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John Williams in CT, USA
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Topics archived from Public Space and its subforums after a long period of inactivity, or redundant for some other reason. This section is read-only.
Topics archived from Public Space and its subforums after a long period of inactivity, or redundant for some other reason. This section is read-only.
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Bandersnatch
John Williams in CT, USA
John Williams will be performing at the Bushnell theater in Hartford, CT, U.S.A. April 13, 7:30PM EST. I already have my tickets.
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Canbell
He toured Europe in late 2004, South Ameria in early 2005, and now North America. I suspect the programme willl be more or less the same (with a lot of Venezualian music).
There are a couple of reviews - including mine - in the French forum, it might be interesting to compare reactions. But trust me, it's worth whatever you had to pay for the ticket!
Will you write a review?
There are a couple of reviews - including mine - in the French forum, it might be interesting to compare reactions. But trust me, it's worth whatever you had to pay for the ticket!
Will you write a review?
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Bandersnatch
I am not sure I'm qualified to write a review and much less about John Williams. What could I possibly say that you guys don't already know?What things would you want me to pay attention to? I will have to write them down or I'll forget. I think reading your prior review would help and just for fun I'll try reading it but french is not my forte. Maybe I will be able to get the overall feel of the reivew but I doubt I will be able to understand the details. I'ts a good excuse to buy me a french dictionary though. By the way I love Venezuelan music, especially Antonio Lauro. Maybe he is promoting his 2003 cd called el Diablo Suelto which I have. I guess I am going to have to give the cd a serious listen before I go to the concert.
Cheers
Cheers
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BobM
It's OK Bandersnatch, I'm not jealous....we got better weather here in Miami anyways and it last the whole year so you can keep Williams for a day or two! (I used to live in Chicago so I know about weather 
)
More seriously, anything you can say about his performance is appreciated. You know, what he played, how he did it, over all reaction in the audience ( I know, they love him ), anything really. We do the best we can, you know.
Nice talking to you and happy guitar,
Bob
(I used to live in Chicago so I know about weather )More seriously, anything you can say about his performance is appreciated. You know, what he played, how he did it, over all reaction in the audience ( I know, they love him ), anything really. We do the best we can, you know.
Nice talking to you and happy guitar,
Bob
Last edited by BobM on Sun Mar 06, 2005 3:23 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Canbell
None of us is qualified... Really you shouldn't worry about that, any opinion is respectable and appreciated.Bandersnatch wrote:I am not sure I'm qualified to write a review and much less about John Williams.
There was also a discussion about JW's recital in Mexico back in January on Classicalguitar.nl.Bandersnatch wrote:french is not my forte.
Partly, but not only.Bandersnatch wrote:Maybe he is promoting his 2003 cd called el Diablo Suelto which I have.
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merry_zhao
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Bandersnatch
Hi guys
Sorry for the late review. By the way I have less hair now too. I am posting this review not because I think I’m qualified but mostly because I told Canbell I would, so here it is.
This was a concert sponsored by the Connecticut Classical Guitar Society in which John Williams played to a nearly sold-out theatre. He played at the Belding Theater, The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford Connecticut which is a relatively new building specially designed for more intimate venues like this one. The reception room has a very interesting glass sculpture that look either like red worms from the bottom of the sea or a creature from Star Trek.
The first thing he did was to mention how cold the theater was which maybe explains why he changed the order of the first two pieces. The program was supposed to start with six sketches from John Williams himself and then play Mallorca by Isaac Albeniz. I am not familiar with either piece so I don’t know why he switched. Williams sketches were not bad and I think I kind of liked the 3rd and 4rth sketch in particular. Then he played Djilile by Peter Sculthorpe and then Chaconne by J.S. Bach. The second half was music from Venezuela and Paraguay so in a sense it was very similar to the concert he gave in Mexico City described by Kenr in the forum classicalguitar.nl which I encourage to read because it describes the second half better than I can.
