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Williams to conduct "The Book Thief" at pre-Oscar Film Music ceremony on February 27th


Muad'Dib

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Just seen this. Apparently all Oscar-nominated music from this year will be performed live February 27 at the Royce Hall in LA, three days before the actual Oscar event itself. Johnny will conduct a Book Thief suite, I assume.

The whole article:

Three nights before the Academy Awards, music fans in L.A. will have the opportunity to hear the work of all the music nominees in a live concert setting at Royce Hall on the UCLA campus.

The unprecedented move seems to reflect the growing popularity of film music on the concert circuit and at score-centric film fests like Ghent and Tenerife. It also gives the composers and songwriters an opportunity to shine at a time when the Oscarcast is becoming more streamlined, eliminating the tradition of nominated songs being routinely performed as part of entertainment.

The Feb. 27 event is officially sanctioned by the Motion Picture Academy. Although plans are still fluid, music branch governor Charles Fox says the concert will feature “all the nominated music, songs and scores conducted by the original composers.”

Acad members have been invited to attend (at $75 and $50 ticket levels) and the public will be invited (at $100 and $75 levels) starting Wednesday. Seating capacity at Royce Hall is about 1,800.

Fox says the composers who also conduct their music (John Williams for “The Book Thief,” Alexandre Desplat for “Philomena,” Thomas Newman for “Saving Mr. Banks”) will be on the podium with an 80-piece orchestra. Music from “Gravity” and “Her” will also be performed.

The four nominated songs are also expected to be performed, but by whom is a question mark. Pharrell Williams and Idina Menzel (singers of “Happy” and “Let It Go” respectively) have already been announced as performing on the Oscarcast itself, leading to speculation that U2 and Karen O may also be invited to perform on the telecast. The songs are likely to be performed by others at the Thursday concert, although Fox has not confirmed that.

“What we’re doing will not impede in any way on the Oscars themselves,” Fox says. “The purpose of this concert is to put music from motion pictures center stage. There’ll be a lot of firsts with this concert.”

Nice move on the Academy's part, this could be quite lovely.
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Wow, cool. One of the many reasons I should be living in LA :P

(Hope you don't mind that I split your post into a new topic)

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A lovely concept and way of honoring the music of the nominess. :)

And it goes without saying I would love to watch this!

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A new Book Thief concert version?

It seems to be a tend with his recent scores to write revised versions

Well he always at least alters the orchestration to that of a standard symphony orchestra.
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More details of the concert program:

The music at the Oscar Concert really will be one-of-a-kind: Each nominated composer is preparing a “suite,” a composition that uses elements from the film score, specifically for the show. Each will also discuss their work onstage.

Imagery from the films associated with the music will be displayed on a big screen, but no film clips will be shown so there is no distraction from the performances, Fox said.

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Wow! Let's hope The Book Thief's concertized material will see the light of day somewhere in one of Williams' many concerts after it has been performed in this event. :)

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Is this airing on TV?

I know, it's easier to ask than to read the article.

While the inaugural Oscar Concert won’t be televised, Fox said the plan is to make the program an annual event broadcast on TV and cinecast — projected in movie theaters — across the globe.

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Fantastic! It's a shame they didn't think of doing this previously, we would have gotten so many nice suites of so many great scores. But it's cool that they're planning on doing it yearly from now on.

While I'm ectastic for hearing a new Boof Thief suite, it will also be interesting to hear Gravity performed by an 80-piece orchestra, I wonder how will Price arrange it. I hope he decides to perform more of the atonal stuff rather than the more common heroic stuff that comes at the end of the movie.

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It's a given, I reckon, and the velocity will increase by 9.80665 m/s (32.1740 ft/s or 22 mph) for each second of its descent, to be precise.

Karol

Don't you ever square things in the river of nile?

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And Johnny wasn't even interviewed for that sneak peek. A shame. :(

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Gravity sounds awesome; never heard the score before. I want to hear the 2-minute Fanfare for Oscar. I only heard the 45-second piece.


