKLIST

 

CD 1

 

1. Star Wars: Princess Leia’s Theme

Jane Eyre

2. To Thornfield

3. Reunion

Memoirs of A Geisha

4. Sayuri's Theme

5. A Dream Discarded

6. Going to School

7. Images: In Search of Unicorns

The River

8. Growing Up

9. The Pony Ride

10. Love Theme

11. Young Friend’s Farewell

12. The Sugarland Express: Theme

13. Elegy for Cello and Piano

14. A.I.: The Reunion

15. The Empire Strikes Back: Han Solo and the Princess

16. Far and Away: County Galway, Joseph and Shannon, Blowing Off Steam, Finale

 

CD 2

 

1. The Fabelmans

2. Seven Years in Tibet

3. Jurassic Park: A Tree for My Bed

4. Hook: The Face of Pan

5. The Accidental Tourist

6. Schindler’s List: Theme

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

7. Double Trouble

8. A Window to the Past

9. Hagrid the Professor

10. Chasing Scabbers/Hagrid’s Friendly Bird and The Snowball Fight

11. Dracula: End Credits

12. War Horse: Dartmoor 1912, Bringing Joey Home and Bonding,

The Death of Topthorn, Finale and The Homecoming

13. The Patriot

14. Sabrina: How Can I Remember?

The Witches of Eastwick

15. The Tennis Game

16. The Seduction of Suki and The Ballroom Sequence

17. Devil’s Dance

18. E.T.: Over the Moon

 

Recorded and Mixed by Gabe Burch

 

Mastered by Patricia Sullivan at Bernie Grundman Mastering

 

https://www.facebook.com/100007586280737/posts/3571911583071683/

[Chewy 2,393]

On 13/04/2024 at 4:45 PM, Jay said:

 

 

Well, this was really good!