John Williams in Boston

[Jay 39,591]

Surprised I haven't seen a single post about this yet. Mr. Williams has been in Boston all week, doing shows at Symphony Hall Tuesday through Friday. The girlfriend and I are going to tonight's show - is anybody else here going? Or went to one of the ones earlier in the week? Any idea what the set list is?

Where are you supposed to go after the show to try to get an autograph? I'd love to get my new HOOK LP autographed...

[TownerFan 5,235]

A friend of mine traveled from Italy and went to see Monday's concert--he was also able to catch JW and took a picture with him.

Please, report about the programme he performed!

[John Dutton 7,425]

I was told the program earlier this week included the following:

Sound the Bells

1941 March

CE3K Suite

Hedwig's Theme

Harry's Wondrous World

Adventures On Earth

Liberty Fanfare

Love Theme from Superman

Superman March

Cinema Paradiso Love Theme

Imperial March

Princess Leia's Theme

Throne Room and Finale

Raiders March

Apparently during Superman there were clips from all the Superman and Batman movies (held over from the Warner Bros. tribute last Summer?) including Keaton in the library in Batman Returns when the signal is projected behind him. It sounded amazing. I was planning to go tonight but tickets sold out. I'm going to Tanglewood in August!

[Henry B 51]

Yep, my girlfriend and I went on Wednesday. Great show. The program is indeed what was posted ("Raiders March" is the encore), but - I'm not sure if this happened every night - it also included a new composition by Williams in celebration of his 30th anniversary with the Pops. Somebody came out and "surprised" Williams with a short film, then asked him to conduct since "nobody else was onstage." Cute, I suppose. It was the only clip show that wasn't awkward; just some nice footage of Williams and the Pops. That Superman and Batman montage set to the Superman March made us cringe! Why Batman? Why!? Actually, it was really nice to hear Williams do the Love Theme and March in concert. That doesn't happen too often.

[KingPin 228]

Actually, it was really nice to hear Williams do the Love Theme and March in concert. That doesn't happen too often.

I think seeing him conduct the March from 1941 is an even rarer treat.

[Muad'Dib 1,871]

Yep, my girlfriend and I went on Wednesday. Great show. The program is indeed what was posted ("Raiders March" is the encore), but - I'm not sure if this happened every night - it also included a new composition by Williams in celebration of his 30th anniversary with the Pops. Somebody came out and "surprised" Williams with a short film, then asked him to conduct since "nobody else was onstage." Cute, I suppose. It was the only clip show that wasn't awkward; just some nice footage of Williams and the Pops. That Superman and Batman montage set to the Superman March made us cringe! Why Batman? Why!? Actually, it was really nice to hear Williams do the Love Theme and March in concert. That doesn't happen too often.

Sounds great! Specially the part about that new composition! Could you tell us what was the piece like?

Oh, and always ask this but... Any videos?

[Henry B 51]

The new piece was pretty boring, to be honest. Very tonal and regal sounding.

[John Dutton 7,425]

King Mark should be all over that.

[King Mark 3,729]

OMG can I hear it somewhere?

please please tell me someone recorded it

[Tom 5,141]

the BSO page mentioned that a clip show was going to be set to Hymn to New England. Are we sure that it was a new composition and not the hymn?

[Henry B 51]

Oh... yeah, it was Hymn to New England. Sorry for the confusion, folks. No new composition!

[Foxfan 134]

Heads up that WCRB 99.5 Boston is scheduled to air Williams' Saturday night concert live. I'm hoping they'll allow it to be streamed online this year. If not someone from the Boston area will have to record it for us...

[Foxfan 134]

It's now streaming live online.

[King Mark 3,729]

Listening.Not sure if I can record with my crap PC now.

Star Wars is playing now right?

[John Dutton 7,425]

Star Wars Main Title concluded.

Now words from John Williams and then Suite from Jane Eyre.

This is awesome.

[Datameister 2,282]

Listening now...I think...should be Jane Eyre right now, right? I'm not familiar enough with the score to know if that's what I'm hearing.

[King Mark 3,729]

I'm trying to record at higher bitrate than 128k with VLC player but can't find the option

The metadata says the stream is 128k though

[John Dutton 7,425]

I'm in the chatroom right now if anyone'd care to join me.

[Datameister 2,282]

The chatroom isn't letting me in right now...not sure why.

EDIT: And yes, I recognize it as Jane Eyre now. Guess I went to the right place.

[King Mark 3,729]

well,I got into the chatrom

[John Dutton 7,425]

Thanks for the heads up Foxfan. I had no idea this was even going down tonight.

[Datameister 2,282]

Indeed!

I must say, I prefer the snare drum to be a little subtler in the Imperial March, though. And I say that as someone who loves to really pound pretty hard on snare drum.