Saving Mr. Banks heard here sounds bland and uninteresting.

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Gravity sounds awesome; never heard the score before. I want to hear the 2-minute Fanfare for Oscar. I only heard the 45-second piece.

Saving Mr. Banks heard here sounds bland and uninteresting.

All those 5 seconds?

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While the studio recording of The Book Thief's score didn't do much for me, the live version (as expected, I suppose) was much more powerful and evocative. The elegance and nuance of Williams's suite, especially when compared to the evening's other offerings, for me truly evoked the sweeping emotion of Hollywood's Golden Age.

This is how it goes with the true music.

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My God, that Book Thief suite was so amazing, it got me so emotional... I agree completely that it's so much better than the OST version, and that's considering I love the original score as it is. But I have to be in a special mood to listen to it; but this, this can be heard anytime. It speaks to the soul.

I don't care if JW doesn't win. It will still be great music, and isn't that what matters in the end?

And Gravity sounds great too, so should it win I don't think it's undeserved. Willy will get his chance again someday...

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You know, I really enjoyed that GRAVITY suite. Helps that that irritating reversed minor 7th ostinato (which is a rip-off of Marc Streinfeld's PROMETHEUS) is gone, along with some of the more obnoxious electro-acoustic effects, like the faux-dramatic clipped crescendo. The more intimate moments are still the highlights (i.e. Ryan's Theme).

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Is the performed Gravity suite out on youtube?

EDIT: Oh never mind, just saw the post above.

Thanks Nik!

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it just means your not a true John Williams fan

The Book Thief suite is nice, the last part seems like all new music, plus a new transition to The Visitor on Himmel Street

What's this reply about JW saying he didn't read the book but then recommending it to anyone who hasn't read a book and praising it? Was that a joke?

K.M. Forcing himself to listen to the Gravity suite anyways .Starts off like music from a "relaxing cassette" ,then sounds like second rate LotR music, then like a generic RCP anthem. Seriously people like this crap? JW must have been cringing in his seat

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Is it bad that I stopped The Book Thief suite halfway and went to Gravity?

Yes! Bad Koray! Bad, bad Koray!

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Is it bad that I stopped The Book Thief suite halfway and went to Gravity?

No, because I had the same problem, only in reverse. I listened to Gravity (loved it), and I'm currently 4 mins into TBT. I'm bored already.

Edit - bit better 6 mins in.

you have to at least be able to sit through an 5 piece that features his newest score with added music

I'm a JNH fan, and yet I couldn't sit through a suite of many of his most recent scores.

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The music for Gravity is flat out terrible. Before being called out as a Williams fanboy, I say that as the one who has 163 artists in itunes. I even go out of my way top get 1 video game track if I like it

I wouldn't even save a track of this for one of my film music compilations

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Listening to the music of Book Thief is like listening to music that stands on its own.

Listening to the Gravity suite is like listening to music that is accompanying something (that you don't see).

I am not saying which is good or bad. Anyone can take his pick.

It depends on what are his priorities in film music.

If someone expects film music to just serve and accompany a film, or if he expects something more than that too..

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it just means your not a true John Williams fan

The Book Thief suite is nice, the last part seems like all new music, plus a new transition to The Visitor on Himmel Street

What's this reply about JW saying he didn't read the book but then recommending it to anyone who hasn't read a book and praising it? Was that a joke?

K.M. Forcing himself to listen to the Gravity suite anyways .Starts off like music from a "relaxing cassette" ,then sounds like second rate LotR music, then like a generic RCP anthem. Seriously people like this crap? JW must have been cringing in his seat

Maybe he meant he hadn't read the book at that time.

That 'generic RCP' anthem is better than Battle of the Heroes.

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Well, it seems I have to remind people I don't have Williams scores lined up in a loop to listen for the rest of my life when I trash something. In this case I really believe the Gravity score is shit

i'm sure it "worked" in the film, but music stands on it own would have worked too, if anyone was talented enough to compose anything worthwhile lately

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