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John Williams concert at the Royal Albert Hall


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The schedule for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is showing another concert devoted to John Williams at the Royal Albert Hall on 10th October 2014. Robert Ziegler conducts while Tommy Pearson presents.

http://www.rpo.co.uk/event.php?pid=1555

When they did this in 2012 it was really good, not least because there was a huge choir (the Royal Choral Society) in selections such as Hymn to the Fallen, Duel of the Fates and Dry your tears, Africa! They've even made sure that it does not clash with England v San Marino the previous evening. ET is still AWOL in the publicity poster, though.

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If it has a choir, then they really have to do "Gloria". Heck, there's even an organ!

As for E.T. - meh! Let's have the "disaster" suite that he did for Filmharmonic '76.

Also: full prelude and main title from "Superman", if you please.

Also "Epilogue" from The Fury and "Love Theme" from The River, please.

Thanks!

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  • 1 month later...

Step aside Tommy Pearson, I nominate Richard and Alan to be in charge of programming for this.

The other reason I am bumping this thread is to say that the same programme (presumably?) will be played at Reading's Hexagon Theatre on 25th November 2014, if anyone happens to be snookered by the October date at the Royal Albert Hall.

http://www.rpo.co.uk/event.php?pid=1588

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  • 2 months later...

There will also be an additional 'Friendship Matinee' performance of this concert at 3 p.m. on 10th October at the Royal Albert Hall. Details are below with tickets at only £5 each for those that qualify:

http://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/friendship-matinee/default.aspx?utm_source=RPO&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=RPO

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The programme was fairly similar to that of the John Williams concert that the RPO gave a couple of years ago at the same venue, but without the big choral pieces (no Royal Choral Society this time). Here is what was played:

Superman - Main Theme

The Witches of Eastwick - The Devil's Dance
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - Hedwig's Theme
Jaws - Main Theme
Home Alone - Somewhere in my Memory
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom - End Title Suite
Schindler's List - Main Theme (solo violin - Clio Gould)
War Horse - The Reunion
E.T. - Flying Theme

INTERVAL

Hook - Flight to Neverland
Fiddler on the Roof - Excerpts (solo violin - Clio Gould)

JFK - Prologue
Close Encounters of the Third Kind - Theme
Munich - A Prayer for Peace
Jurassic Park - Main Theme
Star Wars - Princess Leia / Main Title

ENCORE

The Empire Strikes Back - Imperial March

I enjoyed hearing John Williams's arrangements and violin cadenzas for Fiddler on the Roof, which I had not heard before. Is there a recording available anywhere? The only disappointments were the inexplicable inclusion again of two bizarre arrangements by Nick Ingman of Jaws and Close Encounters. I cannot begin to guess why these versions of two of the greatest film scores ever written were selected in preference to Williams's own versions that are available to any major orchestra, but hey ho.

:dance:

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Might that Fiddler on the Roof suite be similar to the one on the Boston Pops album That's Entertainment? Has JW done some other arrangements over the years?

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Thanks for posting these clips, Ricard!

So this is Nick Ingman's arrangement of CE3K? I happen to love it!

The only recording of it that I am aware of is on this CD from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra's own label (which also includes Nick Ingman's arrangement of the Jaws theme):

http://www.rpo.co.uk/cd_release.php?rid=15

I quite like it as a sort of Variations on the Theme from Close Encounters, but it sounds to me like a gala version that should be played when the big spindly alien walks up to collect his/her/its Oscar for Best Supporting Alien at the Academy Awards ceremony, or backing a montage of all the aliens that have sadly passed away in the last year.

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I don't hear many notes that Williams actually wrote in that version of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS! Yikes...

That's probably because you haven't heard Williams' own pop arrangement for the 1977 single. At least 90% of the version you're criticizing is based on it.

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I have heard the pop version but assumed incorrectly it was produced by another artist using the themes, as was popular in the day. I think a band called Meco did it with all three STAR WARS films.

Maybe I should have clarified the ORCHESTRATION sounds unlike John Williams.

TJH

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I think a band called Meco did it with all three STAR WARS films.

Yes, Meco Monardo (a musician, not a band) created disco arrangements from themes of the SW trilogy as well as CE3K and Superman, contributing greatly to the popularity of the Star Wars theme -his version was constantly played on the radio and dance floors during the late '70s. He also wrote an article for this site back in 2000. :)

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