John Williams Music: In Concert

Columbus Native Robert Pound to Conduct ASO Under the Stars

Enjoy Symphony On The Sand With The Grammy® Award-winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

PINE MOUNTAIN, GA ? Enjoy Symphony on the Sand featuring the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) at Callaway Gardens® on Friday, April 29, 2011, at 8 p.m.

Columbus native Robert Pound will lead the Orchestra in a variety of popular and classical favorites, including the theme from Raiders of the Lost Ark, selections from the musical Mame, Shostakovich?s energetic Festive Overture, and an array of patriotic tunes, such as the Armed Forces Salute and Gould?s American Salute ? and maybe a surprise or two! This entertaining, family-friendly program is perfect for a fun night out under the stars.

General seating* on the lawn at Robin Lake Beach is available at the gate for $20 per adult; $10 per child age six to 12; and children age five and younger are admitted for free. Admission is half-price for Callaway Gardens Annual Passholders and active/retired military and their dependents, upon presentation of a valid military identification card. Special ticket pricing is available for groups larger than 15.

A limited number of stage front tables* on the beach (with eight chairs and table cloths) are available for $280 each. A variety of food baskets and arrangements are available for purchase. To reserve a table, please call 706-663-5154. Dress is casual. The Robin Lake Beach gate will open at 5 p.m. The concert will begin at 8 p.m.

Proceeds benefit the Ida Cason Callaway Foundation (ICCF). For information on becoming a sponsor, please call 706-663-5096.

Overnight packages including concert tickets are available.

Callaway Gardens®, is in Pine Mountain, Ga., 60 minutes southwest of Atlanta and 30 minutes north of Columbus. For additional information, call 1-800-CALLAWAY (225-5292) or visit www.callawaygardens.com/aso.

SYMPHONY ON THE SAND
Robert Pound, conductor
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

SMITH (arr. Damrosch) The Star-Spangled Banner
SHOSTAKOVICH Festive Overture, Opus 96
BRAHMS Hungarian Dance Nos. 5 & 6
BIZET Suite No. 1 from L'Arlésienne
VERDI Overture to I vespri sicilani
CHADWICK Jubilee from Symphonic Sketches, Opus 70
GOULD American Salute
(arr. Lowden) Armed Forces Salute
HERMAN Highlights from Mame
JOHN WILLIAMS Raiders March from Raiders of the Lost Ark

*Tents and umbrellas are not permitted.




IndyMarion57 said:
Thanks for posting!! I would LOVE to see a John Williams concert!
:hat:
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Indiana Jones Music in Montreal

Damn, I missed this!:mad: 12 nights of live Indy music last month in Montreal! June 6 - June 17 at McGill University. *1* block away from my house!:mad:

L?Orchestre à vent de musique de film (OVMF)
The Wind Orchestra of Film Music (WOFM)

http://montreal.kijiji.ca/c-community-events-Concert-Indiana-Jones-June-17th-20h-W0QQAdIdZ288472051
This season, we proudly present to you music from the Indiana Jones series, composed by none other than John Williams. The majority of the pieces we will interpret has never before been performed before a live audience - a world premiere not to be missed! From the depths of the Pankot Palace (The Mine Car Chase) to the canals of Venice (Escape from Venice), via Austria (Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra), India and North Africa (Desert Chase, etc.) l'OVMF brings to you its most colorful programme yet!

So Indiana Jones enthusiasts, musicians and film buffs alike come and join us for this unique and spectacular performance!

Visit www.ovmf.qc.ca for more information and ticket reservations.
Translated from French...A review from: http://www.pieuvre.ca/2011/06/18/ovmf-indiana-jones/

"Put on a Stetson Fedora .... The Wind Orchestra of Film Music (OVMF) returned to the stage of Pollack Hall at McGill University on Friday night for the second performance of their concert on the classic film series Indiana Jones. The fifty musicians were in great shape, and the head, Jocelyn Leblanc, upheld the challenge with gusto as always, in what could be regarded as a tribute to composer John Williams. Escapes, archaeological finds and fights with the Nazis were on the agenda of this good shot of OVMF.

