Post by erik on Jul 8, 2023 12:28:25 GMT -5
Last night began the first of seven nights of this year's music under the stars at the Hollywood Bowl, and it was (largely) about John Williams.
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
Gustavo Dudamel (1st Half)
John Williams (2nd Half)
Cal State Fullerton Singers
Los Angeles Children's Chorus
Richard Whiting: HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD (arranged by John Williams) (film clips)
John Williams: OVERTURE TO "THE COWBOYS"
Bernard Herrmann: SCENE D'AMOUR/FROM "VERTIGO"
John Williams: CALL OF THE CHAMPIONS (clips from NBC's Olympic coverage)
John Williams: DRY YOUR TEARS, AFRIKA/FROM "AMISTAD"
John Williams: DIEL OF THE FATES/FROM "STAR WARS: THE PHANTON MENACE" (clips from the Star Wars franchise)
John Williams: LOVE THEME AND MARCH FROM "SUPERMAN THE MOVIE"
(intermission)
John Williams: THE ADVENTURES OF MUTT/FROM "INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL"
John Williams: HELENA'S THEME/FROM "INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY"
John Williams: RAIDERS MARCH/FROM "RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK"
John Williams: THEME FROM "JURASSIC PARK"
John Williams: THEME FROM "SCHINDLER'S LIST" (Violin Solo: BING WANG)
John Williams: THE ASTEROID FIELD/FROM "THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK"
John Williams: PRINCESS LEIA'S THEME/FROM "STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE"
John Williams: THRONE ROOM + FINALE/FROM "STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE"
Encoures
John Williams: YODA'S THEME/FROM "THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK"
John Williams: FLYING THEME/FROM "E.T.: THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL"
John Williams: IMPERIAL MARCH/FROM "THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK"
The Light Saber Rule was in effect for this first concert of the year for me, because John Williams was making his annual pilgrimage to a place he had been conducting in (excepting the COVID-shuttered 2020 season) since 1978. But that was in the second half, and L.A. Phil music director Gustavo Dudamel held down the first half of a varied program that was curated at Williams' suggestion. The only non-Williams pieces in the first half were "Hooray For Hollywood", and the "Scene D'Amour", this last one composed by Bernard Herrmann for Hitchcock's 1958 classic Vertigo. "Call Of The Champions" and "Dry Your Tears, Afrika" (the last one from Steven Spielberg's 1997 historical drama Amistad) featured the L.A. Children's Chorus and the University Singers of Cal State Fullerton to real uplifting effect.
Following intermission, the now 90 year-old Williams held court with the Usual Suspects of "hits"--the stuff from Star Wars and Indiana Jones. including "Helena's Theme" (from The Dial Of Destiny). There was also the Philharmonic's concertmistress Bing Wang on hand to do the violin solo for the theme to Spielberg's 1993 Holocaust epic Schindler's List, a moment of poignancy amidst the blockbuster levity, preceded by Jurassic Park (both films are celebrating their 30th anniversaries in 2023). The near-sold-out crowd, several thousand of whom pulled out their light sabers out to lighten up the otherwise dark interior of the Bowl, had three encores, two from The Empire Strikes Back, with the famous Flying Theme from E.T. sandwiched in-between. Dudamel and Williams engaged in a little light-sabers-as-batons contest during the "Imperial March", amusing the crowd like nobody's business.
This was a great way to kick off my twenty-seventh year of Bowl concerts, during this the Bowl's 101st anniversary.
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
Gustavo Dudamel (1st Half)
John Williams (2nd Half)
Cal State Fullerton Singers
Los Angeles Children's Chorus
Richard Whiting: HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD (arranged by John Williams) (film clips)
John Williams: OVERTURE TO "THE COWBOYS"
Bernard Herrmann: SCENE D'AMOUR/FROM "VERTIGO"
John Williams: CALL OF THE CHAMPIONS (clips from NBC's Olympic coverage)
John Williams: DRY YOUR TEARS, AFRIKA/FROM "AMISTAD"
John Williams: DIEL OF THE FATES/FROM "STAR WARS: THE PHANTON MENACE" (clips from the Star Wars franchise)
John Williams: LOVE THEME AND MARCH FROM "SUPERMAN THE MOVIE"
(intermission)
John Williams: THE ADVENTURES OF MUTT/FROM "INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL"
John Williams: HELENA'S THEME/FROM "INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY"
John Williams: RAIDERS MARCH/FROM "RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK"
John Williams: THEME FROM "JURASSIC PARK"
John Williams: THEME FROM "SCHINDLER'S LIST" (Violin Solo: BING WANG)
John Williams: THE ASTEROID FIELD/FROM "THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK"
John Williams: PRINCESS LEIA'S THEME/FROM "STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE"
John Williams: THRONE ROOM + FINALE/FROM "STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE"
Encoures
John Williams: YODA'S THEME/FROM "THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK"
John Williams: FLYING THEME/FROM "E.T.: THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL"
John Williams: IMPERIAL MARCH/FROM "THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK"
The Light Saber Rule was in effect for this first concert of the year for me, because John Williams was making his annual pilgrimage to a place he had been conducting in (excepting the COVID-shuttered 2020 season) since 1978. But that was in the second half, and L.A. Phil music director Gustavo Dudamel held down the first half of a varied program that was curated at Williams' suggestion. The only non-Williams pieces in the first half were "Hooray For Hollywood", and the "Scene D'Amour", this last one composed by Bernard Herrmann for Hitchcock's 1958 classic Vertigo. "Call Of The Champions" and "Dry Your Tears, Afrika" (the last one from Steven Spielberg's 1997 historical drama Amistad) featured the L.A. Children's Chorus and the University Singers of Cal State Fullerton to real uplifting effect.
Following intermission, the now 90 year-old Williams held court with the Usual Suspects of "hits"--the stuff from Star Wars and Indiana Jones. including "Helena's Theme" (from The Dial Of Destiny). There was also the Philharmonic's concertmistress Bing Wang on hand to do the violin solo for the theme to Spielberg's 1993 Holocaust epic Schindler's List, a moment of poignancy amidst the blockbuster levity, preceded by Jurassic Park (both films are celebrating their 30th anniversaries in 2023). The near-sold-out crowd, several thousand of whom pulled out their light sabers out to lighten up the otherwise dark interior of the Bowl, had three encores, two from The Empire Strikes Back, with the famous Flying Theme from E.T. sandwiched in-between. Dudamel and Williams engaged in a little light-sabers-as-batons contest during the "Imperial March", amusing the crowd like nobody's business.
This was a great way to kick off my twenty-seventh year of Bowl concerts, during this the Bowl's 101st anniversary.