# "A visit from dear God" - The John Williams, Anne Sophie-Mutter, and VPO concerts



## Fabulin (Jun 10, 2019)

*"A visit from dear God" - The John Williams, Anne Sophie-Mutter, and VPO concerts*

A historical event took place in Vienna on Saturday, January the 18th 2020. In the City of Music, Vienna, on the invitation of the Wiener Philharmoniker, a concert of the music by John Williams, conducted by the 87-years old composer himself, and featuring Anne-Sophie Mutter as soloist of 7 pieces and a 1st violinist in the two final ones was staged.









The concert was supposed to happen in October 2018, but the untimely illness of the composer prevented it from happening. VPO expressed further willingness to arrange a new date for the concert, so come October 2019 it was announced that the historical concert, the first time playing of music written for film in the Golden Hall, and at the same time the first instance when Williams would conduct a continental European orchestra, would take place on the 18th and 19th of January 2020.

The concert was literally a roaring success. Originally intended as a two-hour concert with 3 encoures, due to a wish of the musicians it has been prolonged with additonal 2 encores of the Raiders March and the Imperial March (the latter requested especially by the horn section).

An autograph session was arranged for the musicians, with Williams signing even a couple of instruments. During the rehearsals the musicians were greatly impressed by the efficient and masterful conducting manner of the American composer, and requested additional two encores to be played: Raiders March from _The Raiders of the Lost Ark_, and The Imperial March from _Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back_ (the latter request made Williams express a concern for the endurance of the horns after such a long concert, but it turned out it was the horn section that requested this show of power as the finale).

Williams arrived at the concert, welcomed at the doors by a large crowd. When he entered the stage, the entire hall, led by yours truly and other JWFans, rose up and gave a standing ovation.

There were in total seven standing ovations during the concert. The orchestra was asked by Williams to stand up and stand up again. The stage atmosphere was great, with lots of courtsy-ing between the performers of great solos and the conductor. Many musicians smiled and laughed, more than one was spotted crying tears of joy. Every section played with great elan.

By the end of the concert, which the 87-years old Williams has been vigorously conducting standing for 2 hours and 45 minutes, great ovations turned into a Bacchanale, with whistles, "woos" and thumping. Even Anne-Sophie Mutter did a "woo" too  The first couple of bars of the final two encores were welcomed by applause and voices as well.

The concert was filmed by a battery of cameras, and the Deutsche Grammophon will release both a DVD and CD.

Just like in the Donner und Blitz story of Beethoven's death, in the global-warmed Vienna the sky started snowing right before the concert and left the entire landscape a winter wonderland.

One Viennese critic, although slightly disdainful, pronounced this event "A visit from dear God to his earthly disciples".

https://www.derstandard.at/story/2000113486699/besuch-vom-lieben-gott

Looking at Vienna, some view it as the heartwarming ending to a story that started back in 1930s, when the Viennese society shunned the once adored Erich Wolfgang Korngold for his association with American cinematography. Williams, who on his list of achievements can list the resurrection and developing of Korngold's operatic style back in the 1970s, now has rested two swords in Vienna---his own, and Korngold's.

The programme was:
- The Flight to Neverland from _Hook_
- Suite from _Close Encounters of the Third Kind_
- Hedwig's Theme from _Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone_ (ASM)
- Theme from _Sabrina _(ASM)
- Donnybrook Fair from _Far and Away_ (ASM)
- Teufeltanz from _The Witches of Eastwick_ (ASM)
- Adventures on Earth from _E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial_

Intermission

- Theme from _Jurassic Park_
- Dartmoor, 1912 from _War Horse_
- Out to Sea / Shark Cage Fugue from _Jaws_
- Marion's Theme from _Raiders of the Lost Ark_
- The Rebellion is Reborn from _Star Wars: The Last Jedi_
- Luke & Leia from _Star Wars: Return of the Jedi_
- Star Wars Main Title and Finale from _Star Wars_

Encore:

- Theme from _Cinderella Liberty_ (ASM)
- The Duel from _The Adventures of Tintin_ (ASM)
- Remembrances from _Schindler's List_ (ASM)
- Raiders' March from _Raiders of the Lost Ark_
- The Imperial March from _Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back_


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## Hogwash (5 mo ago)

Watched this on YouTube, last night, and it was great.


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