Picking up pieces rearranged from the trilogy of films - and even the fourth, that many fans of the series would love to continue to ignore, the OVMF musicians with the conductor in the lead, seemed perfectly in control, on Friday, linking the air with flexibility and finesse. Many tunes also revived the memory of specific passages of the three films - or rather four, let's be clear, whether the pursuit of Marion in the streets of Algiers, in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones' visit to the Nazi Castle in The Last Crusade, or the terrifying traveling cart in the mines of Temple of Doom.

Hats off, in fact, to the whole orchestra for the final interpretation of the song for the end credits of The Last Crusade, an also very well known theme from Indiana Jones, this piece is probably the quintessential music of the series and, by extension, the films themselves. Sweet and lively, boisterous and finally, the air of this piece is, in fact, the temperament of the hero, period. Unlike Luke Skywalker, who tends to be the absolute good, Harrison Ford, Indiana Jones, is more colourful, with his flaws he succeeds (sometimes) in transforming the advantages, and it is this ability that makes it all appealing. Without music, however, Indy would be very little."
 
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To celebrate the 80th anniversary of the world-renowned Abbey Road Studios, American Express have organised the inaugural ‘Symphony at the Park’ event this weekend (from 5pm daily). The picturesque surroundings of West London’s Chiswick House and Gardens play host to the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra who perform both new and classic rock, pop and epic film scores. Divided into 2 themed days, Saturday offers full symphonic versions of timeless rock and pop anthems from The Beatles, Elgar, Radiohead, Oasis, Kate Bush, Queen, Elbow, The Hollies, Radiohead and more. Sunday, in contrast, is movie day with a number of iconic film scores belted out for all and sundry, including John Williams classics from the ‘Star Wars’ saga, ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ and the memorable use of Richard Strauss in ’2001: A Space Odyssey’.
 
emtiem said:
Oh excellent; thanks for that- may pop along.
Did you go?


Symphony at the Park: Classic Abbey Road Film Scores

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Cine-Vue were honoured to be invited as guests of American Express to the very first Symphony at the Park event this Sunday at London's Chiswick House and Gardens, celebrating 80 years of Abbey Road Studios. Whilst the Saturday drew an army of over 1000 music lovers, all eagerly awaiting live renditions of classic tracks recorded at Abbey Road (from bands such as The Beatles, Radiohead and Elbow), we were there for Sunday's evening of classic film scores, performed live by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

The picturesque gardens of Chiswick House proved the perfect setting for an evening of rousing film scores, sumptuous hog roast rolls and enough champagne to satisfy even the thirstiest of Etonians. The show began with a rendition of the main theme from Disney animation Return to Neverland (2002), originally composed by the evening's conductor Joel McNeely. It wasn't long before the vocal talents of the Crouch End Festival Chorus made their mark, coming in to superb effect during Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Dies Irae, taken from the soundtrack to the multiple Oscar-winning biopic Amadeus (1984).

The highlight of the first half - for younger members of the audience at least - was the introduction of a Harry Potter medley, moving from John Williams' iconic main theme through to Alexandre Desplat's melancholic Obliviate, as featured in the franchise's final cataclysmic entries, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 & 2.

A strong first half was further augmented by the arrival of extracts from Howard Shore's Lord of the Rings score, Andrew Lloyd Webber's iconic soundtrack to The Phantom of the Opera (2004) and Alex North's unused original composition for Stanley Kubrick's operatic masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) - perhaps the most famous film score that never was.

Not to be outdone, the second half flew out of the traps with themes from Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), James Cameron's Aliens (1986) and U.S. composer Danny Elfman's work on the pre-Nolan Batman feature films. Even a late power outage (quickly and efficiently handled by the event's organisers) couldn't dampen spirits following the arrival of John William's unmistakable theme from Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), with hugely popular pieces taken from both Braveheart (1995) and Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace (1999) rightly chosen to end the evening with a bang.

