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Conversations - New Chamber (piano solo) by John Williams


pro-arte

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Very well summed up by KingPin. I was there and agree with him entirely. The next day held its promises too. The Desplat piece was wonderful. Randy Newman's was very moving in his folksy way and based on family recollections. A beautiful personal piece. The man himself is funny and terribly endearing. Don Davis came back that day to greet John Williams and the three composers gathered around Gloria Cheng's piano for an impromptu photo shoot with the pianist. Everyone realized what a historical moment that was. There was a lot of talent sitting at that piano and involved in the making of this CD in general. It's going to be really great. Interestingly John Williams' piece was not my favorite so that says a lot about the caliber of the pieces. It was nice meeting fellow board members. I was greatly impressed by their knowledge and passion. And that's an understatement. So all in all a very positive experience.

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I express the same sentiments about the second day of recording. Newman was quite the character and probably provided the most entertainment. His composition was very enjoyable - very typical of his style, with little ragtime riffs that were reminiscent of Scott Joplin and George Gershwin. I didn't catch the entire Desplat piece but the small portion that I did hear was very lovely, just hauntingly beautiful. Williams' piece was different than his usual concert works, but with slight tinges of the williams we've all come to know and love. He seemed to be experimenting with various sonorities on the instrument, and though it was technically challenging, the pianist stated that the Davis piece from the first day was actually a lot more difficult. One of the neat things for me was to listen to all of the pieces on the piano, yet somehow I couldn't help orchestrating them in my head. One could really hear exactly how it would sound by each composer had they composed the music for full orchestra. It was an amazing, unforgettable experience!

And to Arnaud: It was great to meet you at the recording sessions. It was my first time meeting other members of this website, and I'm so glad that everyone was incredibly friendly and down-to-earth. Are you still traveling in the US or are you back in France already?

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Thanks for the insights and reflections^^. Quick question, and apologies if this has already been answered, but is the piano piece you can hear in Ms Cheng's video the Williams piece? I assume it is - it reminds me of Williams Lincoln piano music - but I might as well ask someone who has actually heard the piece. Thanks.

The video is here: http://www.jwfan.com/?p=6577

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The Newman piece is heard from ~1:09 on. Not sure of the piece prior to that.

Here's an excerpt of Newman playing the piece himself:

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  • 4 weeks later...

The funding for this project was reached and exceeded pass the goal. Now the release of the Maestro's new concert piece will happen!

I cannot wait to get this release. Looking forward to hearing all of these pieces, especially Maestro John Williams' four-movement piece, "Conversations."

Thanks again to Gloria Cheng, all involved in this project, and all who contributed to funding the project through generous donations.

I am excited.

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  • 4 weeks later...

The Newman piece is heard from ~1:09 on. Not sure of the piece prior to that.

Here's an excerpt of Newman playing the piece himself:

Lovely little Americana piece.

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Gloria just updated her kickstarter project with a release date of February 10, 2015 for the CD. She also shared some photos from her interview with Williams, one of which has the caption, "Wiring the turtleneck for sound" :lol:

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  • 4 months later...

The velvety backdrop and director's chairs are suitably classy for an interview with the maestro.

For me, this is going to be the most anticipated JW concert work ever. Since I've already been invested in it, both emotionally and financially, for much longer than any of his other concert works! (I only started collecting those in the last couple of years.) Hopefully the result will be that I'll spend more time getting to know the piece once it's released. I'm sure many people here have already had the same feeling when some of his long-unreleased concert works finally came out, e.g. on American Journey.

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Johnny looks like he is in a good shape. He has even lost some weight.

Are you saying that JW was fat?!

It was not me. It was Lionel Newman! Legends tells he called Johnny "Fat boy"!

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Oi!

The CD cover-to-be is here! Release date still on schedule: February 10, 2015. Get ready!

10704170_373827679451251_707500833616999

https://www.facebook.com/MontageFilmComposers/photos/a.311226809044672.1073741828.308140492686637/373827679451251/?type=1

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horrible cover

Holy cow, the design is terrible, cheap, tasteless, characterless, and very, very, VERY unartistic. The people who dwell with this ...holy Macgyver! I would be ashamed to show this cover to a person. It looks like one of those CDs you get for free with a magazine, you know, one of those free CD series where they keep the main design but change the color and album content for each new volume.

Alex

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  • 2 weeks later...

I cannot wait to get this release. Looking forward to the Maestro's piece. I like Randy Newman and Michael Giacchino also. Bruce Broughton is also good. Don Davis and Alexander Desplat will be a nice listen too.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Nice long album!


1507218_396960390471313_5296380183056965

Enjoy this photo from the recording session: John Williams listening with producer Judith Sherman and engineer Ben Maas.

https://www.facebook.com/MontageFilmComposers/photos/gm.704605156322201/396960390471313/?type=1&theater

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