What can I say, it's John Williams and I am glad I went, I can’t add anything new about Mr. Williams performance that hasn’t been said before but the sound of his guitar was warm and full. However, somehow I was expecting more but maybe it had to do with the temperature of the theater as mentioned by Mr. Williams. I was also a little disappointed because I though my seats were going to be closer which they were not. My seat was closer to the back of the theater. The other thing was the use of microphone and speakers which I think made his guitar sound fuller and allowed people seating in the back like me to hear nuances that otherwise I think I wouldn’t have. I don’t like the idea of paying for a live concert and getting in return the same electronic sound, as playing my CD at home but this obviously is not the same. Still it was unexpected for me and paying attention to the microphone, etc. (I have an interest in recording) distracted me a little.
There was a Meet John Williams reception afterwards, which I did attend. I never had the opportunity talk to him but my friend was able to get him to sign a program booklet. After a short period he stopped signing and someone gave him a plate with desserts so he would have his hands too full and unable to sign. After coffee and dessert I left with my friend and that was it.
Cheers
Sorry for the late review. By the way I have less hair now too. I am posting this review not because I think I’m qualified but mostly because I told Canbell I would, so here it is.
This was a concert sponsored by the Connecticut Classical Guitar Society in which John Williams played to a nearly sold-out theatre. He played at the Belding Theater, The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford Connecticut which is a relatively new building specially designed for more intimate venues like this one. The reception room has a very interesting glass sculpture that look either like red worms from the bottom of the sea or a creature from Star Trek.
The first thing he did was to mention how cold the theater was which maybe explains why he changed the order of the first two pieces. The program was supposed to start with six sketches from John Williams himself and then play Mallorca by Isaac Albeniz. I am not familiar with either piece so I don’t know why he switched. Williams sketches were not bad and I think I kind of liked the 3rd and 4rth sketch in particular. Then he played Djilile by Peter Sculthorpe and then Chaconne by J.S. Bach. The second half was music from Venezuela and Paraguay so in a sense it was very similar to the concert he gave in Mexico City described by Kenr in the forum classicalguitar.nl which I encourage to read because it describes the second half better than I can.
What can I say, it's John Williams and I am glad I went, I can’t add anything new about Mr. Williams performance that hasn’t been said before but the sound of his guitar was warm and full. However, somehow I was expecting more but maybe it had to do with the temperature of the theater as mentioned by Mr. Williams. I was also a little disappointed because I though my seats were going to be closer which they were not. My seat was closer to the back of the theater. The other thing was the use of microphone and speakers which I think made his guitar sound fuller and allowed people seating in the back like me to hear nuances that otherwise I think I wouldn’t have. I don’t like the idea of paying for a live concert and getting in return the same electronic sound, as playing my CD at home but this obviously is not the same. Still it was unexpected for me and paying attention to the microphone, etc. (I have an interest in recording) distracted me a little.
There was a Meet John Williams reception afterwards, which I did attend. I never had the opportunity talk to him but my friend was able to get him to sign a program booklet. After a short period he stopped signing and someone gave him a plate with desserts so he would have his hands too full and unable to sign. After coffee and dessert I left with my friend and that was it.
Cheers
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Canbell
Hi Bandersnatch
Thanks for the review, it makes us wish we were there to make our own opinion. It seems that for the last year or so JW has been devoting the second part of his recitals to Venezualian music (the same as on his latest CD), and personally I wasn't too impressed with that.
The first half seems to have been very different from what he played in France some 6 months ago (he did play the Sculthorpe however). What did you think of his Chaconne? It must be about 15 years at least I last heard it played live... And what about the recurring complaint that JW is an excellent technician, but a poor musician (an opinion I personally don't agree with)?
Why do you complain about microphones being used in guitar recitals? As you say, you would have missed all the nuances, and that's what music is about, isn't it? Guitarists don't have the choice really: unless they use amplification, they can play for limited audiences only, and that would make it even more difficult for us to attend guitar concerts.
Thanks for the review, it makes us wish we were there to make our own opinion. It seems that for the last year or so JW has been devoting the second part of his recitals to Venezualian music (the same as on his latest CD), and personally I wasn't too impressed with that.
The first half seems to have been very different from what he played in France some 6 months ago (he did play the Sculthorpe however). What did you think of his Chaconne? It must be about 15 years at least I last heard it played live... And what about the recurring complaint that JW is an excellent technician, but a poor musician (an opinion I personally don't agree with)?
