Richard Kaufman conducting<\/strong><\/p>\n INTERMISSION<\/p>\n John Williams conducting<\/strong><\/p>\n ENCORES<\/p>\n EXTERNAL REVIEWS<\/strong><\/p>\n JWFAN REVIEWS<\/strong><\/p>\n Review by John Tenuto<\/strong><\/p>\n Sunday, April 29, 2018, John Williams returned to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a spectacular concert featuring his music. In addition, there was a League of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association fundraiser event entitled \u201cA Toast to John Williams.\u201d My family and I enjoyed both events and wanted to share some images and perceptions of the day with fellow John Williams Fans.<\/p>\n The Concert:<\/p>\n The concert began at\u00a03:00PM<\/span>\u00a0with 7 selections conducted by Richard Kaufman. During the 1970s, Kaufman played violin on several of John Williams\u2019 scores including\u00a0Jaws.\u00a0<\/em>In addition, he conducts many of the film screenings at the CSO that are accompanied by the entire score played live by the orchestra. Almost immediately, Kaufman set the mood for the day with a fun introduction where he said that he felt a bit like an accordion player opening for the Beatles. He need not have felt that way because his conducting was dynamic, fluid, and compelling. Our absolute favorite moment was when he finished the bombastic selection \u201cThe Adventures of Mutt\u201d from\u00a0Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull\u00a0<\/em>with a motion that mimicked a ball player hitting a home run. His energy and enthusiasm \u2013 and his respect for Williams \u2013 was apparent during his introductions to\u00a0Jane Eyre, Minority Report,\u00a0<\/em>and \u201cAdventures on Earth\u201d from\u00a0E.T.\u00a0<\/em>The first half of the concert featured many rarely played Williams offerings, and his music from\u00a0Jane Eyre\u00a0<\/em>was especially interesting because it was one of his earliest scores, and it has many of the flavors that would pepper Williams\u2019 future and more famous compositions. We spoke with several people at the charity event who mentioned that they teared up during the selection from\u00a0E.T.\u00a0<\/em>because for many in the audience, the film and its music represent either their childhood or their children\u2019s childhoods as we approach the film\u2019s 40th<\/sup>\u00a0anniversary\u00a0in 4 years<\/span>. Kaufman was fantastic.<\/p>\n After the intermission, maestro John Williams took the stage. This was our third time seeing him during the past 20 years and his energy and enthusiasm are the same now as when we saw him two decades ago. He began with selections from\u00a0Hook, The BFG,\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Jaws.\u00a0<\/em>It is a joy to listen to his stories and introductions. For example, when he told us we would hear some music from\u00a0Jaws,\u00a0<\/em>he told us that there would be no \u201cba dum dum\u201d music referring to the main theme. The audience howled. His description of the music from\u00a0The BFG\u00a0<\/em>painted a picture for those who may have not seen the film and reminded audiences who had seen the movie what the selection represented. A real treat was hearing the CSO perform \u201cWith Malice Toward None\u201d from\u00a0Lincoln\u00a0<\/em>because the score for the film was recorded by Williams and the CSO in the very room we were sitting in. The story of how Spielberg had wanted to include a middle-of-the-nation orchestra to connect more with Lincoln was fascinating. The crowd pleasing\u00a0Star Wars\u00a0<\/em>selections included \u201cRey\u2019s Theme\u201d and it was obvious how much affection John Williams has for the material and for Daisy Ridley. He even called the theme \u201cDaisy\u2019s Theme\u201d and also said that when he was asked if he would compose the music for\u00a0The Last Jedi\u00a0<\/em>by Kathleen Kennedy, he first asked if Daisy was in the film. Since she was, he said jokingly that he agreed to write the music.<\/p>\n Three encores followed, including \u201cMarion\u2019s Theme,\u201d \u201cSuperman,\u201d and \u201cThe Imperial March.\u201d Williams said he wanted to end the concert with a bad guy theme. The orchestra hall shook with thunderous applause after both\u00a0Superman\u00a0<\/em>and Vader\u2019s theme, ending the concert with an amazing amount of energy. Then, after a few more bows shared with Kaufman, John Williams made his signature \u201csleepy time\u201d gesture and walked off stage. It was a remarkable experience and we were happy that our son got to see John Williams in person. Watching Williams conduct is like watching Michelangelo paint.<\/p>\n The Fundraiser:<\/p>\n A lucky few hundred of us got to gather in support of the very worthwhile League of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association for a pre-concert party and post-party dinner with Richard Kaufman making remarks. There were some great silent auction items themed around Williams\u2019 scores, including some signed composition pages from John Williams himself. The decorations included a life-sized R2, movie posters, and tables that had popcorn boxes and music score sheets. There was some good conversation and a chance to talk about the concert with fellow fans after the event. The highlight was the comments from Kaufman who relayed how one of the musicians while recording the original\u00a0Jaws\u00a0<\/em>music would cover her eyes (it was customary that there were large movie screens behind the orchestra showing the film for the conductor). He shared some great adventures during his own amazing career and even answered questions from the group. All in all, a wonderful day spent with a few hundred fellow fans who love the music of Williams as much as we do.<\/p>\n JWFAN REPORTS<\/strong><\/p>\n Report by Lee Allen<\/strong> (April 26) (original post<\/a>)<\/p>\n What a dream come true! He was sensational tonight. Such energy and passion for each piece. Getting to watch his face as he conducted was something truly special. Just pure\u00a0emotion and happiness\u00a0on his face. At one point he even mouthed the words “oh wow” during the 3rd encore (The Imperial March) the other two encores were Marion’s theme from Raiders and the Superman March.<\/p>\n Oh and we all know he loves Daisy Ridley, but he really really really loves Daisy Ridley. He wouldn’t stop swooning over her. It was so\u00a0charming and sweet to listen to him tell the story of scoring Ep 7 and 8. He even said (when introducing Marions Theme) that Karen Allen is wonderful on-screen with her energy and grace, much like Daisy. Which got a big laugh from\u00a0the audience.<\/p>\n Report by ‘PokeDocMatt’<\/strong>\u00a0(April 26) (original post<\/a>)<\/p>\n Thursday night was a phenomenal concert. While there were some struggles with conducting, following the orchestra’s lead, missing cues, etc… the stamina, energy and joy he had while conducting were quite heartwarming. In spite of the difficulties, there were many amazing moments. My favorite was during\u00a0With Malice Towards None.\u00a0<\/em>In the middle of one of the solo trumpet miniature\u00a0cadenzas, the Maestro\u00a0exquisitely suspended the orchestra and adapted to the soloist. You could tell that he was really loving he opportunity to let the music breathe, without being limited by the screen.<\/p>\n Report by ‘Damien F’\u00a0<\/strong>(April 28) (original post<\/a>)<\/p>\n Just back from the Saturday concert. My fifth time seeing him on stage. Amazing as always.<\/p>\n Loved how he referred to the Jaws theme as “thump thump” music and Rey’s theme as “Daisy’s Theme”.<\/p>\n The orchestra sounded absolutely stunning.<\/p>\n I never expected to see him performing a strip tease on stage either. First time for everything\u00a0\n
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