In November 2018 Dutch conductor Raymond Janssen conducts the Star Wars Suite John Williams with INSO Lviv and The New Romanian Symphonic Choir in the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Doelen Rotterdam, World Forum Theater in Den Haag and Martini Plaza.
The New Romanian Symphonic Choir & INSO Lviv.
Conductor: Raymond Janssen
06/11/2018 – Arnhem-Musis
07/11/2018 – Hengelo-Rabo Theater
10/11/2018 – The Hague-World Forum
12/11/2018 – Rotterdam-De Doelen
13/11/2018 – Apeldoorn-Orpheus
14/11/2018 – Nijmegen-De Vereeniging
15/11/2018 – Amsterdam-Concertgebouw
16/11/2018 – Oudenbosch-De Basiliek
19/11/2018 – Groningen-Martini Plaza
20/11/2018 – Amsterdam-Concertgebouw
FILM MUSIC
Classical music is a historical art that is very much alive, because new compositions for orchestra and choir are written and recorded for almost every American blockbuster. The Dutch conductor Raymond Janssen realized this and organized a tour in 2011 and 2015 with the original movie soundtracks of The Lord of The Rings. The instant success asked for a sequel, and in November 2018, he launches the Star Wars Symphony.
STAR WARS SUITES
Hardly anyone knows that John Williams bundled the music he composed for Star Wars, into suites that contain the best musical pieces of each film. In turn Raymond Janssen selected the best parts out of that collection and will perform them in the largest concert halls of the Netherlands.
TOP LEVEL
The Star Wars music is the right choice for a concert tour, because the American Film Institute called the Star Wars soundtracks ‘the best film music of all times’. With fifty-one Academy Award Nominations, John Williams and Walt Disney are the most rewarded composers in the film industry. If you have never seen Star Wars, then you might know Schindler’s List, or other movies directed by Steven Spielberg, for which John Williams wrote the music.
THE TURBULENT THIRTIES
Williams always made his music fit the movie and instead of composing for synthesizer, the most modern sound at that time, he got the extravagant idea to return to the composition style of the 1930s. He inspired himself on E.v. Korngold’s repertoire writing the symphonic Star Wars music, reinforcing it with impressive choir elements. The final sound image contrasted with the high-tech that made the film so popular, which contributed to the record sales at the box office.
TRIBUTE TO JOHN WILLIAMS
As a tribute to John Williams, and also to create more variation, Raymond Janssen put parts of Jaws and Schindler’s List on the program, as well as some compositions by Hans Zimmer, Bryan Tyler and Christopher Young. For example, the theme from the Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises, as well as The Gladiator suite, and moments from Thor, Iron Man and Spiderman – all action movies, well-known to the public.
FULL PROGRAM
The main part of the program is the Star Wars music. The soundtracks will take you to a world in a distant future, where The Duel of the Fates, Luke and Leia, The Imperial March and The Throne Room are the center of the universe.
ORCHESTRA FROM UKRAINE – CHOIR FROM ROMANIA
John Williams addressed a large audience with his music and evoked feelings such as love, pain, anger and joy. In order to perform those heroic and sometimes explosive fragments, combined with transcendent music, Raymond Janssen will lead the International Symphony Orchestra from Lviv with a strong hand. This ‘young’ orchestra, with musicians between 25 and 35 years old, will bring the fantastic universe of Star Wars to life under his professional guidance. The New Romanian Symphony Choir will tell with its unique timbre, the epic tale of courage, friendship and honor, also known as the Star Wars saga. With more than one hundred and thirty-five musicians on stage, this gigantic music spectacle will seem to come from a distant future, beamed from another part of the universe, leaving the audience flabbergasted.