Why do you complain about microphones being used in guitar recitals? As you say, you would have missed all the nuances, and that's what music is about, isn't it? Guitarists don't have the choice really: unless they use amplification, they can play for limited audiences only, and that would make it even more difficult for us to attend guitar concerts.
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BalO
Totaly agree with you, we don´t have any choise using the damn amplifiers.. Personally i hate using amplifiers, sounds so strange comparing to the clean guitar sound (this might also be because my microphone is bad =( ) but unfortuntly for reacing out to people we have to use the amplifiers..Canbell wrote: Why do you complain about microphones being used in guitar recitals? As you say, you would have missed all the nuances, and that's what music is about, isn't it? Guitarists don't have the choice really: unless they use amplification, they can play for limited audiences only, and that would make it even more difficult for us to attend guitar concerts.
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Bandersnatch
Jo!! Canbell, always nice reading from you. How is the weather in Montpellier?
Hi BAlO I'm going to look in mapquest where in Sweden is Gothenburg.
I am not familiar with J.S.B.’s Chaconne. I enjoyed it but its long enough that I can’t remember which parts I liked the most or why? It’s not like a pop tune that you can walk away whistling the tune in your head. . I am going to have to get a recording and pay attention to the piece. Maybe this will help me to remember what I actually heard but then again I don’t think my memory would be reliable enough.
How can you be an excellent technician and be a poor musician I am not sure but I think I know what you mean. What you are talking about is what when I was young, players and critics would say in Spanish “no tiene angel” or “he does not have an angel” Which means that even though you have played well it is lacking something that is what makes people be really moved by it and is something that people recognize but cannot describe in a technical matter. I have heard this about John Williams and I am not sure it’s a clear cut case with him. I think he is perfectly capable of “having angel” if he chooses to but maybe his personality stops him from letting go because technique is first for him. And since he is so successful why should he change? This “letting go” that I mention is not conducive to perfect performance but when both things are able to work together flawlessly then I think is like being witness of a once in a lifetime force of nature event. I think most players master one in favor of the other. Then there is the repertoire you choose which also favors one over the other. Personally in my opinion this concert did not have an angel.
Regarding the mics; sorry if it sounded as a complaint. It was more of a matter or fact remark than anything. My complaint was more of the fact that I was not able to be in front row. How does that tie in with the mics? Well, I was hopeful to hear more of the natural sound of the guitar and use that memory of the sound to mix my recordings. (since I have an interest in recording the classical guitar myself). For anybody interested they were using what it looked to me as a single large condenser microphone. Could not see the brand and I can’t remember anymore where it was pointing to although I want to say to the sound hole.
Cheers
Hi BAlO I'm going to look in mapquest where in Sweden is Gothenburg.
I am not familiar with J.S.B.’s Chaconne. I enjoyed it but its long enough that I can’t remember which parts I liked the most or why? It’s not like a pop tune that you can walk away whistling the tune in your head. . I am going to have to get a recording and pay attention to the piece. Maybe this will help me to remember what I actually heard but then again I don’t think my memory would be reliable enough.
How can you be an excellent technician and be a poor musician I am not sure but I think I know what you mean. What you are talking about is what when I was young, players and critics would say in Spanish “no tiene angel” or “he does not have an angel” Which means that even though you have played well it is lacking something that is what makes people be really moved by it and is something that people recognize but cannot describe in a technical matter. I have heard this about John Williams and I am not sure it’s a clear cut case with him. I think he is perfectly capable of “having angel” if he chooses to but maybe his personality stops him from letting go because technique is first for him. And since he is so successful why should he change? This “letting go” that I mention is not conducive to perfect performance but when both things are able to work together flawlessly then I think is like being witness of a once in a lifetime force of nature event. I think most players master one in favor of the other. Then there is the repertoire you choose which also favors one over the other. Personally in my opinion this concert did not have an angel.
Regarding the mics; sorry if it sounded as a complaint. It was more of a matter or fact remark than anything. My complaint was more of the fact that I was not able to be in front row. How does that tie in with the mics? Well, I was hopeful to hear more of the natural sound of the guitar and use that memory of the sound to mix my recordings. (since I have an interest in recording the classical guitar myself). For anybody interested they were using what it looked to me as a single large condenser microphone. Could not see the brand and I can’t remember anymore where it was pointing to although I want to say to the sound hole.
Cheers