A fantastic advert not just for the prolific output of Abbey Road Studios but for the timeless public appeal of classic film scores, here's hoping Symphony at the Park returns next year to toast Abbey's 81st.
 

emtiem

Well-known member
Nah; the prices were outrageous! £45?!
Bear in mind for the last few years the London Symphony Orchestra have been doing free concerts of film music at Canary Wharf! And yep, they did do Raiders a couple of years back (including members who played on the original recording) but Star Wars usually wins out. This year they're just doing King's Speech music for some reason.
 
emtiem said:
Nah; the prices were outrageous! £45?!
Bear in mind for the last few years the London Symphony Orchestra have been doing free concerts of film music at Canary Wharf! And yep, they did do Raiders a couple of years back (including members who played on the original recording) but Star Wars usually wins out. This year they're just doing King's Speech music for some reason.
Ouch!

It looked like it was free in the park...that's a shame.(n)
 
The Bad Boy Of The Organ

The Glittering Virtuoso

Cameron Carpenter is not like other humans. Even from an ocean away—the organist and composer is based in Berlin, and our interview took place via Skype—Carpenter’s presence feels somehow heavier, more charged than others. He listens intently to questions asked of him, picking up their nuances and inferences like an antenna. He hand-selects his answers with care, holding each word up to the light to be sure of its merit, crafting sentences like anthems to be deployed with precision and force.

Cameron Carpenter melds flashy showmanship with dizzying talent and ingenuity, permanently altering the pipe organ’s status in orchestras and in popular culture.

Having heard the catchphrase “the bad boy of the organ” tossed in his direction—conjuring a mental image reinforced by press photos of the musician looking moody in leather, with a dash of feathers and crystals, before a backdrop of tragically beautiful urban decay—one might expect a too-cool hipster.

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He’s not. The artist I met via video was serious, thoughtful, and profoundly unhip—and deeply invested in every facet of the sound he creates.

As a kid, Carpenter learned to play both the piano and the organ at the same time, performing Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier at the age of 11. In his high school years at the North Carolina School of the Arts, Carpenter forwent any chance at popularity for other pursuits like learning to play the complete works of Bach and Schumann on the organ.

“When I was 15 and most of my friends were smoking some pot and going to dances and having social lives—which I most decidedly did not—I was sitting in the library 12 to 14 hours a day, transcribing Mahler’s 5th Symphony,” Carpenter recalled.

An adolescence largely spent in the company of dead composers, while by no means a carefree or even enjoyable one, proved essential to Carpenter’s career as a composer.

“I learned things from transcribing Mahler that I could not have learned any other way,” he said. “But this isn’t surprising when you consider that for many centuries, a sort of de facto part of studying to be a composer was copying out the music of other composers.”

To date, Carpenter has transcribed more than 250 works for the organ—at least 100 of which are major symphonic works, among them Schumann, Wagner, and Debussy. His original works are regularly played by major orchestras—with his accompaniment on the organ. The Julliard alumnus was also the first organist to be nominated for a Grammy for his solo album Revolutionary, released in 2008. His first major composition for organ and orchestra, Der Skandal, was commissioned by the Cologne Philharmonie.

Der Skandal represented “my first major statement about how I feel about the combination of the organ and orchestra, and how excited I am about its previous underutilization and what an open frontier that has left me,” Carpenter said.

The pipe organ’s dusty, unused condition in the churches and concert halls of the 21st century is a source of inspiration—almost glee—to Carpenter, as if he can’t believe no one else has thought to tackle the instrument in the radical way he does.

Then he said this very bizarre thing: “It’s funny, because the thing that I always vehemently espouse is that the organ doesn’t exist.”

Whether the statement came from a truly philosophical place or was merely a bit of outlandish verbiage was unclear, until he amended, “It doesn’t exist in the sense that it’s only a medium. It’s no more than the paint in the tube, and the painting that is painted is the issue at hand … we can’t criticize the organ for being boring. Only an organist is boring. There are no boring organs.”

Certainly, most people can think of no other organist who performs Chopin’s Revolutionary Etude entirely with his sequined feet, followed—with equal intensity—by the theme from Raiders of the Lost Ark.

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Actually, most people can think of no other living organist at all, and that’s what makes Carpenter so special. He’s alive, and suddenly, so is his instrument.