[King Mark 3,729]

lol, JW not remembering what the extra music was in the CE3K Special Edition

[Foxfan 134]

The main title from Star Wars didn't sound as "big" as I'm used to hearing it (must be the microphone placement and mixing), but the imperial march was great.

The part about the Boston Pops recording two minutes of CETK was news to me! Anyone know which minutes they were exactly?

[King Mark 3,729]

yes,it the "inside the mothership" sequence for the 1980 special edition .This is not on any of the score albums ,only on the By Request album Boston Pops

Technical difficulties

[Datameister 2,282]

"Space travel takes a while...time is measured in different dimensions." Nicely handled.

EDIT: Bummer! I guess we aren't going to get to watch the film.

[King Mark 3,729]

Damn I was so hoping to see the clips

[Datameister 2,282]

[John Dutton 7,425]

Datameister you should find the golf course that John Williams walks at dusk every evening and get us all autographs. I'll mail you my creased Home Alone 2 liner notes that I had stuffed into my ass pocket a couple years ago ready to autograph when Williams got right up next to me...and security rushed him to his car.

[Datameister 2,282]

It's got to be either Holmby Park or the Los Angeles Country Club. If it's the latter, all I'd be able to do would be intercept him before or after, since it's a private club, but I don't think Holmby Park is closed to the public. I haven't been to either, but I can walk to them in perhaps a half-hour. (UCLA student...no car at the moment. )

Anyway, I keep meaning to go over there to see if I get lucky, but of course, such efforts would be fruitless this week with him on the other side of the country. I don't know when he's heading back to LA - I'm not that much of a stalker - but I'd like to give it a shot sometime this week, or perhaps next weekend. I don't know if I'll ask for an autograph...more likely I'd just thank him for the countless hours of jaw-dropping music he's created, and if he seemed to be in a particularly good mood, I might get a picture of us with my camera phone. I really don't want to annoy the man - I just would like to meet him while he's still around, as sad as that thought is.

[John Dutton 7,425]

I need to figure out a way to meet him at Tanglewood. However I need to perform certain favors, I don't care. They can expect phone calls and e-mails in the next few weeks.

[King Mark 3,729]

They're playing music from that hack Beethoven .Bring back JW

[John Dutton 7,425]

This is fine for an elevator or, say, the Titanic first class dining room. Not a God damned John Williams Boston Pops show. Do not want!

[Foxfan 134]

yes,it the "inside the mothership" sequence for the 1980 special edition .This is not on any of the score albums ,only on the By Request album Boston Pops

Technical difficulties

OK, but which minutes are they on the DVD?

Beethoven piano concerto playing now. Interesting to hear Williams conducting "non-Pops" music.

[Datameister 2,282]

Haha, yeah, I could do without this. But then again, I'm trying to get some work done at the same time, so perhaps it's for the best that I don't really care about the music I'm listening to.

[King Mark 3,729]

^^Foxfan

Actually JW is backstage...the announcer said it was some other conductor

As for where the music is in the DVD...that scene was cut from the latest CE3K cut I think, so it might be in the deleted scenes .It's on old VHS tapes of the Special Edition though

[Datameister 2,282]

Hedwig's Theme next!

[King Mark 3,729]

it could be another owl

[Datameister 2,282]

Is there a more famous theme for an owl?

[Foxfan 134]

Oh wait, it was another conductor.

I've heard Williams conduct a Mozart concerto at the first concert I attended in May 2003.

Remember that it's the Boston Pops' tradition to perform more "serious" music in the middle of the concert. The whole purpose behind the Pops concerts was to get "ordinary" folks in the door and introduce them to music they wouldn't have otherwise listened to, all while pleasing them with music they like.

[King Mark 3,729]

Are they cutting out music from the concert? Because were hearing pre-recorded crap

[Datameister 2,282]

I was wondering the same thing. How else all this downtime possible?

[Foxfan 134]

There are two intermissions during Pops concerts.

Hopefully the maestro is OK.

[King Mark 3,729]

Maybe he's playing the new piece and they don;t want anyone to record it

Well,that just keeps going doesn't it

[John Dutton 7,425]

So far it seems we've heard mostly pre-recorded music, non-Williams music and Williams interviews as opposed to actual Williams pieces. I was expecting more of the program I posted on page one. Edit: never mind, here most of it comes.

[Foxfan 134]

A Tintin world premiere would be awesome!

[King Mark 3,729]

Im hearing the orchestra rehearse

[Datameister 2,282]

Ha! Told you! Hedwig's Theme! More stuff first, though.

Also, this announcer's accent is interesting to me. A lot of what he says sounds just like what I'd expect from radio announcers in California, but then the Boston accent (I think) creeps in here and there.

[King Mark 3,729]

if one piece sounds like unmistakable JW, it's this one.

Wait, maybe William Ross actually composed it

[John Dutton 7,425]

This is what I clicked to hear!