John Williams special concert in SD

[malloy]

I was lucky enough to get one of the few remaining tickets to this. Had to brave horrible traffic on the I5, but totally worth it!!!

Supposedly there were a few hundred (?) outside who wanted in!

http://www.sandiegomagazine.com/San-Diego-Magazine/Week-View/index.php/name/John-Williams/event/44054/

Heard him conduct the new Star Wars themes and he did encores of the old films. 

After six standing ovations he had to gesture that he was tired and needed to go to sleep!

[Nick B]

I was lucky enough to get one of the few remaining tickets to this. Had to brave horrible traffic on the I5, but totally worth it!!!

Supposedly there were a few hundred (?) outside who wanted in!

http://www.sandiegomagazine.com/San-Diego-Magazine/Week-View/index.php/name/John-Williams/event/44054/

Heard him conduct the new Star Wars themes and he did encores of the old films. 

After six standing ovations he had to gesture that he was tired and needed to go to sleep!

That must have been a real treat! I would have spent some good coin to see him. Am curious what you thought of the acoustics.
Nick

[tmazz]

I saw him conduct a Star Wars Suite with the Boston Pops at Tanglewood last summer. Outstanding performance.

[malloy]

That must have been a real treat! I would have spent some good coin to see him. Am curious what you thought of the acoustics.

Nick,

I was late buying ticket so we had only balcony seats.  I usually have season tickets in the same hall (Copley Hall in SD) in the orchestra section to the far right of the stage. I must say that the acoustics up in the balcony were much better than my usual seats! I could hear more instrument detail up there but of course the sound was more diffused. Lush sound. I would have liked to have paid more for front row center seats to get more layering and a more immediate sound, but I have never heard any stereo sound like that! 

I don't know how many times John Williams has conducted the SD Symphony in the past or how long they practiced but he was able to coax out a better sound than the associate conductor who conducted the first part of the concert. The players simply played more dynamically, were more responsive, and tighter as a whole.

First time for me to hear a celesta live. For the past 20 plus years, what I had thought to be a glockenspiel or a marimba on the 3rd track from the OST of ET, the extraterrestrial (ET and me or Stargazers) turned out to be a celesta!

I didn't know the instrument figured so prominently in Williams' scores.

Paul

[malloy]

I saw him conduct a Star Wars Suite with the Boston Pops at Tanglewood last summer. Outstanding performance.

Oh wow! What I would have paid to see that !   I was waiting for the force theme but he played both the Han and Leia love theme and the Imperial March as encores!

[Nick B]

That must have been a real treat! I would have spent some good coin to see him. Am curious what you thought of the acoustics.

Nick,

I was late buying ticket so we had only balcony seats.  I usually have season tickets in the same hall (Copley Hall in SD) in the orchestra section to the far right of the stage. I must say that the acoustics up in the balcony were much better than my usual seats! I could hear more instrument detail up there but of course the sound was more diffused. Lush sound. I would have liked to have paid more for front row center seats to get more layering and a more immediate sound, but I have never heard any stereo sound like that! 

I don't know how many times John Williams has conducted the SD Symphony in the past or how long they practiced but he was able to coax out a better sound than the associate conductor who conducted the first part of the concert. The players simply played more dynamically, were more responsive, and tighter as a whole.

First time for me to hear a celesta live. For the past 20 plus years, what I had thought to be a glockenspiel or a marimba on the 3rd track from the OST of ET, the extraterrestrial (ET and me or Stargazers) turned out to be a celesta!

I didn't know the instrument figured so prominently in Williams' scores.

Paul

Thanks for the education, Paul. I had never heard the word celesta and looked it up on YouTube. What a nice sounding instrument.
Nick

[malloy]

You are welcome, Nick.

I first heard it on Tchaikovsky's Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Such a gossamer feeling.

More famous nowadays, is of course Hedwig's theme in Harry Potter. Sounds ethereal, mysterios and magical. Williams is a master at creating texture through  a great theme and orchestration.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/GTXBLyp7_Dw

[tmazz]

Thanks for the education, Paul. I had never heard the word celesta and looked it up on YouTube. What a nice sounding instrument.
Nick

You learn something new every day.... whether you like it or not.