‘There are no boring organs’

Cameron Carpenter performs at Cal Poly’s Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, Oct. 4, at 7:30 p.m. Visit pacslo.org or call 756-ARTS.

For decades, he lamented, the pipe organ has been the realm of specialists, and the pipe organ recital not much more than a cozy get-together for other organists. But if these pleasant, exclusive exercises in pipe organ preservation mean forgoing any cultural, artistic, or commercial impact for his instrument, Carpenter could do without them.

“It’s not my job to save the organ,” he emphasized. “Although I have a feeling that that’s exactly what will happen, because it will be saved from itself.”

The musician was referring not just to his own power to save the instrument from antiquity—he frequently fills concert halls in Europe and the United States, which is practically unheard of for a solo organist—but also to his controversial plans to digitize the organ.

While other traveling musicians spend years developing a relationship with their instrument, Carpenter is forced to become intimate with a new pipe organ for every performance. He calls it a one-night stand.

“All of the instantly relatable anecdotes, of course, apply,” he said. “We, of course, experience a certain mad rush of unprepared coitus, a pleasurable chafing of some kind, followed by a kind of wrestling to the ground of the difficulties, followed, of course, by a kind of embarrassment and shame, and a wish to get the hell away from each other.”

His plans to make the organ portable have drawn some criticism from purists, points for which a weary Carpenter has little patience. He stressed repeatedly that performing is a great honor, but added, “I want to do justice to that honor by doing it as well as I can”—something he can’t do without revolutionizing his instrument.

“If you were to go to [violinists] Ray Chen or Gidon Kremer or Nigel Kennedy, and say, ‘Here, you’re about to play for 3,000 people—oh, here’s a new violin! Go on and play it.’”

He extended a pink highlighter toward the screen in mock earnest.

“‘And give us your best. Give us all that is within you. And teach us about the music and make it live for us!’”

He dropped the highlighter and the mock earnestness.

“They would cancel the concert.”

Such conditions are commonplace for Carpenter, whose glittering style and impossibly nimble limbs will—on Tuesday, Oct. 4—make the frenzied acquaintance of the Performing Arts Center’s Forbes Pipe Organ.

If this organist has his way, however, these rosy days of performing on such regal, antiquated, temperamental creatures—which can go out of tune, I learned, with an atmospheric temperature change of two degrees—will be a figment of the past. But let us enjoy their lingering glow.

You're Welcome
 
California Philharmonic ? Beethoven & John Williams ? August 26th

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Sunday, mellow out at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, where the California Philharmonic will be performing pieces by renowned film composer John Williams (Star Wars, Raiders Of The Lost Ark, Saving Private Ryan) and Beethoven (Symphony No. 9 ? Ode To Joy). The show begins at 2:00pm, leaving enough tim for a nice dinner and drinks afterwards. Tickets range from $31.50-$110.50.
 
Monday, Aug. 27

Out with a bang!

Marion Concert Band's 2012 Summer Season comes to a close with the final concert at 7:30 p.m. The group has saved its best for last as the concert will feature the music of film composer John Williams and the Boston Pops Orchestra. Hear Williams' famous pieces from the silver screen, including music from "E.T.," "Jurassic Park," and a medley from "Raiders of the Lost Ark," as well as "Olympic Fanfare & Tribute." Patriotic tunes and other fan favorites will be played throughout the evening's festivities. The concert is free and open to the public and will be held at the Robert Broomhead Bandstand, Island Wharf, Marion.
 

Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
John Williams: Maestro of the Movies
Two nights at the Hollywood Bowl this labor day weekend. Here's a glimpse of the program:

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And from the mailbag:
It's the day after experiencing John Williams at the Hollywood Bowl. Have to say that was a night to remember. Walking in to the venue i noticed families, fans, and people who appreciate John Williams music by wearing shirts from all his movies. Some even dressed up like Indy himself. The first half of the night he played beautiful pieces from his other works, tributes to Hollywood, and a special set with Seth Mcfarlane from Family Guy & Ted.
The second half was all for the fans. Playing superman, starwars, and ET. go course the best was the Indiana Jones music and folks applaud in approval. Oh the magic that played in the air that night. For any Indy fans who have not been to one. You need to go! Just saying. Love the podcast keep up the great work and be well.
 

Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
Apparently this is an annual event, in 2013 Julie Andrews was the guest. He changed it up last year with an introduction and a non-transitional ending to Flight from Peru. I guess Lucasfilm provided a music-free track for the LA Philharmonic to play over?

 

Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
Saturday night with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, John Williams plugged Indy 5.
Williams told the Tanglewood crowd on Saturday that George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford are plotting a fifth installment in the "Indiana Jones" franchise for 2020.

The 85-year-old composer said he was hopeful he would be on hand to write the score, a remark that drew cheers from the throng of 18,000 that packed the Koussevitzky Music Shed and filled the Lenox lawn.

Williams' comments came between performances by the Boston Pops of The Adventures of Mutt from "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" and Parade of the Slave Children from "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom."
 

Forbidden Eye

Well-known member
I have tickets to see him play at the Hollywood Bowl on Sept 1st! So exciting I'll get to see him conduct in my lifetime! Hopefully he'll play some Indiana Jones melodies (which he didn't last year to the disappointment of several!).
 

Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
Conductor Peter Jaffe, brilliant, funny, informal and a little larger than life, leads the whole affair.
I know that guy! He's been to my house. He is tall.

It's Labor Day weekend, which means John Williams conducts at the Hollywood Bowl and everybody waves lightsabers. Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
 

Lance Quazar

Well-known member
I know that guy! He's been to my house. He is tall.

It's Labor Day weekend, which means John Williams conducts at the Hollywood Bowl and everybody waves lightsabers. Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

Very glad to hear he's conducting again as I believe he took a couple years off and there was speculation he might never come back.
 

JoeM

Well-known member
I have tickets to see him play at the Hollywood Bowl on Sept 1st! So exciting I'll get to see him conduct in my lifetime! Hopefully he'll play some Indiana Jones melodies(which he didn't last year to the disappointment of several!).
Based on the set list looks like Indy pops up once in the encore - but that seems to be it. Looks like an incredible show otherwise - enjoy!
 

Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
Some reviews of John Williams in Berlin, October 14-16:
A selection from the Indiana Jones series was introduced in Williams’ standard fashion. The difference was the mention of contemporary events – Harrison Ford having recovered from an accident and filming the next installment in London, and Williams planning to begin the writing of the score upon a return to Los Angeles. It also involved what to me was the most comical event of the evening, when the maestro forgot Sean Connery’s name and the crowd in the front rows begun trying to yell it to him through muffling masks.
Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra, making the joke that that night we only have the orchestra and the motorcycle was missing! He commented on how he composed the piece to be dynamic and jocular, a not very serious fight, and how when he went to the movies for the premiere, he was shocked that the motorcycle and sound effects were so loud that you could barely hear the music. So he decided that whenever he could, he would include this piece in his concerts, and here it was. Thus, the orchestra kicked off a precise and dynamic performance of Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra, then gave way to a tender and delightful Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark: Marion’s Theme, as a counterpoint, then taking the end of the Indy block over the top with Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Raiders March, pure adrenaline and another of the great ovations of the night! It is worth mentioning that in this piece (at least in this one, and maybe in some others as well), John Williams conducted from memory, without using the score. It was something curious, to say the least, that I could see from where I was sitting.
From the podcast, here's his quote:
"We have already made four Indiana Jones films, and as we speak, in London Harrison Ford is now shooting the fifth one. So I think that's good news, because when I leave Berlin I will go back to Los Angeles in a few days and begin to write the score for the fifth Indiana Jones film."
Go listen to Anne-Sophie Mutter play Marion's Theme on violin at the end. It's different.
Marion’s Theme was not reworked into fully-fledged concert setting until quite recently. For this purpose, the composer went forth to write a stunning B-section for his original theme, giving rise to an absolutely beautiful concertante piece, one fully endorsed by the extraordinary warmth of the Berlin Phil performance.
 

Forbidden Eye

Well-known member
Highlights from the 2021 Hollywood Bowl in September! It concludes with our favorite theme 28:27 He also did Marion's Theme and the Motorcycle Chase from Last Crusade.

 
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